Global Collaboration Gives Greater Voice to African Journals

Are most journals published in Africa too weak to be useful to local practitioners, researchers, and policy makers?Might a new method for scholarly communication on the African continent improve the utility of these journals?According to a provocative article published in Learned Publishing (Smart 2007), the answer to both questions is yes.Smart argued that the African research and education communities need to rethink their tendency to "slavishly . . .follow the Western model of academic promotion based on publishing in journals."In an earlier article, Horton (2000a) voiced concerns that researchers, policy makers, and philanthropic organizations in developed countries believe simply providing access to Western information will solve many of the problems of developing nations.On the contrary, he wrote, in Africa "there is already a well-developed local information culture that needs support, not swamping," noting, moreover, the lack of African journals in MEDLINE (Horton 2000a).According to a survey conducted in 2005, about 158 medical journals were published in 33 African countries, but most had circulations <1,000, were published ≤ 4 times per year, and were excluded from major bibliographic indexes (Siegfried et al. 2006).African Journals Online, an online repository of African scholarly abstracts hosted by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP), lists 111 health and medical journals from 18 African countries in 2008 (African Journals Online 2008).However, compared with those of other continents, African medical and health journals continue to be poorly represented in international indexing services: among 5,000 journals indexed in MEDLINE, 38 are from Africa (13 countries), and among 6,700 journals in the Institute for Scientific Information's Science Citation Index, only 20 are from Africa (4 countries), including just 1 medical journal.Even within Africa, there is a disparity in research publication, with South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria producing 60% of the total number of articles indexed by PubMed between 1996 and 2005 (Uthman and Uthman 2007).Moreover, there are gaps in research information published in leading Western and Northern journals on conditions and diseases that are most relevant to low-income countries in Africa (Horton 2000b).Thus, despite the recognized benefits of medical journals to health practitioners (Gross 2000; Lamas 1992), Africa's medical journal and research production and distribution are low, and as a result, research from Africa is not readily available to colleagues on the continent or in the international scientific community.Quality journals are needed throughout Africa to help raise the visibility of African science to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in countries within Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, and to the wider international community (Ofori-Adjei 2006).Both Smart (2007) and Horton (2000a, 2000b) provide insights into the troubling issue of scientific and medical communications within Africa.Although there is no doubt that many of the medical and health journals published in Africa are weak, it would not be appropriate to declare them moribund and give up on the traditional peer-reviewed journal model for these medical, health care, and research communities (Ofori-Adjei 2006).In fact, substituting another communication vehicle for this specific subset of journals would need to be undertaken with extreme caution, if at all.Scientific

Environment and Health: Capacity Building for the Future

Editorial: Environment and Health: Capacity Building for the Future

of the Ghana Medical Journal), and Steve Morrissey (of the New England Journal of Medicine). Editors and representatives of the thirteen journals that make up the AJPP and representatives of the programme's various sponsoring and supporting organizations were also in attendance. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the AJPP, let me start with a bit of background.

Since 2005, EHP and other members of the African Medical Journal Editors Partnership Program (AMJEPP) have worked with counterpart African journals to increase the latter journals’ capacity and reach. Now Mali Medical, the African partner journal for EHP and the American Journal of Public Health, has taken a big step forward in getting its published research out to a worldwide audience by becoming the second of the African AMJEPP journals to be accepted for indexing in MEDLINE, the essential database for far-reaching distribution of biomedical information. African Health Sciences, the Ugandan partner journal for BMJ, was indexed prior to the formation of the AMJEPP. Due to the sustainability and capacity challenges typically faced by developing nations, the African journal partners have been hampered in their efforts to disseminate essential research information internally as well as internationally. The AMJEPP, currently funded by the National Library of Medicine and the NIH Fogarty International Center, pairs these journals with established journals in the United States and the United Kingdom that can offer guidance, training, and expertise (see “Global Collaboration Gives Greater Voice to African Journals,” EHP 113:A452–A454 [2005]). Thomas J. Goehl, EHP’s former editor-in-chief and one of the architects of the AMJEPP, sees MEDLINE acceptance as a highly promising opportunity for Mali Medical to move beyond the foundation it has established in local African countries and increase its presence internationally in biomedical research. “The editors and editorial board of Mali Medical have worked very diligently in developing the journal into one that has become a focus for the medical community in many francophone countries in Africa,” Goehl says. “With the inclusion of the journal in MEDLINE, the rest of the world will now have much easier access to the first-rate articles being published by Mali Medical.” Hui Hu, EHP’s international editor, agrees that making Mali Medical searchable on MEDLINE will allow it to be much more visible to the international audience. “This is a milestone step to the international community for Mali Medical,” she says. Adding to this increased visibility is Mali Medical’s recent inclusion in the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) Register, the world’s most comprehensive and authoritative registration source for the identification of serial publications. This will allow the journal to be cited, abstracted, and indexed more accurately. Keeping in step with EHP’s ongoing mission to make environmental health science literature available to the largest audience possible, especially to those in developing countries, the journal joined Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE) in January 2007. An international public–private consortium sponsored by the UN Environment Programme and Yale University, OARE provides web access to more than 1,000 scientific journals to developing, low-income countries for free or minimal cost. For more information on OARE, visit http://www.oaresciences.org/.

