A recent survey by EIFL on the operational landscape of Diamond Open Access (OA) journals has revealed critical insights into their functioning, challenges, and needs in Africa. The survey, encompassing various journals, highlights the significant reliance on volunteer work, institutional support, and pressing financial and sustainability concerns. 

Some key findings are:

  1. Over half of the African journals surveyed indicated that most of their human resources were volunteers.
  2. The financial sustainability of African open access journals needs attention, as two-thirds reported needing an annual approved budget to run their operations.
  3. Institutional support has been a lifeline for most open access journals
  4. Most survey respondents indicated their strong willingness to collaborate and continue to ensure a quality peer review framework.
  5. More than half of the journals are indexed in African Journals Online (AJOL) and Google Scholar.
  6. Financing and human resources are the most pressing challenges for the operations of most journals.

Find details of the report here.

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