The Coalition for Open Access Publishing of Public Health in Africa (COPPHA) is an innovative initiative focused on advancing Diamond Open Access publishing across Africa. Led by WACREN in collaboration with PublicHealth.Africa (PHA), Peoples-Praxis, AFREhealth, the West African Institute of Public Health (WAIPH), and the Somali Health Action Journal, COPPHA is committed to promoting equity, accessibility, and excellence in publishing. Diamond Open Access publishing, which ensures that authors and readers face no financial barriers, is central to COPPHA’s mission of equitable research dissemination and fostering high-quality, open access publishing practices across the continent.
COPPHA’s core objectives include:
Supporting the growth and sustainability of Diamond Open Access publishing in Africa.
Reducing inequalities in research access, publication, and dissemination.
Equipping African researchers with the skills and knowledge to participate effectively in peer review processes and building the capacity needed to support Diamond OA journals in Africa to enhance trust in their outputs.
Building a Community of Practice on Open Access Publishing in Africa.
The 2024 COPPHA Peer Reviewing Course was delivered by WACREN and Peoples-Praxis, key partners in the Coalition for Open Access Publishing of Public Health in Africa (COPPHA). The course’s primary objective was to train African researchers in all aspects of the peer review process, enabling them to conduct high-quality reviews. Key skills developed through the course included critically assessing research manuscripts, providing constructive and actionable feedback, and upholding ethical standards.
Delivered as a five-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from October 7 to November 10, 2024, the program blended asynchronous learning on the Peoples-Praxis platform with optional live Zoom sessions. The course covered:
Fundamentals and Challenges of Peer Review
AI and the Review Process
How to Review a Journal Article
Performing a Peer Review Assignment
The course concluded with participants completing a peer review assignment, and those who successfully completed the course received a certificate of completion.
Participants who successfully completed the COPPHA Peer Reviewing Course are eligible to join the upcoming COPPHA Open Publishing Course, scheduled for the first quarter (Q1) of 2025. This course will focus on open publishing principles, with a focus on preprints and open reviews. Participants will engage with a case study, post a preprint on the BAOBAB repository, and complete an open review on the PublishNow platform. The course aims to introduce participants to equitable publishing models that facilitate faster research dissemination and build a community of practice for peer reviewing and innovative publishing in Africa. It is divided into five weekly sections:
Countries Represented
Course Participants
Early-career Professionals
Certificates Issued
Slides
Videos
Blog
JO, Public Health Practitioner, Kenya:
“I joined this program knowing completely nothing about peer reviewing and am coming out with clear information about it. Thank you for making it happen. To the lecturers and hosts, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can clearly say that I am capable of performing a peer review because of you.”
WV, Lecturer, Nigeria:
“The model review assignment and the answer have been something to keep learning from. I commend the organizers and participants for their valuable inputs and for making it possible for diverse researchers and scholars to be on this space. More success in future endeavors.”
JN, Lecturer and Dean, Uganda:
“The reflection forums helped to internalize the concepts and learn from others. Without a doubt, following the structured, six-step format is going to make my peer review experience a better one. This is a course I highly recommend.”
PW, Lecturer, Kenya:
“The trainers did an excellent job, and the online learning platform was easy to navigate. I have gained necessary skills to guide me in the next peer review assignment. Thank you.”
RQ, Biologist, Ghana:
“God bless the COPPHA team for putting up this course. I am very grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to utilize my new skill.”
Diamond Open Access is a scholarly publishing model that eliminates fees for both authors and readers. This approach ensures equitable access to research outputs while promoting collaborative knowledge-sharing and fostering inclusivity in scholarly communication.
Peer review is vital for maintaining the quality, accuracy, and credibility of scholarly publications. It serves as a foundation for validating research, ensuring the information published in journals is reliable and accurate. Through rigorous evaluation by experts, peer review helps preserve the integrity of scholarly work and uphold the standards of research.
COPPHA courses are designed for African researchers, editors, librarians, lecturers, public health professionals, and graduate students seeking to build expertise in open access publishing and peer review.
The course is free of charge for all participants, with costs fully covered by COPPHA.
The course ran for five weeks, offering a structured and immersive learning experience through self-paced modules and live interactive sessions.
The course was facilitated by experienced public researchers with expertise in peer review and scholarly publishing. They guided participants weekly on the course platform and live Zoom sessions.
Yes, participants who successfully completed the course received a certificate of completion.