Peer-reviewed literature is the formal channel of communication for the scientific community. Through it, scientists convey their discoveries to one another across distance and time. Providing both a broadcast system and an archive, it is pivotal to the collaborative effort that is modern science. Without access to it, a scientist cannot keep up with develop-ments, has nowhere to contribute findings, and is pretty much out of the loop. One traditional problem of access to the literature faced by researchers and academics in developing countries has been the inability of their institutions to afford journal subscriptions, which can run into the thousands of dollars per publication. But things have been changing, with the last 10 years having seen important efforts to make the world’s peer-reviewed scientific journals available to these members of the research community either free or at a much-reduced price. Top-flight open-access journals have also come into being, theoretically making the papers they contain free for all to use. But is purchase price the only obstacle hindering the entry of the developing world’s researchers into international scientific dialogue?

Orientation: Articles from three African psychology journals were reviewed to indicate their use and reporting practices of convenience samples.Research purpose: Method-relevant sections of empirical research reports (qualitative, quantitative, mixed method, etc.) were categorised to establish current method use and reporting practices as well as the methodological standards of convenience sampling in three African psychology journals from 2018 to mid-2020.Motivation for the study: Convenience sampling is the most popularly used sampling method in psychology. However, little attention is paid to sampling composition and sampling methods in articles, which influences trustworthiness, generalisability and replication of results. Psychology is also experiencing criticism because of the lack of non-Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic (WEIRD) samples.Research approach/design and method: A systematised review design was followed to purposively collect and categorise articles that used convenience samples as a sampling approach (n = 139) from the South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, the South African Journal of Psychology and the Journal of Psychology in Africa.Main findings: General reporting practices included sample size, gender, country, sample source (e.g. university) and age. Other sample characteristics indicate that studies were primarily conducted with South Africans speaking Afrikaans or English. English was mainly used to collect data from primarily black (African) and white (Caucasian) racial groups. Participants were largely female from university or college. Some sample differences such as sample size were also noted between qualitative and quantitative research methods. African journals’ reporting practices of sample characteristics were found to include standards and frequencies similar to or higher than those of international journals.Practical/managerial implications: Journals should pay attention to their role in influencing the reporting practices and standards of convenience samples and consider incorporating the presented categories.Contribution/value-add: The use of convenience sampling in African psychology journals is presented along with the potential of African research to provide non-WEIRD samples in psychology. Recommendations for improving the use of this sampling method are highlighted.

