Advantages and disadvantages of publishing in African Journals

Advantages and disadvantages of publishing in African Journals 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of publishing in African Journals? Let’s discuss that and more in this blog!

Advantages and disadvantages of publishing in African Journals 

You’re a Masters or PhD student who has finished their research and is ready to publish your first journal article. This may be a pre-requisite for your programme, or you may simply want to kickstart your research careers.

Publishing in international journals can be expensive and difficult, and many choose to publish in African journals, which is often a good idea.

However, publishing in African journals comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Here are some key points to consider:

Advantages

Local Relevance

Publishing in African journals often means that the research is more relevant to local issues and can have a direct impact on the community. 

Visibility in Regional Contexts

These journals provide a platform for African researchers to showcase their work, which might otherwise be overshadowed in international journals.

When publishing your research in a journal whose readers have a specific interest in your area, you can get more engaged readers who benefit from the research, thus increasing its impact. 

Support for Local Academia

By publishing locally, researchers support the growth and development of African academic institutions and journals.

International publishers are being called out more and more for their unfair practices, which include over-charging for open access publishing and making huge profits while they don’t compensate reviewers or authors.

Publishing in an African journal helps support publishers who don’t benefit from the unfair international publishing practices.

Cost-Effective

Publishing in local journals can be more affordable compared to international journals, which often have high publication fees.

Many of them don’t charge exorbitant fees for authors to publish open-access or keep these articles behind paywalls where they are not accessible to the larger research community. 

Disadvantages

Limited Visibility

African journals often struggle with visibility and recognition on the global stage, which can affect the reach and impact of the research.

This is the flip side to having local/ regional relevance and visibility since impact factors and other measures are based on readership. 

Indexing Challenges

Many African journals are not indexed in major citation databases like Scopus or Web of Science, which can affect the perceived credibility and impact factor of the research.

While these journals may be high quality (e.g. having a well-qualified editorial board), they may be perceived as being less credible than similar international journals which are indexed. 

Funding and Resources

Local journals may face challenges related to funding and resources, which can impact the quality of the publication process.

This can affect the quality/ availability of the editorial team and staff members. I have heard of cases where researchers submit to local journals and never hear back from the editor, perhaps due to the journal facing challenges such as understaffing. 

Infrastructure Issues

African journals can also face infrastructural challenges, such as limited access to digital platforms and distribution networks. This affects their visibility and reach. 

What are your thoughts or experiences on publishing in an African journal?

For a detailed guide on how to publish in an academic journal, download our step-by-step guide to publishing in a journal, including information on how to structure your article, using a journal finder, publishing options, and much more. 

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