The experience of online journal publishing in SA

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The experience of online journal publishing in SA

• Pierre JT de Villiers
• Editor SA Family Practice journal

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It is possible for a local journal to become
globally competitive

• exploring the frontiers of doing it yourself in
  a flat world

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The world is indeed flat..

• Thomas L. Friedman (2006) - The World is Flat
• Ten forces that flattened the world
• There are powerful forces at work, mostly
  technology based, empowering individuals and
  small enterprises to compete seriously in the
  globalised world of the 21 st century

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Flatteners (.working for you)

• Creativity Windows 3.0 (1990)
• Connectivity - WWW (1991), Netscape 1995
• Software work flow, e-mail, HTML, TCP/IP
• Uploading - Community software Linux, Apache,
  OJS Blogging, Wikipedia
• Outsourcing cheaper, good quality

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Flatteners (.working for you)

• Offshoring Asia cheaper
• Supply chaining getting anything you need
• Insourcing SMMEs going global (hosting,
  e-commerce, couriers)
• In-Forming Google
• Steroids- computing power, file sharing, VoIP,
  mobility, enhanced graphics

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What does it mean for journals?

• It is now possible for a journal, harnessing the
  combined power of these world flatteners to
• manage publish journal online
• at very reasonable cost (getting lower)
• become a global scholarly player to be reckoned
  with
• improve sustainability

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Journey of SA Family Practice

• Since 1980, inc Geneeskunde in 2004
• SA Academy of Family Practice FaMEC
• 10 issues per year
• Advertising, subscriptions
• Research CPD
• Accredited with DOE
• Online Dec 2005

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Case for being open access online

• WHY ?
• Improve Efficiency international visibility
  readership quality sustainability
• HOW ?
• Use the flatteners Creativity, work flow
  software, open-source, outsource, in-source,
  in-form!
• WHAT else is needed ?
• Take the first step

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Why SAFP had to do something - 2004

• In spite of..
• Excellent efforts of FaMEC (authors, reviewers)
  and Medpharm (publisher)
• Decent print run 5500 X 10
• Good balance of research and CPD
• Good advertising income
• SAFP remained a local family practice journal,
  rarely read outside RSA, all our research efforts
  hidden

Running out of steam
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What was to be done?

• Go for indexing!
• Medline/Pubmed 3 tries
• Improving score
• Embase CAB abstracts 2006

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And others helped

• African Journals Online (AJOL)
• 1998 - INASP
• Online indexing service
• All disciplines
• TOC Abstracts
• Document delivery
• Moving to full-text
• African Index Medicus (AIM)
• Online indexing service
• African medical journals
• WHO

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And then came Google Scholar.

• November 2004
• Indexes the full-text of scholarly literature
• Requires abstract
• Free for user
• Pubmed included
• End 2005 - Majority of visits BMJ, Highwire

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2005 - If only..!

• Publish full-text online
• Receive manuscripts from all over the world -
  Africa
• Use international reviewers
• Online manuscript management system
• Better workflow for decentralised team
• Earn online advertising income

Dream big, start small
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Open Journal Systems

• OJS v2 - 2005
• Web-based - journal management publishing
• Open source FREE
• Public Knowledge Project
• UBC John Willinsky
• Make open access more viable for scholarly
  journals
• Currently 800 installations

OJS!
a masterpiece
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OJS main features

• Locally hosted controlled
• Editors configure journal
• Online submission and management of all content
• Subscription module with delayed open access
  options

OJS!
a masterpiece
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OJS main features

• Indexing of content part of global system -
  Google
• Reading Tools for content
• Email notifications
• Context-sensitive online Help
• Online support forum bug reporting

OJS!
a masterpiece
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Navigating OJS
Reviewer
Editor
Author
Proof reader
Section
Editor
Copyeditor
Managing Editor
Layout
Editor
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OJS for the reader

• Information about journal
• Current issue
• Archives
• Searching title, issue, author etc
• Announcements
• Table of contents email
• Full text PDF and/or HTML
• Reading tools

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What happened with SAFP online?
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SAFP research manuscripts
55
Open access
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R
R
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SAFP - readers
Open access
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More spin-offs

• African manuscripts
• Other related disciplines
• International reviewers
• More published research (33)
• web long, print short

Hard work Rewards
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More spin-offs

• Length of research articles
• Reduced review time (-50)
• Online advertising income
• Focus for print issue CPD
• Improved advertising print
• Online CPD

Hard work Rewards
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Challenges

• Lost subscribers
• Technical challenges right hosting environment
• Learning the OJS
• Acceptance by authors reviewers

Bite the bullet
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Local support for OJS
To provide local support for OJS implementation
in Africa
openjournals_at_aosis.co.za
www.openjournals.net
AOSIS seal of quality
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I hope you agree that.

• It is possible for a local journal, harnessing
  the combined power of Friedmans world
  flatteners to become a player to be reckoned
  with in the global scholarly world of the 21st
  century
• Thank you!