Establishing a Diamond OA Publishing Ecosystem for Public Health Research in Africa: The Coalition for Open Access Publishing of Public Health in Africa (COPPHA)

The Coalition for Open Access Publishing of Public Health in Africa (COPPHA) is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) in partnership with PublicHealth.Africa (PHA), AFREhealth, the West African Institute of Public Health (WAIPH), Peoples-Praxis, and the Somali Health Action Journal. These organisations are making a significant leap forward in Africa’s scholarly communication landscape. This innovative initiative integrates a preprint repository and a peer review system tailored to address the unique challenges faced by researchers and public health professionals across the continent. It aims to provide a transparent and inclusive environment for scholarly publishing.

At the heart of this initiative are two critical infrastructures developed by WACREN in the AfricaConnect3 project:  

• The BAOBAB repository provides a preprint platform for researchers to share their findings promptly, ensuring rapid dissemination, visibility of their work, and the opportunity for valuable feedback. 
• The PublishNow Review Platform complements this by facilitating open peer review of preprints. Reviews are publicly accessible, and reviewers can disclose their identities. This transparency fosters accountability, enhances the quality of reviews, and encourages a more collaborative academic dialogue.

Peoples-Praxis and the Peer Reviewing and Open Publishing Courses

Peoples-Praxis, a key member of COPPHA, is employing the BAOBAB preprint repository and PublishNow Review Platform in its upcoming peer reviewing and open publishing course. These courses aim to empower African researchers with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively participate in and contribute to the peer review process. Scheduled to begin in Q4 2024, the courses comprise two parts. Part 1 includes four sections:

1. Fundamentals and Challenges of the Peer Review Process
2. AI and the Review Process
3. How to Review a Journal Article
4. Performing a Peer Review Assignment

In Part 2, participants will review the principles of open publishing and reviewing, reflect on case studies and be required to post a preprint on the BAOBAB repository and post an open review on the PublishNow Review Platform.

Experienced public health professionals will facilitate each section, guiding participants through the intricacies of peer review. The focus will be reviewing public health articles using the PublishNow Review Platform.

WACREN Commitment to Open Access and Sustainability

WACREN’s strategy is based on the outcomes of background research conducted by PublicHealth.Africa and LIBSENSE, focusing on providing a sustainable and accessible publishing solution. COPPHA, as a launch partner and an open access (OA) publisher, plays a crucial role in this strategy by employing PublishNow to nurture sustainable open-access public health research publishing. COPPHA and WACREN are committed to establishing a Diamond Open Access (OA) publishing ecosystem, ensuring that all published content is freely accessible without any charges to authors or readers. This model addresses financial barriers that hinder the dissemination and access to scholarly work, particularly in Africa.

Leveraging its network and partners, WACREN will ensure the platform’s sustainability and relevance to the needs of African researchers. The BAOBAB repository and PublishNow Review Platform are part of efforts to create infrastructures that facilitate the rapid dissemination and review of research findings and align open access publishing opportunities for African researchers with global trends, promoting equity and inclusivity in knowledge dissemination. Through LIBSENSE, WACREN will promote open science and collaborative research efforts across the continent, supporting effective policy and governance frameworks for open access initiatives and equitable access to knowledge for African researchers.

Future Prospects: Overlay Journals and COAR Notify Integration

As the platform develops, plans include support for curating reviewed articles into overlay journals or collections. Furthermore, integrating COAR Notify will link BAOBAB with PublishNow, creating a seamless connection between the submission, review, and dissemination processes. This integration offers a faster, more cost-effective alternative to the traditional publishing system while promoting greater peer review transparency. It is poised to serve as a model, setting a standard for other African repository resources and showcasing the potential for improved collaboration, transparency, and efficiency in scholarly communication.

As COPPHA continues to expand, it is positioned to play a crucial role in boosting public health research in Africa, promoting open science, and contributing to the global dialogue on public health issues. This initiative exemplifies a broader effort to empower African researchers and address the continent’s unique public health challenges through innovative, collaborative and forward-thinking approaches.