Online publishing and indexing of developing country journals

1
Online publishing and indexing of developing
country journals
INASP symposium November 2004 session 3
Emerging models and enabling tools

• Pippa Smart
• Publishing Initiatives
• INASP

2
Challenges for research journals (in developing
countries)

• Financial restraints
• Lack of support from parent organisations
• Lack of commercial model
• Low publishing standards
• Quality of submissions and editorial skills
  (authors needs language exposure to other
  publications)
• Level of publishing skills
• Low visibility
• Lack of respect

3
The potential of online publishing

• Cheaper distribution
• Greater visibility

Impact
Quality
4
The potential of indexing

• Discovery
• Quality assurance
• Strength in numbers
• Technology benefits, skills sharing, networking,
  etc.

5
Lessons learnt from AJOL (1)- hard facts and
reading between the lines

• Huge growth of interest in the service
• Increased number of journals now gt200
• Document delivery requests in 2004 gt1500
• Registered users during 2004 gt2,500
• Journals value recognition and support
• Improved submissions - worldwide
• Improved contact with researchers

6
Lessons learnt from AJOL (2)- hard facts and
reading between the lines

• Visibility may not assist journals
• Nigerian Journal of Natural Products and Medicine
  high demand for document deliveries last
  published March 2003
• Increased submissions - not increased quality
• Difficulties in rejecting submissions
• Poor online quality bad reputation
• Researchers want quality assurance

7
Future challenges

• Improve quality
• Authoring, editing, publishing, disseminating?
• Full text online
• With AJOL and other online hosts?
• In-country / in-region initiatives
• Support associations and national/regional
  initiatives?
• Open access - changing publishing models
• Monitor, advise, discuss?

8
Resources

• African E-journals project www.isp.msu.edu/Africa
  nStudies/AEJP
• Africa-WideNiPAD (NISC information, Publications
  and African Databases) http//www.nisc.co.za/
• Bioline www.bioline.org.br/
• The Committee on Data for Science and Technology
  (CODATA) www.codata.org
• Database of African Theses and Dissertations
  (DATAD) http//www.aau.org/datad/
• Electronic Publishing Trust www.epublishingtrust.
  org
• ICSTI (International Council for Scientific and
  Technical Information) http//www.icsti.org/
• Index Copernicus www.cisi.org/
• Public Knowledge Project www.pkp.ubc.ca/

9
Thank you ..

• Pippa Smart
• Head, Publishing Initiatives
• INASP
• psmart_at_inasp.info