African Association of Editors of Scholarly Journals
in the making
Janet Hussein
Dr Janet Hussein is the Editor of the Zimbabwean Science News and Secretary
of the Zimbabwean Scientific Association, PO Box CY 124 Causeway, Harare,
Zimbabwe. Email: husseiny@ecoweb.co.zw
Journals are the backbone of scholarly work, providing
a medium through which scholars can exchange information, be educated
and stimulate debate. African scholarly journals have expanded in number
and scope over the past twenty years and are increasingly providing
local, regional and international exposure for the research and development
done on the continent. There have been a number of initiatives to improve
quality, output, usage and management of scholarly journals in Africa,
especially in the field of electronic publishing, but there is scope
for a great deal of improvement.
In July 2002, I attended a seminar in Zanzibar
on ‘Strengthening Scholarly Publishing in Africa’ (Arusha
IV)1 and presented a paper on the challenges
facing African journals.2 The seminar was funded and organized by the
Dag Hammarskjøld Foundation and the African Books Collective.
Participants included African and international publishers, editors,
writers, booksellers, scholars and resource persons. At this seminar,
I put forward a proposal for the creation of an African Association
of Editors of Scholarly Journals. It was envisaged that this Association
would assist editors in meeting the challenges facing journal publication
in Africa, particularly through capacity building, and would work towards
improving the quality, quantity and usage of the journals. There was
also a proposal to form an African Scholarly Network Press, and the
Editors’ Association could work in conjunction with this Network
or possibly apply to work under the African Publishers Network (APNET).
There have been several initiatives to form editors’/publishers’
organizations in Africa. These include the Consortium of African Scholarly
Publishers (CASP), formed in 1993 under the African Centre for Technology
Studies (ACTS) in Kenya, and the African Association of Science Editors
(AASE) started in Addis Ababa. Both these organizations folded within
about a year of starting. An association of editors is, however, clearly
needed if Africa’s journals are to take pride of place on the
continent and project a positive image of our scholarship on the world
stage. The association would provide a regionally and internationally
recognizable body working to promote journals in Africa, much like the
African Publishers Network which has played a crucial role in promoting
book publishing on the continent. The association would also provide
training for editors, would lobby universities and research institutions
for improved recognition for publishing in African journals, and help
to increase the quality and impact factors/citation indices of African
publications. If a new association is to be formed, however, it will
need to have clearly defined goals, committed members and access to
funding for identified projects, in order to thrive. Several international
organizations have indicated interest in providing support and/or funding
for the above kinds of activities, if initiatives are made by editors
in Africa.
A proposal to form the association was then sent
out to all the journals on the African Journals Online (AJOL) list with
the assistance of Pippa Smart and Carol Priestley in INASP. To date,
about fifty enthusiastic responses have been received from the original
124 emails sent out to editors/publishers of scholarly journals in Africa.
The responses have come from all over Africa, covering a wide spectrum
of journal types. So the proposed association will truly represent the
interests of African scholarly editors. INASP have also placed news
about the proposal on their website.
Some editors have offered their services to get
the Association going. A formal working group comprising Ruth Oniang'o
(African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition & Development),
Felicia Oyekanmi from CODESRIA, T. Assefa from OSSREA, O. Omoregie (Journal
of Aquatic Science), Elizabeth le Roux (African Insight), A. Omigbodun
(Tropical Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology), Udu Yakubu (Journal
of Cultural Studies), M. Horsfall Jnr (Journal of Applied Science &
Environmental Management), Dr Ngowi (Botswana Journal of Technology)
and Janice Limson (Science in Africa) has therefore been formed to lay
the foundation for the association.
As a first step, the working group are putting
together a questionnaire to send out to interested persons, to gather
ideas for a formal proposal to be put to potential members and donors.
We then hope to organize an inaugural meeting, perhaps combined with
some training. INASP have also suggested other activities, including
the setting up of an email discussion group; website; newsletter; workshops
and training/development resources linkage with other editorial associations
(e.g. the European Association of Science Editors – EASE).
Those interested in obtaining further information
should access news on INASP's website or contact Pippa Smart psmart@inasp.info
Notes
1.
www.inasp.info/psi/arusha/index.html
2. www.inasp.info/psi/arusha/papers.html
[end] [BPN, no 31, 2002, p. 13.]
^^Back
to top
Return
to table of contents for BPN Newsletter 31, 2002>>