Momentum is building to enhance the visibility and impact of African public health research. WACREN (the West and Central African Research and Education Network) and its partners are in a coalition called COPPHA to promote the use of journals that do not charge fees for either authors or readers, often referred to as Diamond OA journals, for public health research publications.
The Coalition for Open Access Publishing of Public Health in Africa (COPPHA) is spearheaded by WACREN in partnership with PublicHealth.Africa, AFREhealth, the West African Institute of Public Health, and the Somali Health Action Journal.
“This innovative initiative integrates a preprint repository, and a peer review system tailored to address the unique challenges faced by researchers and public health professionals across the continent. It aims to provide a transparent and inclusive environment for scholarly publishing”, according to the WACREN website.
Overcoming the visibility gap
WACREN’s engagement in open science is rooted in a long-standing initiative called LIBSENSE, which aims to continuously develop collaborations between libraries and national research and education networks (NRENs) in Africa.
Initial research conducted by PublicHealth.Africa and LIBSENSE revealed African scientists’ challenges in publishing their research. These challenges, including high article processing charges, limited indexing of local journals in recognized global databases, and insufficient knowledge and capacity for open publishing, have created a visibility gap.
According to WACREN: “This gap has led to the perception of a low-level contribution of Africans to the global public health knowledge economy, a perception we are working hard to change”. The LIBSENSE initiative is helping to change this perception.
Cost-effective and transparent
At the heart of the new initiative are two infrastructures developed by WACREN. A repository named BAOBAB provides a preprint platform for researchers to share their findings promptly, while the PublishNow Review Platform facilitates open peer review of preprints. Reviews are publicly accessible, and reviewers can disclose their identities.
As the platforms develop, plans include support for curating reviewed articles into overlay journals or collections. WACREN plans to integrate COAR Notify, which will link BAOBAB with PublishNow, creating a seamless connection between the submission, review, and dissemination. This integration offers a faster, more cost-effective alternative to the traditional publishing system while promoting greater peer review transparency. It is poised to serve as a model, setting a standard for other African repository sources, the WACREN website notes:
“As COPPHA continues to expand, it is positioned to play a crucial role in boosting public health research in Africa, promoting open science, and contributing to the global dialogue on public health issues. This initiative exemplifies a broader effort to empower African researchers and address the continent’s unique public health challenges.”
The text is inspired by the articles “Establishing a Diamond OA publishing ecosystem for public health research in Africa: The Coalition for Open Access Publishing of Public Health in Africa (COPPHA)” and “New momentum to amplify the impact of African public health research through open publishing” at the WACREN website.
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