Publication fees limit choices for African researchers

Publication charges are influencing where African researchers publish, whom they collaborate with and, in some cases, whether they can afford to publish at all.

A new study by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) examines researchers’ experiences of Open Access publishing and Article Processing Charges (APCs).

APCs are fees charged by some journals to make published research freely available to readers.

Based on a survey of 761 researchers across Africa, the study explores publishing practices, experiences of paying APCs and awareness of alternative Open Access models.

Open Access comes with financial barriers

Open Access publishing is widely used, with 87% of respondents reporting that they have published in Open Access journals.

However, 62,9% identify rising APCs as a major challenge.

The findings show that publication costs can affect researchers’ decisions about where to publish and with whom to collaborate. Some respondents report using personal funds to cover the charges, while others collaborate with co-authors who can pay them.

Open Access is intended to make research freely available. The findings, however, raise questions about whether APC-based publishing simply transfers the financial barrier from readers to researchers.

This can place researchers without institutional or grant funding at a disadvantage, limiting their publishing opportunities and participation in scholarly communication.

Diamond Open Access offers an alternative

The study also examines Diamond Open Access, a model under which research is freely available to readers without authors being charged publication fees.

The report identifies Diamond Open Access as a potentially more equitable approach to scholarly publishing in Africa.

However, these journals face challenges relating to visibility, recognition, sustainable funding and the infrastructure needed to support their work.

Research-evaluation systems can create another obstacle when they favour established or prestigious journals without adequately recognising high-quality research published through alternative Open Access models.

Publishing systems need wider reform

The report concludes that Open Access itself is not the problem. The central concern is how it is financed and incorporated into research-evaluation and reward systems.

It recommends stronger support for equitable and sustainable Open Access publishing, including:

• improving the visibility and discoverability of Diamond Open Access journals
• strengthening publishing platforms and infrastructure
• developing sustainable funding models and communities of practice
• ensuring research-evaluation systems recognise high-quality Diamond Open Access publications.

The study contributes to the continuing debate about the future of scholarly communication in Africa and the need for systems that enable broader and more equitable participation in producing and sharing knowledge.

Read the full ASSAf report, Open Access Scholarly Publishing and Article Processing Charges: The Perspectives and Experiences of Researchers from Africa in Relation to their Publishing Strategies.