Globally, preprints have become a more popular medium for scientific research. This model has sped up the sharing of knowledge, as well as dissemination. Naturally, this has brought changes to academia.
Importantly, preprints have the potential to addresses long-standing structural and economic inequalities. The marginalization of knowledge from the Global South has been significant. And this ongoing marginalization shapes the experiences of African students, scholars, researchers, and publishers.
Compared to many universities in Western countries, research done by Africans in Africa has not gained the same traction—knowledge produced in African institutions has not seen the same impact and reach.
Preprints seem like they could be especially useful for these scholarly communities. Yet, they do not seem to have had the same impact in African scholarly communities that they have in other regions.
Here we provide a brief overview of the current landscape of preprints in Africa. What are the barriers to participation of African researchers in preprints and academia more broadly? And how can African researchers’ participation in scientific research be supported and expanded effectively?
Preprints in Africa
Despite a shift in the general acceptance of different non-traditional models of research and publishing, a recent article notes that preprints are not being taken up across Africa as readily as in other regions.
So, why aren’t preprints taking off for African scholars? And how can these issues be addressed? Multiple interconnected factors may be responsible:
- Access and infrastructure;
- Non-traditional publishing methods;
- Collaboration and interdisciplinary research.
To be sure, there are significant inequities that persist in African institutions. This can make preprints no more accessible for some than more traditional forms of publishing. However, while it is true that challenges exist, opportunities exist to address them in meaningful ways.
Challenges and opportunities
Each opportunity and challenge applies to multiple areas of concern. These include frameworks around policy, funding, infrastructure, and publishing, among others. Addressing these concerns can lead to the realization of a full range of benefits.
On the other side of each challenge is an opportunity.
Access and infrastructure
Research from across the African continent has historically been marginalized. This legacy continues today, with many socio-economic systems struggling to operate because of systemic underfunding.
The technological and educational infrastructure available to African students and scholars, sometimes at the most basic level, is simply not the same as in other parts of the world. To begin to address this, African scholars require more access to resources and opportunities at all levels of academia.
To be sure, open access policies do nothing if there is unequal infrastructure across society. The promise of free and public information fails if institutions do not have consistent internet service and proper tools.
There is also a desire to disseminate research results in African languages. This can make educational and research projects more accessible to people who would otherwise be excluded. This also allows for more grassroots participation and community-driven research.
Non-traditional publishing methods
For some, preprints are still considered to be a non-traditional method of sharing research. Two of the big innovations are that they are posted before peer review and shared publicly through open access servers.
The benefit of open access publishing and preprints is that they are free and publicly available online for anyone to access. However, some platforms still charge a significant author processing fee (and even a small amount can be prohibitive). Preprints are designed to remove financial barriers: they are free to read and free to submit.
Still, the same credence is not always given to preprints as traditional publishing models. Because of this, research assessments and reviews of a scholar’s research contributions often give more authority to closed access, high impact factor journals. This can negatively impact a scholar’s research contribution and career trajectory.
The intersection of preprints and open access publishing is exactly what could make a difference in this area. As preprints are increasingly accepted and access is improved, the growth and reach of African research can expand.
Collaboration and interdisciplinary research
Increased collaboration and working across disciplines is another key issue.
In a recent article, the authors name the key challenges they face when doing interdisciplinary research in the context of preprints:
“Rigid academic frameworks, disciplinary silos, and limited funding impede collaboration, while inadequate research infrastructure … and policy inconsistencies further stifle interdisciplinary engagement. Additionally, sociocultural and political challenges—including language barriers, historical power imbalances, and political instability—complicate efforts to build inclusive and effective research communities.”
They call for a paradigm shift to build capacity for research in holistic and sustainable ways.
Current initiatives
Conversations around preprints in Africa continue. And some scholars are starting their own initiatives to centre research from across the continent.
For example, AfricArXiv is a free community-led digital archive for African research.
It advocates for increased support and visibility of work emerging from local academics. To help support this, African scholars (and others interested) are encouraged to post their preprints. And they use a green open access model, which is free to use for both authors and readers.
Another group is The African Reproducibility Network (AREN), a community-led non-profit organization.
Their mission is “to bridge the gaps in promoting best research practices in Africa through strategic collaborative efforts by researchers, institutions and various stakeholders across the continent and globally.” They call for increased investment to improve the quality and discoverability of African research.
As we can see from the work already being done, with proper support, academic work led by African scholars would have a much greater reach and impact. Preprints may not be having their desired impact because of barriers to access, not a lack of interest or talent.
Expanding innovative and collaborative research can be grounded in local challenges and solutions. And, importantly, change at local levels can have broader impacts.
Broadening Research Visibility with Preprints.org
Looking to broaden research visibility early? At Preprints.org, we empower researchers to freely and instantly share their work with a global audience across disciplines, helping you gain early feedback, boost visibility, and accelerate discovery. Join over 400,000 researchers advancing open science on our accessible, multidisciplinary platform. Ready to submit? Upload your preprint today and make your work quickly discoverable.
Just exploring? Browse over 100,000 preprints across disciplines and stay ahead of the latest research.
