Africa Insight is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal of the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA), a research Institute in the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). The journal is accredited by the National Department of Science and Innovation and is indexed in the International Bibliography of Social Science.
AISA leads and coordinates the HSRC’s engagements in Africa focusing on contemporary African affairs in its research, publications and documentation. The institute is dedicated to knowledge production, education, training and the promotion of awareness of Africa, for Africans and the international community through independent policy analysis, and the collection, processing and interpretation of data and dissemination of information. It is within the ambit of this core mandate that the institute publishes a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal Africa Insight.
The purpose of the journal is to disseminate research papers with an African flair seeking to build and maintain AISA/HSRC’s position within global think tanks working to contribute to a better understanding of the realities and needs of the African continent. In this regard, Africa Insight seeks to disseminate research results and content that supports high-level learning, teaching and research in studies with a strong Africana focus.
Papers submitted to the journal should endeavour to carry six general ethical principles:
- Essentiality: Papers submitted to the journal must ensure that all possible efforts are made to get and consider existing literature/knowledge and its relevance, and the alternatives available on the subject/issue of the study.
- Maximisation of public interest and of social justice: The journal holds that research is a social activity, carried out for the benefit of society. Thus, a paper submitted to the Journal must ensure that it maximises public interest and social justice.
- Respect and protection of autonomy, rights and dignity of participants: Research involving the participation of individual(s) must not only respect, but also protect the autonomy, rights and dignity of participants. The participation of individual(s) must be voluntary and based on informed consent.
- Privacy, anonymity and confidentiality: Papers submitted to the Journal must ensure that all research data records provided by participants or obtained directly or indirectly are handled with confidentiality as greed at the time of data collection.
- Public domain: Papers submitted to the journal should ensure that all persons and organisations connected to research must make adequate efforts to make public in an appropriate manner and form, and at an appropriate time, information on the research undertaken, and the relevant results and implications of completed research, where appropriate.
- Accountability and transparency: Papers submitted to the Journal must be fair, honest, and transparent. Authors must also make appropriate arrangements for the preservation of research records for a reasonable period.
Authorship of a paper
The following guidelines must be followed in giving sequence and credit in paper submission:
- Authorship, and its sequence in case of more than one author, must be based on the quantum of the contributions made in terms of ideas, conceptualisation, actual writing of the paper and analysis. Authorship and its sequence should not be based on the status of the individual in the institution or elsewhere.
- All other individuals not satisfying the criteria for authorship but whose contribution made the conduct and completion of the paper or publication possible must be appropriately acknowledged.
- A student or intern must be listed as the principal or first author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation, thesis, or other work.
- Appropriate credit must be given where data or information from other studies or publications is quoted or otherwise included.
Copyright
Copyright of all materials published in Africa Insight is owned by Journal. However, this right can be waived through written permission from the Editorial Committee.
Structure of the journal
The journal consists of the following:
- Editor in Chief
- Deputy Editor
- Managing Editor
- Editorial Committee
- Editorial Advisory Board
Editorial Committee
The Editorial Committee is made up of seven to nine members. Members of the Editorial Committee are appointed by the Executive Head of AISA based on their expertise in African affairs. The Editor in Chief of the journal is an independent scholar of national and international repute.
The Executive Head of AISA will chair of the Editorial Committee meetings. The team would also include a Book Editor and two other scholars. Members of the Editorial Committee shall serve for a period of 5 years. Their tenure is renewable.
AISA through its Executive Head and the Africa Insight Editorial Committee will strive to:
(a) ensure that articles accepted for publication in the journal are be peer-reviewed;
(b) ensure that at least 75% of contributions published in the journal must emanate from multiple institutions in Africa and the diaspora;
(c) ensure that the journal maintains its International Standard Serial Number (ISSN);
(d) ensure that the journal is published quarterly;
(d) ensure that the journal has an Editorial Board whose membership covers a range of expertise relevant to the focus areas of the journal;
(e) ensure that no more than two-thirds of board members are from the same institution.
Duties of the Editor-in-chief
The duties of the Editor-in-Chief include the responsibility for ensuring collegial workings of the editorial team of seven to nine people that collectively assist him or her with
- Providing a clear vision for the direction of the journal
- Recruiting guest editors for special issues
- Ensuring ethical standards are met for all submissions
- Leading and guiding the Editorial Committee on the management of the journal
- Solicitation of high-quality manuscripts from potential authors and assisting the authors in seeing their manuscripts to publication
- Ensure the appointment of high calibre reviewers to review submitted papers
- Post the review process, decide on which papers to publish
- Identify and appointing qualified members to the editorial advisory board
The Editor-in-Chief will also be responsible for
- regular communication for advice from the editorial board
- holding and chairing at least two full meetings of the editorial team annually either in person or by some commonly agreed method of teleconferencing.
Duties of the Managing Editor
Work closely with the Editor-in-chief as informed by the research policy of AISA and HSRC. The Managing Editor will be appointed by the Executive Director of AISA. The Managing Editor will also have responsibility for core operational functions including:
- Familiarising themselves with the publisher’s online editorial system
- Managing the submission process, including ongoing communication with authors, reviewers and the editorial team.
- This includes
- confirming receipt of author’s submissions (if required)
- liaising with editors to identify reviewers
- writing to reviewers timeously and professionally to secure reviews
- informing the editors when reviews are complete
- reporting the decision of the editors to authors, including around re-submissions;
- ensuring that final copies of journal issues always reach the authors timeously,
- and checking the publication proofs professionally and timeously
- Taking and circulating minutes at Editorial Advisory Board and Editorial Committee meetings.
The Managing Editor will assume the role of the Book Review Editor and will be responsible for book reviews. This includes:
- Liaising with high-calibre academic publishers to solicit review copies for the Book Review section of Africa Insight
- Finding suitable authors to review the books in order to draft book reviews of approximately 1200 words
- Edit 2 -3 book reviews per issue for four journal issues per year
- Ensuring that all book reviews are received and submitted to meet the production schedule deadlines.
- Ensuring that ethical standards are met for all book reviews.
Editorial Advisory Board
The Africa Insight Journal shall have an Editorial Advisory Board. This Board of the Journal shall advice the Editorial Committee on the strategic direction the Journal should take. Members of the Editorial Advisory Board shall be nominated by the Executive Head of AISA in consultation with the Editorial Committee of the journal. Only researchers with an extensive publishing record on African Affairs and who hold a doctorate degree (PhD) shall be eligible for appointment as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal. Members of the Editorial Advisory Board shall serve for a period of 5 years. Their tenure is renewable for up to 3 consecutive terms. Members of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal will only be permitted to publish one article in the journal per calendar year.
The AISA Executive Head shall be the Chair of the Editorial Board. Members of the Editorial Committee will be ex-officio members of the Editorial Board. Members of the Editorial Board will, amongst other duties be expected to:
- Hold two Editorial Advisory Board meetings of the journal per financial year to undertake a review of the state of the journal. Meetings of the Editorial Board will either be virtual or at the HSRC offices in Pretoria. When possible, Editorial Board meetings will be held as a side event of an International Conference organized by AISA.
- Review papers delegated by the Editorial Committee.
- Advise the Editorial Committee on journal policy and emerging issues.
- Members of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal shall play the role of ambassadors of the journal in their respective areas of research expertise.
- Members of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal shall from time to time expected to suggest special issues that the journal should consider or commission.
- In the same light, members of the Editorial Advisory Board shall also be considered as guest editors of special issues of the journal.