| Journal | Online coverage and platform | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| East African Medical Journal | Online from 1999 to the present, via African Journals Online (AJOL) | Shows that AJOL carries long-running medical titles. Start here for health literature. |
| African Crop Science Journal (Kampala) | Online from 1993 to the present, via Bioline International | Agriculture readers should search Bioline as well as AJOL. |
| African Journal of Infectious Diseases (Ile-Ife, Nigeria) | Online from 2007 to the present | A shorter online run, so expect a smaller back catalogue to search. |
| Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review (Addis Ababa) | Online from 2002 to the present, via Project Muse | Social science titles can sit on platforms that are not Africa-specific. |
| Africa Development / Afrique et développement (Dakar) | Online from 1976 to the present | The earliest online start in this set, and a bilingual title. Useful for long-run trends. |
Coverage dates and platforms above come from the Columbia University Libraries guide to research on Africa.
African academic journals are scholarly titles published from cities such as Nairobi, Kampala, Addis Ababa and Dakar, and where you start depends on whether you read, publish or vet them. Confirm indexing and review on each journal’s own site.
If you are new to the main continental platform, begin with what is african journals online. If you already have a manuscript, go straight to how to publish in african journals. The sections below cover finding titles, open access, legitimacy checks, identifiers, metrics and peer review.
Choosing where to start
Your first move depends on your task, because the same journal page can be a reading source, a submission target or a warning sign. The decisions below separate those jobs so you do not spend effort on the wrong check.
- Reading for research. Begin with a platform that aggregates many titles, then move to the journal’s own site to read the aims and scope. If you need a shortlist organised by field, use best african journals as your discipline filter.
- Writing a paper. Choose the journal on fit and credibility before you think about speed. Open access status, charges and review model should be clear on the journal site before you format anything.
- Checking an unfamiliar title. Do not rely on a single signal. Combine a directory listing, a working ISSN, a visible editorial board and transparent fees, as set out in the legitimacy section below.
- Reviewing or editing. Reviewer work is a way into the publishing system, and the route is covered in how to become a reviewer for african journals.
What counts as an African academic journal
An academic journal is a serial publication that carries scholarly articles, usually after peer review, in which independent experts judge the work before it appears. African academic journals are the part of that landscape tied to the continent, but the label can mean two different things, and the difference matters when you search.
Titles devoted to African subject matter
Area studies journals focus on African history, politics, society and culture. A university African studies page lists several of them. The African Studies Review appears three times per year, in April, September and December, according to the University of San Francisco African studies listing. The same page records that the International Journal of African Historical Studies was established in 1968 as African Historical Studies and is peer reviewed, and that African Studies Quarterly is an interdisciplinary, fully refereed, online journal.
A fixed issue rhythm like the African Studies Review schedule tells you how often to check for new work, not how quickly an author gets a decision. If you are mapping this part of the field, single-title explainers such as african scientist journal show how to read one journal’s scope.
Titles issued from African cities
The second group is defined by where the journal is produced. The Columbia guide places titles in Nairobi, Kampala, Ile-Ife in Nigeria, Addis Ababa and Dakar. It notes, for example, that Africa Development from Dakar has been online from 1976 and that the African Journal of Infectious Diseases from Ile-Ife has been online from 2007, as shown in the Columbia guide.
The two groups overlap but are not identical. If you want African-authored research on local conditions, prioritise titles issued from African cities. If you want scholarship about Africa from any location, area studies journals are the wider net. Decide which one you need before you search, or your results will mix both and be harder to judge.
Finding African academic journals
No single database holds every African journal, so a reliable search combines a continental aggregator, an open access directory and a discipline platform. Treat each as a different lens rather than a duplicate of the others.
African Journals Online
African Journals Online, usually shortened to AJOL, is the platform the Columbia guide points to for the East African Medical Journal, available online from 1999 to the present. It suits readers who want a broad, continent-focused starting point, especially in health and the sciences. Its limit is the same as any aggregator: a title’s presence there is a discovery aid, and you still need to check the journal’s own policies.
Directory of Open Access Journals
The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) appears among the open access directories in the University of the Witwatersrand library guide to open access journals. It is a free directory, so it works well for authors who want openly readable titles and a quick way to see whether a journal charges fees. Use it as one signal of seriousness, not the only one.
