Addis Ababa University has initiated a project to create a sustainable training programme that will build expertise and skills of journal editors, reviewers and authors, enabling them to fully utilize the Ethiopian Journals Online (EJOL) platform.

Ethiopian Journals Online (EJOL) receives financial and infrastructure support from Addis Ababa University. The platform, which hosts 22 journals, has emerged as a leading tool for no-fee open access publishing in Ethiopia, raising visibility of Ethiopian journals internationally. EJOL has also stimulated open science initiatives at universities and research institutes, and helped pave the way for the adoption of a national open access policy for Ethiopia.

However, a limitation is that journal managers are not using the EJOL platform, which operates with Open Journal Systems (OJS) software, to conduct editorial management and peer review processes. The project aims to address this through development and implementation of a sustainable training programme based at Addis Ababa University, for journal editors, reviewers and authors to build their skills and confidence to use the platform’s full range of features. The project will specifically work with and support two no-fee open access journals, the Ethiopian Journal of Education and the Ethiopian Journal of the Social Sciences and Humanities (EJOSSAH).

The project is one of 17 that have received grant support through a three-year project to strengthen no-fee open access publishing in Africa implemented by EIFL, AJOL (African Journals Online) and WACREN (the West and Central African Research and Education Network), with funding from Wellcome.

Timeline

October 2024 - September 2025

Activities

• Develop and implement a sustainable training programme to build skills of journal editors, reviewers and authors to fully utilize the EJOL OJS publishing platform for editorial management and peer review processes.
• Provide tailored guidance and support for journal editors, reviewers and authors engaging with EJOL.

More about the Ethiopian Journal of Education and the Ethiopian Journal of the Social Sciences and Humanities (EJOSSAH).