Committee on Scholarly Publications in South Africa Report on the Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in South Africa.
Background
ASSAf PRPs
Initial Criteria
Editorial Process-related Criteria: Generally Based on the National Code of Best Practice in Editori - al Discretion and Peer Review Developed by ASSAf
1 Periodic peer review of South African scientific journals: Approved guidelines and criteria for the process . Best practices in editorial judgment and peer review) and the average length of peer review reports. Professional position and experience of the editor; how it is selected; how long the editor has been employed; and success or otherwise in addressing major issues in the field, by providing reviews/articles, editorial comments, etc.
Business-related Criteria
Best practices in editorial judgment and peer review) and average length of peer-review reports. Number and professional stature/experience of editorial members, plus selection processes, turnover and nature of involvement in handling manuscripts or in other functions.
Bibliometric Assessments
Process Guidelines for Setting up the Panels, Peer Reviewers, Panel Meetings and Reports for the Subject Peer Review of Journals
- Background to ASSAf PRPs
- Role of the Scholarly Publishing Unit (SPU)
- Setting up Panels
- Selecting Panel Members
- Criteria for Membership
- Conflict of Interest
- Organising the Panels
- Selection of Peer Reviewers (See above)
- Panel Meetings and Procedures Preparations
- Post-meeting Procedures and Panel Reports
Committee expertise, balance and conflicts of interest are discussed at the first meeting (and may be discussed again at any subsequent meeting) of the PRPs, and recommendations for resolving problematic issues may be sent to the ASSAf Council through the SPU ( Secretariat) for possible. changing the composition of PRPs. The organization of the panel is done by its chairman, supported by the designated project official.
Archives and Museums .1 ESARBICA Journal
Harvard references are used and the journal provides guidelines, but in some articles there are inconsistencies in the application of the prescribed style. One reviewer was of the opinion that the journal is not at the same level as leading international journals in the field, even though it plays an important role in advancing the discipline.
The journal should continue to be listed on the DHET list of accredited journals
The journal currently uses a manual system for managing editorial workflows, but there are plans to switch to an online system. The journal has been indexed by the Elton B Stephens Company (EBSCOhost) Research Databases, Google Scholar, IBSS and ProQuest's Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA).
The journal should be invited to join the SciELO South Africa platform provided that it becomes open access
Access is free online but password protected and is also part of a commercial e-publishing service. The role of the board is unclear and it appears that, despite the editors' guidance on this matter, the panel found that board members do not actively monitor.
The editor and editorial board should consider improving the management of the journal and its professionalism
Local and international subscribers access the journal through the South African Bibliographic and Information Network (Sabinet). The editor should consider switching to an open access system to make the journal more accessible and visible. The journal should be invited to join the South African SciELO platform on the condition that it becomes open source.
The editor and editorial board should seriously consider the recommendations in this review in order for the journal to be deemed as scholarly
Communication Sciences
- Communicare: Journal for Communication Sciences in Southern Africa Focus and scope
Since the publication of the magazine is based in the School of Communication, the internal publication committee made the appointment. Editorial/policy guidelines are published on the front pages of the journal, as well as on the journal's website. The magazine is published by the SACOMM, School of Communication at the University of Johannesburg.
The editor should seriously consider broadening the editorial board and including younger board members
The journal may consider inducting some new and younger members and may also recruit members from other countries in the region. The editor should consider switching to an online submission and review system. The journal would benefit from the inclusion of scholarly features such as book reviews and information on scholarly associations and conferences.
The panel commends Communicare for being a good-quality journal
Communitas Focus and scope
The journal's conflict of interest policy is available here: http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/com/navigationMenu/view/policies. Since the review was completed, the journal is now available on the Open Journal System (OJS) platform at this address: journals.ufs.ac.za. The journal should try to avoid publication of the editorial staff, especially the editor, in its journal (in relation to the period under review).
The journal should be invited to join the SciELO South Africa platform
The editor may explore the possibility and try to realize the journal's potential to become international in scope. The editor should consider introducing other scholarly features, such as thematic reviews, commentaries, book reviews, and scholarly correspondence, which may increase the social impact of the journal. Consider introducing article-level metrics (such as views and downloads) that authors can obtain from their article's landing page after publication.
The editor should seriously consider the recommended improvements listed in this review
Information and Communication Technology
Consensus review: The journal maintains a good standard of article editing and the overall quality of the articles is high. The journal is owned and published by the Learning Information Networking Knowledge Center (LINK) located at the University of the Witwatersrand. The journal is indexed in Google Scholar but not in other indexes, so there is no impact factor.
The journal is already on the SciELO South Africa platform
Given the high quality articles, the journal can publish additional issues per year and should continue the trend of publishing relevant topics. The visibility of the journal can be increased by publishing calls for papers on relevant mailing lists related to current conferences for example.
