An investigation into the emergence of open access journals in public universities in Zambia

This study investigated the advent of Open Access Journals (OAJs) in public universities in Zambia, focusing on support levels, publishing software, licensing models, benefits, and challenges. The study was qualitative in design, and 17 key informants from the three public universities with OAJs were selected to take part in the study. The key informants, who included managing editors, chief editors, and editors of journals, were purposively selected to participate in the study. However, data were collected from 14 key informants through interviews. Three key informants declined to take part in the study. The findings revealed increased support towards OAJs in the three universities due to advocacy activities and growing awareness of the benefits associated with OAJs. There is a positive perception of OAJs among lecturers and researchers, leading to greater acceptance of OAJs in the surveyed public universities. The findings also show that all the OAJs studied were using the Open Journal System (OJS) 3.1.0.1 and Creative Commons (CC BY) Licensing model for publishing. The benefits of OAJs included increased visibility and impact, citations, collaboration opportunities, and reduced costs. However, inadequate training for editorial board members, lack of funds, and limited ICT infrastructure investment, among other challenges, hinder the operations of OAJs in public universities in Zambia. The study’s findings highlight the need for consistent training, more institutional support, and advocacy to promote the effective implementation of OAJ publishing in public universities in Zambia.