Vol. 117, No. 8 EnvironewsOpen AccessThe Beat Erin E. Dooley Erin E. Dooley Search for more papers by this author Published:1 August 2009https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.117-a346bAboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit Hearing Loss Express?Richard Neitzel et al. report in the August 2009 American Journal of Public Health that New York City subways are loud enough to increase the risk for noise-induced hearing loss, an irreversible condition affecting about 250 million people worldwide. Subway platforms were the noisiest of the environments studied, with decibel levels higher than that of a chainsaw, but other forms of mass transit also were loud enough to present a risk of hearing loss with prolonged exposure. The researchers suggest that mass transit riders reduce noise exposure using earplugs or earmuffs—but not headphones or earbuds, since wearers often turn up the music to drown out ambient noise.Cell Phones Banned in French SchoolsThe French government has banned cell phones from primary school grounds and directed manufacturers to offer handsets that allow only text messages and phones that work only with headsets. The decision follows a six-week review of mobile phone use and wireless radiation, including reports of an association between childhood use of cell phones and increased risk of adult cancer published 4 April 2009 by Lennart Hardell et al. ahead of print in a special issue of Pathophysiology. But even these measures are deemed inadequate by advocates seeking a complete ban on mobile phone use by children under age 14 and limits on the power and siting of cell phone masts and towers.Workshops for African Medical Journal EditorsThe African Journal Partnership Project (AJPP), established in 2004 by the National Library of Medicine and the Fogarty International Center, promotes capacity-building efforts for medical journals in Africa. To advance its goals, the AJPP is now planning four train-the-trainer workshops—a September 2009 workshop in Ghana will combine training for editorial and computer support staff; later workshops in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Zambia will focus on scientific writing and reviewing skills. More information about the AJPP is available at http://www.ehponline.org/international/. AJPP member EHP has partnered with Mali Médical since the project’s inception.Cozy Cancer RiskThe EPA’s 2002 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment, released in June 2009, shows that the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons released by wood-burning fireplaces and stoves contribute the most to the cancer risk from breathing Oregon’s air. Oregon ranked third in the nation after New York and California in the number of people living in census tracts with elevated population exposures, but this ranking may be due to Oregon’s unusually thorough documentation of wood stove and fireplace use, which is particularly popular for home heating in the western half of the state. To minimize toxic emissions, the American Lung Association recommends burning only clean, dry, seasoned hardwood and regular maintenance to prevent creosote buildup in flues.CO Damages Fetal Rat Brain CellsIn work published 27 May 2009 in BMC Neuroscience, Ivan A. Lopez et al. found that chronic fetal exposure to 25 ppm carbon monoxide (CO) permanently damaged rat brain cells through oxidative stress, leading to a decrease in proteins essential for proper functioning. The authors say this exposure simulates the potential CO exposure of a human fetus whose mother is a “mild to modest” smoker. Other indoor CO exposure sources include gas appliances, fireplaces, and attached garages. There are no EPA standards for CO in indoor air.Better Oversight for Bottled WaterGiven rising consumption of bottled water, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluated the extent and strength of FDA regulations for this product. In June 2009, the GAO reported that FDA standards generally reflect those of the EPA except in the case of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, a compound used to make plastic bottles, for which the FDA has no standard. The GAO recommended that the FDA issue a standard or publish reasons for not doing so, and that water bottlers provide more labeling information for consumers on the quality and safety of their products. Currently, companies (unlike water utilities) are not required to disclose positive tests for contaminants.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 117, No. 8 August 2009Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 August 2009Published in print1 August 2009 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.

Pharmaceutical advertisement of drugs is a means of advocating drug use and their selling but not a substitute for drug formulary to guide physicians in safe prescribing. To evaluate drug advertisements in Nigerian and other African medical journals for their adequacy of pharmacological information. Twenty four issues from each of West African Journal of Medicine (WAJM), East African Medical Journal (EAMJ), South African Medical Journal (SAMJ), Nigerian Medical Practitioner (NMP), Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine (NQJHM) and Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal (NPMJ) were reviewed. While EAMJ, SAMJ and NMP are published monthly, the WAJM, NQJHM and NPMJ are published quarterly. The monthly journals were reviewed between January 2005 and December 2006, and the quarterly journals between January 2001 and December 2006. The drug information with regards to brand/non-proprietary name, pharmacological data, clinical information, pharmaceutical information and legal aspects was evaluated as per World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria. Counts in all categories were collated for each advertiser. Forty one pharmaceutical companies made 192 advertisements. 112 (58.3%) of these advertisements were made in the African medical journals. Pfizer (20.3%) and Swipha (12.5%) topped the list of the advertising companies. Four (2.1%) adverts mentioned generic names only, 157 (81.8%) mentioned clinical indications. Adults and children dosage (39.6%), use in special situations such as pregnancy and renal or liver problems (36.5%), adverse effects (30.2%), average duration of treatment (26.0%), and potential for interaction with other drugs (18.7%) were less discussed. Pharmaceutical information such as available dosage forms and product and package information {summary of the generic and proprietary names, the formulation strength, active ingredient, route of administration, batch number, manufactured and expiry dates, and the manufacturer on both the container and pack of the drug} were mentioned in 65.6% and 50% adverts, respectively. The product and package descriptions were provided in 57 (72.2%) Nigerian medical journals, which was significantly higher than in other African medical journals 39 (37.9%) (P<0.001). None of the drug advertisements in the journals adequately provided the basic information required by the WHO for appropriate prescribing. More guidance and regulation is needed to ensure adequate information is provided.

