Bibliometric Coloniality in South Africa: Critical Review of the Indexes of Accredited Journals

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Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

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Paper Summary

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South African Universities Accused of Academic Colonialism: Prioritizing Global North Journals

The analysis reveals that South African universities, guided by the Department of Higher Education and Training's accredited journal lists, heavily favor publications in journals based in Europe and North America, marginalizing African and other Global South scholarship. This reinforces bibliometric coloniality and hinders the decolonization of knowledge production. The paper suggests promoting African journals and platforms, possibly using the SciELO model, to address this issue.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Weaknesses

Limited scope of analysis (focus on DHET lists)

The paper primarily analyzes journal lists from a single government body (DHET) which, while influential, may not fully represent all academic publishing practices in South Africa. A broader study including university-specific policies and researcher practices would strengthen the analysis.

Lack of discussion on quality control in African journals

While advocating for promoting African knowledge, the paper doesn't fully address the potential challenges of quality control and peer review processes in emerging or less established African journals.

Limited exploration of SciELO's potential as an African scholarly index

While acknowledging SciELO as a potential model, the paper lacks a detailed analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, or a concrete proposal for its implementation as a broader African scholarly index.

Rating Explanation

This paper presents a relevant critique of bibliometric coloniality, using a clear methodology to analyze journal lists. However, the limited scope and lack of deeper discussion of certain aspects (quality control, implementation of alternatives) prevent a higher rating.

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