SciELO SA

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SciELO SA: Advancing Open Access, Scholarly Quality and Open Science in South Africa

Introduction

Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) South Africa (SA)  is a national full-text open access indexing and publishing platform that forms part of the global SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online) Network, a Global South-led scholarly communication initiative originally established in Brazil in 1997.

Hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) since 2009, SciELO SA was certified in April 2013 as a regular operational and independent national collection within the global SciELO Network.

The first journal title made available on SciELO SA was the South African Journal of Science.

Today, SciELO SA serves as a trusted national platform that increases the visibility, accessibility, quality, discoverability and preservation of South African scholarly journals and the research they publish.

Through inclusion in the SciELO Citation Index (SCI), accessible through the Web of Science platform, journals indexed in SciELO SA benefit from enhanced international visibility and discoverability within the global research community. 

SciELO SA as a National Scholarly Communication Infrastructure

SciELO SA functions as a national scholarly communication infrastructure that supports South Africa’s National System of Innovation and contributes to the country’s broader open science agenda.

The platform serves as:

  • A quality-assured open access platform supporting South African journals;
  • A national indexing and publishing platform integrated into global citation networks;
  • A public scholarly communication and research infrastructure;
  • A mechanism for free public access to research outputs;
  • A platform supporting both Gold and Diamond Open Access publishing models;
  • A trusted system for metadata interoperability and standardisation; and
  • A platform that ensures long-term accessibility and preservation of scholarly content.

As a DSTI-funded and ASSAf-hosted initiative, SciELO SA advances equitable access to knowledge while strengthening the visibility and impact of South African research. 

Supporting Open Access Publishing

SciELO SA supports both Gold Open Access and Diamond Open Access publishing pathways.

Approximately one quarter of the journals currently included in the collection are Diamond Open Access journals that do not charge article processing charges (APCs). In this respect, SciELO SA functions as a publishing platform that is substantially diamond in nature, helping to reduce financial barriers to scholarly publishing while ensuring free public access to research outputs.

The platform contributes to:

  • Open access publishing pathways;
  • Increased public access to publicly funded research;
  • Greater equity in scholarly communication; and
  • Sustainable non-commercial publishing models. 


Journal Selection, Quality Assurance and Improvement

Journals included in the SciELO SA collection undergo rigorous evaluation through ASSAf-managed peer review and expert review panel processes.

A journal is included only after receiving a recommendation from the relevant review panel and demonstrating compliance with SciELO SA selection criteria and publishing standards.

These processes contribute to:

  • Journal quality assurance and improvement;
  • Editorial quality enhancement;
  • Publishing standards development;
  • Scholarly credibility and trustworthiness; and
  • Support for DHET-recognised scholarly publishing pathways.

The collection currently indexes more than 118 prestigious journal titles. A journal is included following a recommendation by the review panels, and only if it adheres to the SciELO SA criteria, Of the 118  approximately 22% are Diamond Open Access journals. 

Alignment with the South African Open Science Policy

SciELO SA directly supports the implementation of the South African Open Science Policy (SAOSP).

The policy places open access, open data, research infrastructure, skills development, incentives and citizen science at the centre of South Africa’s transition towards open science.

SciELO SA gives practical expression to these policy objectives by ensuring that selected peer-reviewed South African journals are:

  • Openly accessible;
  • Freely available to the public;
  • Discoverable nationally and internationally;
  • Supported by interoperable metadata standards; and
  • Aligned with recognised quality assurance mechanisms.

In this way, SciELO SA embodies several key dimensions of the South African Open Science Policy by operating as:

  • A national open access platform;
  • A quality assurance mechanism;
  • A public research infrastructure;
  • A national indexing service; and
  • A scholarly publishing platform integrated into international research ecosystems. 


Capacity Development and Scholarly Publishing Support

Beyond research dissemination, SciELO SA plays an important developmental role within South Africa’s scholarly publishing ecosystem.

The platform provides ongoing support and capacity-building opportunities for journal editors and publishers, particularly in relation to:

  • Editorial quality improvement;
  • International publishing best practices;
  • Metadata management and standardisation;
  • Digital publishing workflows;
  • Scholarly communication innovations; and
  • Journal quality enhancement.

SciELO SA journals are also eligible to apply for hosting on ASSAf’s Khulisa Journals platform, a two-in-one journal management and publishing system based on PKP’s Open Journal Systems (OJS) open-source software. 

SciELO SA within ASSAf’s Scholarly Publishing Ecosystem

SciELO SA operates within ASSAf’s broader scholarly publishing ecosystem, which includes:

  • Journal peer review processes;
  • Editorial quality improvement initiatives;
  • Publishing standards development;
  • Capacity development for editors and publishers; and
  • Scholarly publishing support services.

Together, these activities strengthen the quality, sustainability and credibility of South African scholarly publishing. 

International Integration and Global Visibility

A defining feature of SciELO SA is its integration into the global SciELO Network and associated international scholarly communication infrastructures.

The platform is integrated with services such as:

  • ORCID;
  • Crossref;
  • Portico;
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); and
  • The SciELO Citation Index.

This international integration:

  • Enhances discoverability;
  • Strengthens research visibility;
  • Supports international collaboration;
  • Enables metadata interoperability;
  • Contributes to long-term preservation and accessibility; and
  • Positions South Africa within global open science and scholarly communication discussions.

Through these connections, South African journals are able to maintain their local relevance and scholarly identity while achieving greater international reach and recognition. 

Decolonisation, Bibliodiversity and Epistemic Justice

As a decentralised and non-commercial initiative, SciELO SA contributes to the transformation and decolonisation of scholarly publishing.

The platform promotes:

  • Bibliodiversity;
  • Multilingual scholarly communication;
  • Indigenous knowledge systems;
  • Locally relevant research; and
  • Equitable participation in global knowledge production.

By supporting diverse forms of scholarship and strengthening the visibility of Global South research, SciELO SA contributes to epistemic justice while advancing research excellence. 

Governance, Accreditation and International Standards

The SciELO SA platform undergoes biennial assessment by the SciELO Network to ensure continued compliance with network standards and best practices.

Governance is provided through the SciELO SA Advisory Committee.

The SciELO SA collection is recognised as a Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) accredited index alongside major international indexing services such as:

  • Web of Science;
  • Scopus;
  • International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS); and
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

South African open access journals that meet the SciELO SA criteria are encouraged to enquire about eligibility for inclusion in the collection. 

Contribution to South African Research and Open Science

SciELO SA makes a substantial contribution to the South African research landscape through:

  • National research dissemination;
  • Increased visibility of South African scholarship;
  • Open access publishing pathways;
  • Journal quality assurance and improvement;
  • Editorial capacity development;
  • Metadata standardisation and interoperability;
  • Long-term accessibility and preservation of research outputs; and
  • Implementation of the South African Open Science Policy.

The platform’s integration within the SciELO Network and the SciELO Citation Index also carries significant reputational value, reinforcing South Africa’s leadership role in equitable scholarly communication and Global South-led open science initiatives.

Celebrating 15 Years of SciELO SA

In 2024, SciELO SA marked its 15th anniversary.

This milestone reflects fifteen years of commitment to strengthening South African scholarly communication, supporting high-quality open access publishing, expanding the visibility of South African research, and ensuring that locally relevant scholarship remains globally discoverable, accessible and impactful.

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SciELO SA Enquiries
Louise van Heerden
SciELO SA Programme Officer: Scholarly Publishing Programme, ASSAf
Email: louise@assaf.org.za