Thank you Chris Zielinski for keeping this pot boiling in the Kitchen.
You ask how we might overcome the negative perception towards OA journals from LMICs, often only because they don’t look so good as they can’t afford to employ graphic designers etc.
Maybe we should explore a follow on step to the big research funders (NIH, Wellcome, Gates etc) decision a few years back to stipulate that outcomes of their funding must be published in OA publications.
Why not a stipulation that the index paper from research undertaken in a country or region must be published in an approved* OA journal that is published from that region. A generous APC (article processing charge) can be built into the research funding.
This could provide just the stimulus that these publications need to fully professionalise themselves.
And it would mainstream them in terms of ‘must read’ for all serious researchers - rather than being perused occasionally.
Very quickly a few Grade A publications would emerge, with similar standing to the Grade A publications in richer parts of the world. The playing field would be flatter...
I commend the idea for further discussion. It is a simple solution to a complex problem, and it would need some exception options etc, but it is worth exploring further as I submit it would achieve a solution to the challenge set.
* I cite ‘approved’ OA Journals. Another area for debate. Traditional indexing approvals for journals from LMICs has long been controversial, maybe for the very reasons Chris raised initially. Some modernising to the approach might be constructive.
All best
Bryan
Bryan Pearson
Managing Director
FSG Africa Ltd
Vine House, Fair Green, Reach, Cambridge CB25 0JD, UK
Tel: +44 1638 743633.
Mobile: +44 790 999 7256
HIFA profile: Bryan Pearson published Africa Health journal for 40 years before handing it over in August 2018 to the African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST) in Kampala. He remains Consulting Editor on the title and occupies the rest of his time providing communications consultancy services on health and other development issues; as well as developing a mango and pineapple farm in Ghana’s Volta Region; and an eco tourism project at Watamu on Kenya’s magnificent coast. bryan AT fsg.co.uk
