Accredited journals

What I really wanted to say this morning was we're looking at the whole picture of research in South Africa, and nothing is above critique, not even our one or two accredited professional journals: there must be ways to improve and speed up the processes of peer reviewing especially in the digital context. As one presenter said: inevitably one reviewer will be a 'flat tyre!'

In a workflow of digitised/electronic processes with regular automated email prompts until you got the job done, it is almost impossible to miss deadlines. This way more reseach can get published at a faster rate. I've been involved in such a process this year, not completely done yet but I can already view my typeset article in the journal as it will appear in print. An interesting and rewarding ride! Will share it with you at a later stage.

The interesting thing about this particular journal is that the onus is on the author for final editing - and you take the responsibility as the author. This means you find yourself a professional assistant/editor or else. If you're lucky to have a friend to do the professional part, that's okay, otherwise you may have to pay someone to assist you. Not so different iif you think about what some researchers have to pay to have their work published!

You may think it is a controversial way of getting your work published, but in the changing environment, as we learnt the last two weeks, it may be part of the solution. Our world is a-changing! And you're a new researcher keen to create a platform for yourself.....

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