Dine Roseline Dzekem is a public health professional and social scientist. She is also the founder of the Rwanda Preprint Club. In this session, she was joined by other members of the club and they made presentations and discussions about the benefits of preprints, how they support scientific progress, and the challenges and opportunities for preprint sharing in Rwanda specifically and Africa at large.

Watch the recording

The slides are available at https://africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/handle/1/1675

Speakers’ profiles

Miss Dine Roseline Dzekem is a public health professional and social scientist in her early career. She has a background in sociology and anthropology from the University of Buea-Cameroon (2016) and a Master’s degree in public health from the University of Rwanda (2019). 

Patience Sindayigaya is a member of the Rwanda Preprint Club with three years of experience in community engagement and outreach activities, with a background in nursing. He has successfully implemented initiatives to enhance health awareness and improve access to healthcare services. 

Dr. Izuchukwu Azuka Okafor is an African Union scholar in reproductive health, a clinical embryologist and a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University where he teaches medical and allied health science students, conducts reproductive health research and drives reproductive health advocacies through the university students’ clubs and associations. 

Nuhu Lawan Adamu is a Nigerian nurse scholar who holds professional registration to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Nurse Educator (RNE), and Registered Perioperative Nurse (RPON).​ He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing science, a master’s degree in health planning and management, and is currently pursuing a PhD in community health nursing.

Mercury Shitindo is a bioethicist and researcher, currently serving as the Chair and Executive Director of the Africa Bioethics Network, where she leads initiatives advancing bioethical discourse across Africa. She is also the Co-founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the African Journal of Bioethics, contributing significantly to scholarly publishing in the field.

Questions that were addressed during the session

What are the main challenges and barriers to preprint sharing in Rwanda and Africa, and how can we overcome them?

One big challenge is a lack of awareness about what preprints are and how they work. Many researchers are unsure if preprints are “recognized” or safe to use. There’s also fear around idea theft or not being taken seriously. Education, institutional policy support, and mentorship from preprint advocates can really help shift the culture.

How can preprints contribute to accelerating scientific research and knowledge dissemination in African countries?

Preprints allow research to be shared quickly — no waiting for months through peer review. This means findings can inform policies or inspire collaborations in real time. For early-career researchers, it’s a great way to build visibility, get feedback, and contribute to global knowledge without paywalls.

What role do academic institutions and researchers in Rwanda play in promoting the use of preprints, and what support do they need?

Rwandan higher institutions of learning have welcomed the art of preprinting such that some universities have built their private repositories. This mandates students to preprint their dissertations and all related materials as part of graduation requirements. This is the case, especially with the University of Rwanda

How can we ensure the credibility and quality of research shared through preprints in the African context?

• Provide simplistic guidelines  and organize a series of training for  scientists on how to prepare, share, update, and post their preprints (as is the case with the Rwanda preprint club)
• Link existing versions of preprints with revised versions (AfricArXiv)
• Encourage people to practice viewing or give preprints the same value they do for articles they are preparing for publication in a traditional journal

What steps can be taken to increase awareness and adoption of preprint platforms among researchers and academics in Rwanda and across Africa?

• Advocate for preprint to be added to scientific communication curriculums or courses within higher institutions of learning 
• Organize events targeting lectures to assist them to gain a better understanding of preprints and why they are important 
• Run preprints clubs and training on how to review, post, and prepare preprints while encouraging the fact that it is also a work in progress ( can post research at any stage).  This aligns with our reason for conducting a need assessment: https://forms.gle/xN5BE8BXegwGBLf98

How African Researchers and Institutions Can Learn from the Session

Demystifying Preprints and Addressing Concerns

The session made it clear that preprints are not a threat to publishing credibility. In fact, they complement the research process by allowing for early visibility and input. Institutions can help by offering seminars or integrating preprint knowledge into researcher training.

Recognizing Preprints in Research Assessment

For preprint adoption to grow, institutions need to formally recognize them in hiring, promotion, and funding evaluations. The session highlighted how policy-level support can encourage researchers to share early results with confidence.

Preprints for Timely Impact

Especially during public health or environmental crises, preprints offer a way to disseminate critical knowledge rapidly. The session shared local examples where faster sharing of findings could improve decision-making and public awareness.

Strengthening Research Collaboration

Preprints help build bridges between researchers working on similar topics. The Rwanda Preprint Club emphasized how preprints foster a culture of openness and collective problem-solving, especially in resource-limited settings.

Empowering Early-Career Researchers

The session showed how preprints can give voice to younger scholars. By publishing early, they get recognition, citations, and feedback long before a traditional journal accepts their work — helping them grow faster in their academic journey.

Tapping into Global Preprint Networks

Participants were shown that platforms like AfricArXiv, OSF, and Preprints.org are already supporting African research visibility. Engaging with these networks helps local research reach wider audiences and encourages equitable knowledge exchange.

Related resources

Rwanda Preprint Club need assessment link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1E80xzkiol8wLIDJ9fQrwJTSTJBcik74kFsAAT03sprA/prefill 

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.