Abstract
This dataset was collected from a total of 1,977 university lecturers across 24 African countries, that were purposively targeted due to theirlevel ofexposure to scholarly publications. The dataset was collected through an online survey that wassentto respondents through email, WhatsApp, and the Association of African Universities Telegram group. The questionnaire was designed by the researchersandvalidated by five experts for face and content validity. Thedemographic information of the data wasanalysedand the softcopy of the data uploaded totheMendeleydatabasefor easy retrievalafter deidentification(see Data Availability statement). The associated questionnairecan be foundin the extended data.In Africa, this appears to be the broadest dataset associated withacademics'perception of utilizingdigital platforms for research sharing. This implies that scholars can usethis dataset to quantitatively analyse the extent to which different internet-based platforms are being utilized for research communication. Considering thecurrentrestrictions onin-personsocial gatherings due toCOVID-19, researchers working on related studies may readily utilize this set of data, saving time and cost. A comprehensive but non-exhaustive number of 20 online platforms were assessed based onacademics' awarenessandcurrentengagement withthem,and the challengestheyhavefaced using them. This offers a wide range of areas for studies to be anchored. Furthermore, researchers interested in specific online platforms can also evaluate the extent to which academic staff in Africanuniversities are awareof andwillingtoutilizethem for research dissemination. This data will enable scholars and researchers in Africa and beyond to understand the extent to which academics in varsities are willing to adopt digital repositories for research sharing in the context of Africa.
Highlights
According to the most recent statistics gathered in 2021, on the COVID-19 pandemic from Johns Hopkins University and the Africa Center for Disease Control, there are 874,036 active cases of COVID-19, with 18,498 total confirmed cases, 330,981 recoveries, and 524,557 deaths in Africa (Coronavirus Resource Centre, John Hopkins University, 2021)
As of May 13, 2020, every African country had been infected, and instances of COVID-19 have been reported in 213 nations and territories throughout the world; while the whole world grieved and felt the uncertainty and continual fear of losing their loved ones (Cohut, 2020)
Research sharing and communication occupy a central position in the world (Odigwe et al, 2020), and has proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic because of social distancing
Summary
According to the most recent statistics gathered in 2021, on the COVID-19 pandemic from Johns Hopkins University and the Africa Center for Disease Control, there are 874,036 active cases of COVID-19, with 18,498 total confirmed cases, 330,981 recoveries, and 524,557 deaths in Africa (Coronavirus Resource Centre, John Hopkins University, 2021). Insufficient campaigning, ICT accessibility, facilities, finances, power supplies, lack of technical capabilities, institutional repository regulation, lack of resources, organizational culture/politics, and patent issues have all been identified as major barriers to academic personnel adopting open-access university libraries (Kodua-Ntim, 2020; Owan et al, 2021) This dataset was created because, during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, many conferences and other intellectual gatherings were moved to internet platforms to maintain social distance and prevent the virus from spreading. It is critical to know how ready researchers are to use online resources for research communication, from the perspective of developing African countries This is because their level of readiness to adopt digital tools may have an impact on the utilization of digital platforms for various purposes, which in turn may have an impact on their research dissemination practices. Column AF contains qualitative data on the challenges scholars face in using online platforms for research sharing
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