The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) cordially invites you to the launch of a Consensus Study titled Twelve Years Later: Second ASSAf Report on Research Publishing in and from South Africa (2018).
Date: 29 April 2019
Time: 15:00 – 17:00
Venue: Future Africa Conference Centre, University of Pretoria, Gauteng
RSVP: Click here to register by 23 April
Background to the Study
ASSAf released a Consensus Report on a commissioned study of Research Publishing in South Africa in 2006 and a second Consensus Report on Scholarly Books: Their Production, Use and Evaluation in South Africa Today followed in 2009.
In 2016, the Academy commissioned Prof Johann Mouton and his colleagues at the Centre for Research on Evaluation of Science and Technology (CREST) at the University of Stellenbosch to do a thorough, largely bibliometric study of scholarly publishing in and from South Africa for the period 2005 – 2014, with all forms of peer-reviewed scholarly publications included, whether in journals, books or conference proceedings. This study formed the basis for this second report on scholarly publishing in South Africa.
The report includes concise but essential summaries of the two earlier ASSAf reports; a review of the work of the Scholarly Publishing Programme (SPP) of the Academy on the South African research publishing system over the past 12 years; an analysis of the problems of access for South African researchers to the problematic international commercial research literature; the concise version of the CREST report; a consideration of the threat posed by predatory publishers and questionable editorial and authorship practices; a discussion of the generally good progress that has been made in enhancing the quality of scholarly publishing with an analysis of the unresolved problems that still remain; and a set of headline recommendations for the future.
The domain of scholarly publishing in and from South Africa is key to the maintenance and expansion of the country’s developmental potential and future prosperity. It is currently in a state of technological and commercial flux, internationally and nationally. Policy and practice must be adapted at all levels to address this new environment. The Consensus Report seeks to provide a firm evidential basis for informed, inclusive and comprehensive debate, and wise policy-making, to move us forward.