National and subject platforms
The Wits guide also lists SciELO South Africa open access journals and the South African accredited journals list, which includes open access titles. These suit South African authors and readers, since an accredited list reflects national recognition rather than a global ranking. For other disciplines and regions, the Columbia guide shows more platforms: the African Crop Science Journal from Kampala is online from 1993 via Bioline International, and the Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review from Addis Ababa is online from 2002 via Project Muse.
Searching by country
There is no single universal country filter, so build your shortlist in stages. The Columbia guide gives the place of publication beside each title, which lets you collect titles from a chosen country, such as those from Nigeria or Ethiopia, by hand. Then confirm each title on a platform that indexes it. If a platform offers a country or subject browse, use it, and cross-check against a second directory because coverage differs between resources.
Resources at a glance
| Resource | What it offers | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| African Journals Online | Hosts titles such as the East African Medical Journal, online from 1999 | You want a continent-focused first search, especially in health. |
| Directory of Open Access Journals | Open access directory with an advanced search that can filter by article processing charges | You need to see whether a journal charges authors. |
| SciELO South Africa | Open access South African journals | You work in a field with South African publishing. |
| South African accredited journals list | National accredited list that includes open access titles | Your institution recognises accredited outlets. |
| Bioline International | Carries the African Crop Science Journal from 1993 | You search agriculture or life sciences. |
| Project Muse | Carries the Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review from 2002 | You search social science and humanities. |
These entries draw on the Wits open access guide and the Columbia Africa journals guide.
Open access and publication charges
Many African journals are open access, but the label is not universal, so confirm it for each title rather than assume it. The Wits guide organises its resources around open access, listing the DOAJ and SciELO South Africa alongside an accredited list that includes open access titles. The Academic Journals page for the Journal of African Studies and Development (JASD) describes it as an open access journal with ISSN 2141-2189, which shows how a single title states its status on its own page.
What open access means for readers and authors
For readers, open access means you can read the article without a subscription, which matters when your library lacks a licence. For authors, it changes how the journal funds itself, and that is where fees can appear. A journal being open access says nothing on its own about quality, so pair the label with the legitimacy checks in the next section. A fuller catalogue of titles is in open access african journals.
Checking whether a journal charges authors
The Wits library guide gives a practical method: to find out whether a journal has article processing charges, run an Advanced Search on DOAJ, choose Journals, and use the Article Processing Charges filter. The same guide warns that some journals have not kept their charge information up to date. Treat the directory result as a first screen, then confirm the current fee on the journal’s own author page before you submit. For the wider picture on costs and waivers, see african journals article processing charges.
Telling legitimate journals from predatory ones
Predatory publishing describes outlets that imitate scholarly journals without real review or editorial standards. A single check will not separate them from honest but young journals, so use several signals together and weigh the pattern rather than any one result.
Why a blacklist is not enough
Beall’s List, a well-known list of suspect publishers, has closed, and the Wits library guide carries a note about its closure. Even when such a list existed, a journal’s absence from it was not proof of quality. The safer habit is to look for positive evidence of good practice and to treat missing evidence as a reason to wait.
Positive signals to look for
- Directory listing. A listing in a curated directory such as DOAJ is a useful signal. Because some entries carry out-of-date charge information, verify details on the journal site as well.
- National recognition. The South African accredited list, which includes open access titles, indicates recognition within that system. It is relevant mainly if your institution uses that list.
- Stated review model. A credible journal says plainly how it reviews papers. African Studies Quarterly, for example, describes itself as fully refereed.
- Transparent fees. Charges should be easy to find before submission, and a fee that only appears after acceptance is a red flag.
- Verifiable identifiers and people. The ISSN should match the journal, and the editorial board should be named and checkable.
When several of these are absent, pause before submitting or citing. A step-by-step walkthrough is in how to check if an african journal is legitimate, and a broader look at the problem is in predatory journals in africa.
ISSN and journal metrics
An ISSN identifies a serial publication, and a metric describes how its articles are cited; neither tells you on its own whether a journal is good. Used carefully, both help you compare options.
Reading an ISSN
The Academic Journals page for JASD prints its ISSN, 2141-2189, directly under the journal title. That is the pattern to expect: a legitimate journal shows its ISSN prominently on its homepage. Compare the number there with the number shown in directories and on article pages. A mismatch is worth questioning. The ISSN network sets its own assignment rules, so if you are launching a title, ask your national ISSN centre what it requires before you plan a launch date.
