Scholarly Communication in Ghana: An assessment of the strength of Journal Publication
Loading...
Date
2013-08-28
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study examines the strength of scholarly communication through journal publication in Ghana. Areas such as the economics, editorial, production, marketing and distribution of scholarly journal publication were examined. The challenges and opportunities in the Ghanaian scholarly publication process are brought to the fore and recommendations made to improve upon them. In all, 232 authors (researchers) and 14 scholarly journal editors drawn from the major research institutions in Ghana have taken part in the study. The mixed research approach which combines the qualitative and the quantitative research methods have been adopted for the study. Questionnaires and structured interview guides have been used to collect primary data from respondents. Content analyses have also been done on some sampled Ghanaian scholarly journals to establish the validity of claims made by the respondents. Lack of funding, difficulty in accessing data, unavailability of journals in varied subject areas, ill-equipped laboratories and high cost of printing are some of the major problems for stakeholders of research activities in Ghana. Editors and reviewers possess a minimum education qualification of Masters’degrees in their respective fields with an average working experience of six years. These editors and reviewers are conscious of quality and the need for credibility of their respective journals hence they put best practices in place to ensure that. Ghanaian journals, though little known domestically, enjoy wide international visibility and acceptance and their quality is also of an appreciable standard. Editors must endeavour to publish more in the electronic domain for two basic reasons, (i) authors prefer it and (ii) it is economical. Institutions in Ghana must also begin to host journals in their training disciplines to provide more options for authors to publish their research findings. Government and organisations should assist research activities in Ghana financially so the desired benefits can be fully derived.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Arts, 2013