Open publishing of public health research in Africa: an exploratory investigation of the barriers and solutions

Abstract

A previous survey of African medical journals identified the need to assist journals and public health researchers to make publications more openly accessible. This article reports a subsequent survey to describe knowledge of, barriers to and interest in capacity building for open publishing of public health research in Africa. An online questionnaire collected information from 91 respondents in 16 African countries. The respondents were authors (75%) or reviewers (53%) of research articles, journal editors (40%) or journal publishers (19%), with overlap between them, and experience with both traditional and open access publications. Fewer than half of the respondents appreciated benefits of ready availability, added citations and transparency of open publishing. Some respondents chose incorrect answers. There was interest in open publishing using preprints and open reviews, and a majority would like access to free online courses and mentoring opportunities. This study notes a huge potential for equipping researchers in Africa with the skills to understand and use online publishing and provides guidance for future capacity building via access to online resources and mentoring. This is relevant for any discipline, such as public health, where local solutions based on local research findings are important.

Keywords

• open science
• public health
• research
• africa
• preprint
• open review