A pan-African journal database committed to making African research accessible globally, Research Africa Publications, is set to launch its African journal aggregator portal.
The platform is designed to improve the international visibility of African journals through robust databases and indexing.
The free-to-use platform was founded by Olasunkanmi Arowolo, a Nigerian scholar who was inspired by the lack of access to African works during his studies abroad.
The platform also seeks to address the limited digital availability of African journals.
The goal of the platform, according to Arowolo, is to provide viable digital solutions that bridge the research visibility gap for African journals and scholars.
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His words: “By hosting African journals on our platform and applying rigorous peer-review standards, we aim to help transition these journals from local to international status and impact.”
He stated that the platform has a user-friendly interface and cutting-edge technology that allows users to search for journals by categories, disciplines, and year of release.
According to Arowolo, it also features modern journal management systems, allowing editors, authors, and publishers to track submissions, manage reviewer boards and handle their collections efficiently in the cloud.
He said the launch of the website was coming at a time when the Nigeria academic community lost a legend – Prof. Lai Oso – who was part of the conception of the platform and had been pencilled down to be a co-director and member of the editorial board.
Arowolo said as part of honouring him, the launch, which is scheduled to hold in mid-August 2023, will be in his memory.
He added that the pre-launch activities were already underway.
“To this end, contributions are invited from all fields and must adhere to Research Africa’s standard research and ethical guidelines enforced by the publication’s editorial board of renowned African academics from around the world. User privacy, data security, and ethical compliance are also top priorities.
“While paid subscriptions are available, the aim is to make the content predominantly open access to relieve the financial burden on African researchers,” he said.
Arowolo said he saw the platform ultimately becoming an African equivalent of major international journal publishers like SAGE, Taylor & Francis, and Routledge – providing tailored services for the African market.
Collaborations and partnerships with academic institutions and research organisations, he said, were also envisioned.
To learn more about Research Africa Publication and its features, visit: www.researchafricapublications.com, or contact [email protected]
