African Journal of Reproductive Health - development,
challenges and prospects
James Falaiye
James Falaiye is Managing Editor, African
Journal of Reproductive Health, 4 Alofoje Street, Off Uwasota Street,
P. O. Box 10231, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. +234 -52- 600151 or
602334 (tel), email: jamesfal@hotmail.com
or wharc@hyperia.com
The decision to publish the African Journal
of Reproductive Health came out of a burning desire to make available
research findings in reproductive health in Africa to the world of researchers.
From just an idea it became a reality and today we have a journal that
is well accepted by publishers and researchers worldwide. The specific
objectives of the journal were: (1) to promote the scientific study
of reproductive health in Africa; (2) to provide an avenue through which
researchers in Africa can document their findings in reproductive health
research; (3) to provide a scientific understanding of the reproductive
health needs in Africa; and (4) to provide a forum for policy makers,
service providers and reproductive health advocates to exchange information
and to dialogue on all aspects of reproductive health in Africa.
At the beginning two editorial offices were established
for the journal, one in Germany and the other in Nigeria. The German
office was responsible for most of the production and distribution processes.
However, because the vision of the founding editor was to have a journal
that is African-based the production process was gradually transferred
to Nigeria, with the employment of a managing editor who had experience
in book publishing for the Nigerian office. The process began in 1998
and by the end of 1999 production and distribution was being managed
entirely from Nigeria, the editorial office in Germany serving as a
point for peer-review of articles.
The first issue of the journal was published and
printed in 1997 in the USA. At that stage only two issues were published
per year; one in April and the other in October. Because of the large
numbers of articles being accepted for publication in the journal the
editorial board decided to commence publishing three issues per year
from 2001. This has greatly reduced the period between submission and
publication of articles.
Publishing such a scholarly journal in Africa
has not been without its challenges. One major challenge we have faced
is distribution. Most researchers in the developing countries, for whom
the journal is actually meant, cannot afford to pay the subscription
rates for the journal; in essence we have had to battle with a low subscription
base, with about 90 per cent of our subscriptions coming from the developed
countries.
Another challenge is that of staff training. Major
training programmes on journal publishing take place in the developed
countries, and we do not have provision for overseas training. We therefore
are seeking for collaboration with donor agencies, training institutions
and other actors in publishing engaged in and willing to look at strategies
to reinforce our capacity in publishing.
Notwithstanding, we have made significant strides
within the short period that the journal has been in circulation. Positive
comments from individuals worldwide attest to the quality of the articles
and production when compared with other journals from Africa. Despite
the high cost of production and distribution and the low subscription
base, we have maintained regular and timely production. The journal
has come to be one of the best of its kind produced in Africa. It has
enjoyed the privilege of being included in the Medline. It is also one
of the journals whose tables of contents and abstracts are being published
on the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications
(INASP)'s African Journals Online Project.
One of our plans for the future is to have a website
so that our articles can be published online. When the journal was being
published in the US it enjoyed the privilege of being included on Harvard
University's website, but since every production process has being shifted
to Nigeria this has stopped and thus there is an urgent need to establish
a new site that could be operated from Nigeria. INASP has started a
process to assist in doing this by training two of our staff members
on internet publishing at a workshop they organised in Zimbabwe in October
2001. More support from other organisations is required to realise the
online plans.
We are also considering the possibility of increasing
the number of issues published from three to four per year to enable
us to cope with the number of articles being accepted for publication
and in so doing work towards expanding the avenues for scholarly research
in Africa. In order to make the journal self-sustaining we will need
to work harder in our marketing activities, especially in getting more
subscribers and sourcing for advertisements and other outlets to promote
its visibility and also alleviate part of our financial expenses.
We are aware that the prevailing context of dwindling
resources for journals acquisition for libraries and research institutions
affects publishers the world over. However, scholarly researchers from
Africa have even fewer opportunities than their counterparts in the
North. Efforts such as bulk subscriptions of the journal through international
organisations for distribution to scholars, or international commercial
publishers' support in allowing smaller publishers access to their distribution
networks, could go a long way towards strengthening African publishers.
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