Johanssen Obanda from Crossref shared how Crossref’s Research Nexus is helping to weave connections between research outputs, projects, grants, and organizations — boosting the global discoverability of African research. The session highlighted practical strategies, opportunities, and challenges in making African scholarship more visible and impactful across the global research ecosystem.

Watch the recording

The slides are available at https://africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/handle/1/1338

Speaker’s profile

Johanssen Obanda

^ORCID:^{0000-0002-2111-7780}

Obanda joined Crossref in 2023 to work with Crossref Ambassadors to effectively engage their communities and support Crossref’s outreach initiatives. Obanda is passionate about building an inclusive research ecosystem where researchers across the globe can easily access scientific knowledge and make meaningful connections. His previous experience includes social entrepreneurship and science communication.

Questions that were addressed during the session

How does Crossref contribute to enhancing the discoverability of research items in Africa through the Research Nexus, and what specific features or mechanisms does it employ for this purpose?

Crossref’s Research Nexus connects research outputs with associated grants, institutions, datasets, and projects, creating a rich web of relationships. By assigning DOIs and structured metadata to all these elements, we make African research more visible, accessible, and impactful globally. We also encourage open metadata deposits to ensure wide discoverability.

What are some of Crossref’s Outreach initiatives?

Crossref is very committed to outreach, especially in Africa. We organize webinars, regional meetings, community forums, and offer free training materials to support local organizations. Our Ambassador Program also connects local experts with institutions to spread awareness and support the adoption of Crossref services.

Are there opportunities that have risen in the implementation of Crossref’s initiatives to promote the discoverability of African research items?

Definitely! We’ve seen increased collaboration between African journals, repositories, and research institutions. Many are now using DOIs and richer metadata, which opens up opportunities for partnerships, funding, and better global recognition of African scholarship. It’s really exciting to watch it grow.

Are there challenges in the implementation of Crossref’s initiatives to promote the discoverability of African research items?

Yes, like everywhere, challenges do exist. Some African organizations face funding constraints, limited technical capacity, or awareness issues regarding open infrastructure. Sometimes there’s also a need for stronger institutional policies around metadata and research openness.

If yes, what are these challenges and how has the Research Nexus addressed or overcome these challenges?

We’re tackling these by simplifying our tools, offering localized training, waiving some fees for certain organizations, and building stronger regional partnerships. The Research Nexus especially helps by showing the tangible benefits — like better visibility, citations, and collaborations — making the value of participation clear to stakeholders.

How African Researchers and Institutions Can Learn and Benefit from the Session with Crossref

Understanding the Value of Linked Research Outputs

The session demonstrated how linking articles, datasets, grants, and organizations through DOIs creates a full, navigable picture of African research, making it easier for others to discover, cite, and build on that work.

Practical Steps to Increase Research Visibility

Johanssen shared actionable tips for African researchers and journals on how to register DOIs, deposit comprehensive metadata, and adopt open practices to enhance the discoverability of their research outputs.

Leveraging Crossref’s Outreach and Support Programs

African institutions learned about free resources like webinars, office hours, and ambassador networks that Crossref offers to guide them through technical challenges and support them at every step of their open infrastructure journey.

Building Stronger Research Collaborations

Through the Research Nexus, African researchers can make their work more visible globally, opening doors to international collaborations, funding opportunities, and new partnerships across disciplines and borders.

Addressing Local Challenges with Global Support

The session emphasized how Crossref tailors its solutions to address infrastructure gaps, financial limitations, and awareness challenges in Africa, helping researchers and institutions participate meaningfully in the global research community.

Strengthening Institutional Research Strategies

Institutions were encouraged to incorporate DOIs and open metadata practices into their research strategies, strengthening their reputation, transparency, and impact both locally and internationally.

Crossref supporting African research

Crossref DOIs are being assigned to research items submitted to AfricArXiv via ScienceOpen, OSF, and PubPub and thus increase their discoverability.

Go to https://www.crossref.org/documentation/research-nexus/

About the webinar series

This webinar was co-organized by UbuntuNet Alliance and Access 2 Perspectives as part of the ORCID Global Participation Program.

ORCID is the persistent identifier for researchers to share their accomplishments (research articles, data, etc with funding agencies, publishers, data repositories, and other research workflows.

AfricArXiv is a community-led digital archive for African research communication. By enhancing the visibility of African research, we enable discoverability and collaboration opportunities for African scientists on the continent as well as globally.