A Comprehensive Auditing and Mapping of University Press Publications in Kenya from 2020-2023

Florence Namarome Weng’ua; Tom Kwanya; Ashah Owano

doi:10.51867/AQSSR.2.2.4

Authors

Florence Namarome Weng’ua The Technical University of Kenya Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6124-7128
Tom Kwanya The Technical University of Kenya Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6306-2669
Ashah Owano The Technical University of Kenya Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8370-1106

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/AQSSR.2.2.4

Keywords:

Kenya, Publish or Perish, Scholarly Productivity, University Presses, Visibility

Abstract

Research publications are a fundamental requirement for university academics worldwide, shaping their tenure and promotion prospects. They represent the essential scholarly output that academics must produce to advance or maintain their careers. University presses bear the responsibility of disseminating research generated in institutions of higher learning. Thus, they play a crucial role in the scholarly communication ecosystem. This paper mapped and audited scholarly publications produced by university presses in Kenya. It specifically examines the types and quantities of scholarly publications produced by university presses and deposited in university libraries and bookshops in Kenya. The study was informed by revised Boyer’s Model of Scholarship. Conducted using a mixed methods research approach and survey research design, the study employed a census and purposive sampling to select key informants of the study and university press staff respectively. The target population was fifty-one respondents comprising 36 staff from university presses, 7 university librarians, 7 university press managers and one bookshop manager from the selected universities. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaires while qualitative data was collected using interviews and documentary review. Qualitative data was analysed thematically using Nvivo data management software version 12, while quantitative data was analysed using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics version 28.0.1.1). Quantitative data was presented statistically using tables and graphical representations, while qualitative data was presented using descriptive narratives and verbatim quotations. Findings revealed that university presses in Kenya produce more of non-scholarly publications than the scholarly ones. Additionally, the study revealed that these publications are hardly deposited in university bookshops and libraries. This limits their visibility and uptake. The study concludes that university presses in Kenya are not fully meeting their mandate of disseminating scholarly knowledge. The study recommends improved productivity of scholarly publications by university presses as a means of increasing their scholarly value. The study also recommends a regular auditing of university press publications to continually assess their quality and visibility within and beyond their parent institutions. The findings of this study may be used by university management to develop policies which systemise, promote and sustain their presses for better productivity and visibility.

References

Aithal, P. S., & Suresh Kumar, P. M. (2017). Challenges and opportunities for research & publications in higher education. International Journal of Scientific Research and Modern Education (IJSRME), 2(1), 42-49. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.400619

Asia Pacific Institute of Advanced Research. (2017, May 28). Top 10 benefits of using academic journals online for scholarly research. Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://apiarpublications.com/blog/top-10-benefits-of-using-academic-journals-online-for-scholarly-research/

Association of University Presses. (2019). The value of university presses. Retrieved March 28, 2020, from https://aupresses.org/the-value-of-university-presses/

Boyer, E. L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton University Press.

Callaghan, E. (1997). Is indigenous publishing essential for a developing country such as Kenya to develop culturally? In The culture of publishing. Oxford Brookes University. Retrieved August 10, 2019, from http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/apm/publishing/culture/1997/callagha.html

Chakava, H. (1996). Publishing in Africa: One man's perspective. East African Educational Publishers.

Commission for University Education. (2014). Harmonized criteria and guidelines for appointment and promotion of academic staff in universities in Kenya. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from http://www.cue.or.ke/forms

Commission for University Education. (2017). Commission's proposal for accrediting academic journals. Retrieved March 20, 2020, from http://www.cue.or.ke

Cooperative University of Kenya. (2020). CUCK launches Vol. 1, African Journal of Cooperatives development and technology. The Cooperative University of Kenya. Retrieved February 14, 2020, from https://www.cuk.ac.ke

CUEA Press. (2019). About - Services offered by CUEA Press. The Catholic University of Eastern Africa. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from https://www.cuea.edu

Darko-Ampem, K. (2005). A university press publishing consortium for Africa: Lessons from academic libraries. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 36(2), 89-114. https://doi.org/10.3138/jsp.36.2.89 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/scp.2005.0001

Darko-Ampem, K. O. (2004). Scholarly publishing in Africa: A case study of the policies and practices of African university presses. University of Stirling.

Das, A. K. (2015). Scholarly communication (Vol. 1). UNESCO Publishing.

Day, C. (1991). The university press: An organic part of the institution. Scholarly Publishing, 23(1), 27-44.

Esposito, J. J. (2017). Monograph output of American university presses 2009-2013. The Scholarly Kitchen. Retrieved from https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2017/02/14/monograph-output-american-university-presses-2009-2013/

Gillet, T. (2019). Research is not complete until it is communicated. Research Information. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://www.researchinformation.info/news/ssp-keynote-research-not-complete-until-it-communicated/

Hayes, C., & Holley, R. (2014). The university press: Trends, initiatives, and collaborations over the past several years. Collection Building, 33(3), 73-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/CB-03-2014-0016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CB-03-2014-0016

Hyland, K., & Jiang, F. K. (2019). Academic discourse and global publishing: Disciplinary persuasion in changing times. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429433962 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429433962

Jalalian, M. (2012). Writing for academic journals: A general approach. Electronic Physician, 4(2), 474-476.

Kampourakis, K. (2017). