Geographic diversity is a cornerstone of academic publishing. By giving a platform to voices across countries and cultures, academic publishing ensures that the progress of science is dependent on various perspectives and approaches working together.
However, there is still considerable work to be done to establish a truly global publishing ecosystem. Explicit inequalities prevail between the Global North and South. For example, the latter has much more limited institutional resources. Issues like this lead to a consolidation of influence through homogenous publishing ecosystems, limiting scientific progress in the process.
To build upon geographic diversity in academic publishing, the economic case for supporting journals in emerging regions and infrastructure investments that enable truly global scholarship must be made.
Geographic diversity in academic publishing
Geographic diversity in academic publishing refers to the rich variety of locations people live and work in, and the equitable representation of those involved in the global publishing ecosystem, such as scholars, authors, and reviewers.
As a principle, its purpose is to address and ultimately reduce biases built into or exacerbated by the conditions of global publishing, facilitating structural change and broadening research perspectives in the process.
The importance of fostering geographic diversity cannot be understated. It helps build an abundant and lively research culture. Diverse, interdisciplinary voices come together to collaborate on solving science’s most pressing concerns. As a result, the principles of open access, such as accessibility and equality, are respected and maintained.
The issue of homogenous publishing ecosystems
Translating these principles into effective change globally is not so simple, however. Institutional and economic dominance in the Global North, typically present in Europe and North America, manipulates publishing models in favor of these regions. This skewers representations of what we believe research should look and sound like.
From within such an uneven model, pockets of power arise in certain regions. This leads to homogenous publishing ecosystems that control the narrative and squeeze out alternative perspectives. We find such ecosystems in countries like the UK and North America. Here, big publishers such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Taylor & Francis consolidate the market through publishing presence and large resources.
Peer review is another area in academic publishing prone to homogeneity. Reviewers tend to favor submissions from their own countries. Consequently, this creates a barrier for those from less representative countries, minimizing the pool from which reviewers tend to be selected from.
The problem with homogenous publishing ecosystems is that they reinforce publishing trends and perspectives through a feedback loop. Scholars or journals from certain regions are prioritized, making these perspectives dominant. In turn, these dominant journals attract more scholars that reflect these perspectives. The global voice of research becomes, ultimately, partial.
How JAMS supports journals in emerging regions
In emerging regions, there are limited commercial reasons for launching a journal. Due to limited resources, new journals often don’t enter the global publishing market. Instead, they are given limited financial resources to provide practical information to institutions or policymakers in local areas. This significantly limits the potential reach of their research and long-term growth.
And yet there are big economic arguments for supporting journals in emerging regions. If journals are given the right level of support at the beginning of their journey, then the journal can grow globally and contribute to local and national economic development by transferring knowledge to businesses to help develop technology and infrastructure. If the journal wants to go beyond helping local economies and infrastructure and influence global discussions about science and technology, then it has the means to do so.
JAMS recognizes the importance of supporting journals in emerging regions and integrating them into the global knowledge economy. The journal management system has supported journals in emerging regions, such as the Global Journal of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (GJESS) in South Africa.
In a JAMS webinar, Dr. Nomathemba Themba, Editor-in-Chief of GJESS, spoke of her frustration about how ‘groundbreaking research, especially from Africa, never got to find a platform that valued their context and voice.’ JAMS gives support to such marginalized voices in research by providing them with the basic tools to grow their journal.
Infrastructure investments that enable truly global scholarship
But it’s not just support from business partnerships that helps journals from emerging regions enter global knowledge discussions. Investments in fundamental infrastructure also need to align with the principles of geographic diversity.
Ensuring that journals and scholars in emerging regions are supported by the widespread integration of open access infrastructure is key to enabling truly global scholarship. This may involve financial agreements with digital open access repositories to enable them to develop more diverse publishing outputs. On the other hand, ensuring that institutions in the Global South have access to these open access repositories is equally important. When research is available, countries in the Global South are more readily able to level the research field.
Developing virtual research environments also facilitates global scholarship. This requires the implementation of infrastructure that supports web-based, secure, and democratic access to data and software for researchers. Collaboration is fundamental. Investing in digital tools that enable researchers to share information globally ensures that geographic diversity is the foundation of future global research perspectives.