Open Access Africa: Showcasing African Research

In November 2012 the third Open Access Africa event, hosted by BioMed Central and the University of Cape Town, will discuss the implications of open access for African research. Through this series, BioMed Central hopes to highlight the quality and the breadth of the research being carried out across Africa. It features research into diseases prevalent within the continent, and offers innovative insights into health policy that can be implemented throughout the world. Case reports and clinical trials allow health workers to keep up to date with the latest treatments and information.

This series also aims to show the impact of open access, which allows free access to and distribution of published articles, meaning that individuals aren’t limited to just seeing content from the journals they have subscribed to. Authors retain copyright of their work through a Creative Commons attribution license. They or anyone else can distribute it and reuse it as needed. The resulting increased prominence of published work plays a role in the development of research culture.

As internet and mobile technology improves access to knowledge increases. In addition, the availability of reference material, funding initiatives and capacity building programmes are helping to assist in driving research output. Through the publication of diverse research, not only are the visibility of African researchers and institutions improved, but also the opportunity for local and international collaborations increase...