Information on journal visibility helps researchers decide where to publish. Some quality indicators used are directly associated with the journal's editorial practices. By understanding the barriers, challenges, and opportunities, this study aims to explore existing editorial practices among African journals, explore the underlying factors affecting the editorial practices of African journals, and understand the views and preferences of authors regarding the choice of journals for publication. This study triangulated the sources of information and qualitative design data-gathering techniques to allow for nuances and deeper insights into the performance and visibility of African Journals. We conducted In-depth Interviews (IDIs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) in Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Mozambique. The study population comprised journal editors-in-chief, representatives from African-wide journal databases/indexers, institutional repository representatives, and authors. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify participants. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant bodies. Qualitative data from the audio-recorded interviews were transcribed using MS Word and exported to NVivo software for analysis. The key structural issues on editorial practices among African journals established by the study included adherence to internationally accepted editorial practices on peer review decision-making and challenges in implementing measures of transparency and rigor. Some of the underlying factors affecting African journal editorial practices that were highlighted included financial constraints, challenges in peer review, challenges in maintaining editorial integrity, and challenges in technological and digital infrastructure. African journals also face challenges of credibility and trustworthiness among authors. Participants outlined how the longstanding neglect of African journals and lack of funding have created cultures of editorial mismanagement, publishing inconsistency, and other logistical issues, all of which contribute to perceptions of African journals as inferior to Northern ones.

Conflicts of interest, authorship, and disclosures in industry-related scientific publications: the tort bar and editorial oversight of medical journals.

A group of African medical editors has set up a forum to support and strengthen medical journals in Africa. The forum, known as FAME, will be chaired by Dr James...

To assess the nature and work load of reviewers for the American Journal of Public Health, I surveyed a sample of 276 reviewers in the latter half of 1988, with a 96% response rate. Respondents reported reviewing papers for 274 other journals in 1987, 81% of which were monitored by the Science Citation Index or the Social Science Citation Index. They reviewed most often for The Journal of the American Medical Association (27%), the American Journal of Epidemiology (26%), and the New England Journal of Medicine (23%). The median number of journals for which they reviewed was 3.6, the median of their estimated review time was 2.7 hours, and the weighted average review time (adjusted for number of reviews) was 2.4 hours. The range of review time was broad and inversely related to the number of papers reviewed. Respondents donated an estimated 3360 hours of uncompensated labor to the American Journal of Public Health in 1987, and a total of 6439 hours (26.8 hours per reviewer) to reviewing for all journals. Of the reviewers for the American Journal of Public Health, only 31% were not listed as an author of a source publication in the 1987 Science Citation Index and only 15% were not cited.

To assess the nature and work load of reviewers for the<i>American Journal of Public Health</i>, I surveyed a sample of 276 reviewers in the latter half of 1988, with a 96% response rate. Respondents reported reviewing papers for 274 other journals in 1987, 81% of which were monitored by the<i>Science Citation Index or the Social Science Citation Index</i>. They reviewed most often for<i>The Journal of the American Medical Association</i>(27%), the<i>American Journal of Epidemiology</i>(26%), and the<i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>(23%). The median number of journals for which they reviewed was 3.6, the median of their estimated review time was 2.7 hours, and the weighted average review time (adjusted for number of reviews) was 2.4 hours. The range of review time was broad and inversely related to the number of papers reviewed. Respondents donated an estimated 3360 hours of uncompensated labor to the<i>American Journal of Public Health</i>in 1987, and a total of 6439 hours (26.8 hours per reviewer) to reviewing for all journals. Of the reviewers for the<i>American Journal of Public Health</i>, only 31% were not listed as an author of a source publication in the 1987<i>Science Citation Index</i>and only 15% were not cited. (<i>JAMA</i>. 1990;263:1338-1340)

Strategy support for the Post‐Market Monitoring (PMM) of GM plants: Review of existing PMM strategies developed for the safety assessment of human and animal health