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Researchers’ preference for publishing in globally recognised journals is skewing the direction of scientific inquiry away from local research, writes Priya Shetty in New Scientist.
In areas such as healthcare, agriculture and the environment it leads them to prioritise global research that may not meet the needs of individual countries.
The problem stems from the vicious circle in which local developing country journals find themselves trapped: because researchers see little value in publishing in them, they lack the high-quality papers required to attract authors.
One solution is for universities to give additional recognition to researchers who choose to publish their research locally. Additionally, donors should invest in local journals to compensate the lack of revenue from subscriptions.
Shetty says that online publishing is the way forward, citing the development of the open-access movement in the North as an example of how this can be achieved.
Developing countries are beginning to take ownership of the research they undertake. Now they must start to take control of where that research is published," she says.
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