Utilizing persistent identifiers to provide services for researchers and publishers – A spotlight on Africa

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Persistent identifiers are transforming the way scholarly content is managed, discovered, and cited —especially across the African research landscape. In this session, Stephanie Dawson of ScienceOpen and Andrew Joseph from Wits University Press shared how tools like DOIs and ORCID iDs help connect research outputs more efficiently, support publishers with visibility and metadata services, and ultimately strengthen the infrastructure for open, accessible African scholarship.

In the evolving landscape of global research, African researchers and publishers face unique challenges and opportunities. Platforms like ScienceOpen are stepping in to bridge gaps, offering tools and services that empower African research to gain the visibility and recognition it deserves. Below, we explore how ScienceOpen supports African researchers and publishers in overcoming barriers, boosting visibility, and aligning with global standards.

At AfricArXiv, we have been working with ScienceOpen since 2020 as one of our affiliate repositories, having set up a collection for African Languages and COVID-19 in Africa. You can easily request journal-independent Peer Review on your submitted works within their system. Stephanie will tell us what else they are doing to support African research dissemination.

Watch the recording

The slides are available at https://africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/handle/1/1339

Key Takeaways:

Boosting Visibility Through Indexing: African researchers and publishers can benefit from ScienceOpen’s indexing system, which uses persistent identifiers to enhance discoverability. This means African research is more likely to be found, cited, and used globally

Overcoming Infrastructure Barriers: ScienceOpen offers tools that simplify publishing workflows, which is especially helpful in regions where technical infrastructure or editorial support is limited. It’s a cost-effective solution to raise the profile of local journals.

Supporting Open Access and FAIR Principles: The platform is built around open science practices. African journals that join ScienceOpen align with global standards like FAIR data and open access — this opens doors for international collaboration and funding.

Empowering Editorial Teams: Editorial teams can use the platform to streamline metadata creation, citation tracking, and promotion of articles. It’s like having an extra pair of hands, helping African journals stay competitive and visible in the global research landscape.

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.

Read more and explore other sessions in this webinar series: info-africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/open-science-webinar-series/

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