In addition, the panel compliments this small but high-quality scholarly journal that covers a set of well-chosen themes on developments in this discipline in South Africa and elsewhere on
South African Computer Journal Focus and scope
The journal contains valuable articles, such as critical editorials and some critical current reviews. Consensus assessment: The journal fills a unique gap in the general research arena in South Africa and as such plays an important role. The panel complimented the magazine for its high-quality articles on a wide range of computing-related topics in South Africa and internationally.
Library and Information Science
- Bulletin of the National Library of South Africa Focus and scope
The journal is already catering to its subscriber base and has a strategy to attract more international contributions. Consensus review: The journal's focus is on South African history rather than information science. In addition, the editor could seriously consider changing either the title or the focus of the journal to reflect the nature of the publication.
In addition, the panel believes that the journal should seriously consider changing the journal title or its focus to reflect the nature of the publication
Innovation: A Journal for Appropriate Librarianship and Information Work in Southern Africa Focus and scope
Editors come from the editorial board and guest editors are occasionally invited to edit the magazine. -Additional features of the journal include occasional critical editorials and, when necessary, correspondence on published articles. The journal should be invited to join the SciELO South Africa platform, provided it meets the criteria.
The journal should be invited to join the SciELO South Africa platform provided that it meets the criteria
It is mandatory to have 'front details' for papers and to have English language abstracts. Consensus review: It might be a good idea to consider appointing a (volunteer) editor-in-chief who can serve as the journal's single point of contact for authors, just to make the submission process and author-editor communication about manuscript revisions simpler than it can be with rotary editors.
The editorial committee should consider appointing a (volunteer) editor-in-chief and the editorial board should be renewed
Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies Focus and scope
-additional journal features include analytical book reviews and correspondence about published articles, if received. The journal has 68 paying institutional subscribers, of which 50 are organizations versus individuals (52 South African; 16 international). Consensus review: We suggest that the editor and board seriously consider transitioning the journal to open access.
The panel recommends that the editor and board seriously consider moving the journal to open access and making an improvement on its scholarly features
South African Journal of Information Management (SAJIM) Focus and scope
Altmetric indicators are available through Sabinet, but the journal chose not to opt for this service. It is suggested that the editor and board seriously consider moving the journal to open access. Although there are no errata published in the volumes, the journal has a policy to manage them.
The editor should consider more contributions from southern Africa
Good citation practice is followed in the reviewed articles, however, no clear guidelines for prescribed citation style were found. The journal is indexed in AOSIS Library Index, Cengage Learning, DOAJ, Ebscohost, Google Scholar, Pro-Quest and Sabinet. Consensus review: The journal may consider inviting more European and African members to the editorial board.
In addition, the editorial board must be extended to include members from other African countries
South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science (SAJLIS) Focus and scope
More importantly, the journal's management team last year recommended to the journal's owner (LIASA) that the editorial board membership be revised for the exact reason given by the review board (replacing older and sometimes inactive board members with younger scholars).]. The journal contains editorials and occasional book reviews, although the panel felt that the editorials could be more critical and topical. Currently these are descriptive and contain material about the journal rather than professional matters.
The panel commends the journal for being a high standard and quality publication
Media and Journalism
- African Journalism Studies (AJS) Focus and scope
Since the journal implemented ScholarOne, peer review reports have been accessible and retained in the journal's records. There are 2,314 international institutions and libraries that gain access to the journal as part of the Taylor & Francis sales agreements. The journal is indexed in African Studies Abstracts (ASA) Online, Communication and Mass Media Complete, ProQuest, Sabinet, Scopus, Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) and ISAP.
The journal should be invited to join the SciELO South Africa platform provided that the business relationship with Taylor & Francis (Routledge) were to change
More African representation on the board would fill the regional gap that currently exists, thereby also encouraging contributions from other African countries.
The panel recommends that the journal could consider widening its scope as indicated in the suggested improvements
Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies Focus and scope
The journal should be invited to join the South African SciELO platform provided that the business relationship with Taylor & Francis (Routledge) changes. two review articles and six book reviews. The journal is available to about 25 institutions and libraries in South Africa and 350 in the rest of Africa. The journal should be invited to join the South African SciELO platform provided that the business relationship with Taylor & Francis (Routledge) changes.
Communicatio: South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research Focus and scope
The journal is an adequate example of the best work done in the country and in Africa in the field of communication studies. The journal is relevant to the field of communication science as well as to the region. High-profile authors should be recruited, and the journal should also include additional editorial and discipline-relevant material, such as analytical book reviews.
High-profile authors must be recruited, and the journal should also include additional editorial and discipline relevant material such as analytical book reviews
Can you provide us with a list of indexes in which the journal is indexed (including Web of Science and/or IBSS, Google Scholar, Scopus and others). Do you use any altmetric indicators (number of visits to the journal's website, number of downloads, citations on social media) to monitor the "success" of the journal? What do you think are the main challenges facing the magazine and the editorial board?
Appendix B
