After publication of the 2006 Academy report on A Strategic Approach to Research Publishing in South Africa, the Scholarly Publishing Unit (SPU) was established within ASSAf to implement the ten recommendations contained in the report. Multi-year funding was received from the DST to undertake this task. The main thrusts were to:

• promote/enhance the standing and effectiveness of South Africa’s research journals, nationally and internationally;
• improve the productivity/efficacy of publication through different modalities (e.g. electronic publication);
• establish the South African Journal of Science (SAJS) as a “national asset” of high quality; and
• ensure that discoveries and insights gained through research published in South African journals were made known to a wider public than the research community itself

Summary: Strategic Approach to Research Publishing in South Africa:Recommendations at a Glance