African Health Sciences: The story of a young journal from Uganda

Report submitted to African Journal project meeting, Council for Science Editors, 1-7 May 2009

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

James K Tumwine, MD, PhDEditor in Chief, African Health SciencesMakerere University, College of Health ScienesKampala Uganda: jtumwine@imul.com; kabaleimc@gmail.com

Many thanks

• African Journals project• For support and sponsorship

• Colleagues on the project • Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Ghana, Mali, Uganda

• Our “twin” partners

• Other supporters – ScholarOne, etc

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Introduction

The story

End

African Health Sciences: structure

a. EIC and 1editor

b. Three editorial staff a. 1 paid

b. 2 voluntary

c. Editorial board (11 members.)

Many are involved in teaching, research, and patient care

Where HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infections

• With background of poverty

• Increases burden on– families– communities– health service

Manuscript submission and review

1. From January 2008, manuscript submission and the review process are online – Manuscript Central supported by ScholarOne

2. All manuscripts are reviewed by at least two reviewers;

1. one from Uganda and one from outside Uganda

Frequency of publication, dissemination, and print edition circulation

• AHS is a quarterly publication– March, June, September and December

Open access

1. Available both in print and electronic forms

2. Print copies by MERA through out Africa. a. 12500 copies per issue free of charge

3. Locally printed copies (500)

Online

• Indexed on Medline/PubMed

• Archived in PubMed Central

• African Journal’s Online

• BIOLINE and HINARI (free)

Some sites where you can access African Health Sciences

• www.bioline.org/ahs• www.mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mums.ahs• www.ajol.info• HINARI• PUBMED• PUBMED CENTRAL

Information on usage

• Print copy circulation 12500+500 = 13000 per issue

• Online access

African HealthSciences hits per month on Bioline, Jan 2006 – March 2009

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African Health Sciences requests for abstracts and full articles per month on

Bioline, Jan 2006 – March 2009

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African HealthSciences hits per month and reason on Bioline, Jan 2006 – March 2009

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Months

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Young writer’s workshop participants reviewing manuscripts

• .

African Health Sciences manuscripts: receipt and acceptance 2006-2008

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Year

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Received

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Overall business and financial structure

• Tenuous

• ? Charge authors

• Raising funds (local and abroad)

Writers workshops are extremely popular with our young scientists

• .

Our aim is not to become

The Lancet,

NEJM,

JAMA

EHPS

Annals or

BMJ

No

• We have clear priorities

To nurture this partnership

• Together with our partners

• To achieve a common goal

You see, this pot is used to keep lopinavir/ritonavir (kaletra) cool

• .

• as only <5% of Ugandans have electricity in their homes

To keep COOL effective medicines vs infections such as HIV, critical for the

survival of our people

Thinking

outside the box

has shaped and guided our strategy

for making health information

available to our scientists

Thank you

• Asante sana!