Journal metrics explained
Journal metrics are numbers that summarise how often a journal’s articles are cited. They describe a journal as a whole, not an individual article, and they do not tell you whether the peer review was rigorous. Different providers calculate them from different databases, which is why a figure from one source cannot be read against a figure from another.
CiteScore versus impact factor
Impact factor and CiteScore are two separate citation indicators, each produced by a different provider from its own collection of journals. Compare journals using the same metric from the same provider, never one against the other. A journal only receives a figure if the provider includes it in its database.
A missing figure therefore does not mean a journal is weak. It may simply sit outside that database. For African journals in particular, pair any metric with other signals: directory listing, review model, editorial board and the standing of the articles themselves. If a journal advertises a figure, check it with the provider rather than on the journal’s own website alone.
Peer review and editorial work
Peer review is the stage where independent experts assess a submission, and how a journal runs it is the clearest sign of its standards. The review model should be written on the journal site. Journals such as African Studies Quarterly state it openly with the phrase fully refereed. Read that statement before you submit, because it defines what happens to your manuscript.
How the process works
Review models differ by journal, so use the author guidelines as your reference rather than a generic timeline. Look for who screens the paper first, how many reviewers assess it and what decisions the editor can issue. A journal that publishes on a fixed issue rhythm, as the African Studies Review does, still reviews papers on its own schedule. The detail of each stage is in peer review process african journals.
Handling reviewer reports
A decision letter that asks for revision is a normal outcome, not a rejection. Answer every point, explain any change you decline to make, and keep a tone that treats reviewers as colleagues. The practical method is set out in how to respond to reviewer comments.
Publishing in an African journal
Publishing succeeds when the manuscript, the journal and the submission package all match, and each step can be checked before you press submit. Treat journal choice as a research decision, not an afterthought.
Choosing the journal
Shortlist titles whose scope matches your topic, then run them through the legitimacy checks above. Confirm the open access status, the fee position and the review model. Prefer a journal where you can find recent articles close to your topic, since that shows the editors take work like yours. Do not submit to several journals at once, because most journals ask for exclusive consideration.
Preparing the package
Follow the journal’s author guidelines exactly, including formatting, referencing and the declarations the journal requires. A cover letter helps the editor see why your paper fits, and a practical template for it is in how to write a cover letter for journal submission. Keep the letter short and specific to the journal rather than recycled.
Submitting online
Most journals take submissions through an online system where you upload files, enter author details and confirm declarations. Gather your files and metadata first so you do not stall mid-form. A walkthrough of the process is in how to submit a manuscript online.
Institutions, editors and the wider record
African journals sit within a research ecosystem of universities, libraries and editorial teams, and understanding it helps you judge a title’s standing. University libraries curate the guides used here, including the Columbia and Wits resources, and the USF African studies page lists journals for its students. Your own librarian is often the quickest route to recommended titles and indexing advice.
A journal’s editorial team shapes its direction, and a named, checkable board is a credibility signal. Learn how boards are built in african journal editorial board. For context on how today’s titles emerged, read the history of academic publishing in africa. The long online runs in the table at the top, such as Africa Development from 1976, show how deep some archives go.
Odd addresses and article links
Journal sites often expose article links with unfamiliar paths, and search results sometimes land on addresses that look like technical files rather than articles. Three of these have their own explainers. The page on suspendedpage.cgi covers what that address means when it appears in place of a journal. Article paths such as index.php/afs/article/view/611 and index.php/ajga/article/view/21 are explained on their own pages. When you meet an address like these, go back to the journal’s homepage and check the title, ISSN and editorial information there before you cite anything.
Frequently asked questions
How long does peer review take at African journals?
It varies by journal, and no single timeline applies across the continent. Check the journal’s author guidelines for its stated process and ask the editorial office about current turnaround before you submit.
Do African journals have impact factors?
Some may, but only where the provider that calculates the figure includes the journal in its database. Check the provider directly, and do not treat a missing figure as a sign of poor quality.
Is Beall’s List still available as a check?
No. A Wits library guide notes that Beall’s List has closed, so rely on positive signals such as directory listings, a stated review model and clear fees instead.
Can I trust the charge information shown in DOAJ?
Use it as a first screen. The Wits guide notes that some journals have not kept their charge information current, so confirm the fee on the journal’s own site.
Does an ISSN prove a journal is peer reviewed?
No. An ISSN identifies a serial title, such as ISSN 2141-2189 for JASD, but it says nothing about review quality. Check the review model separately.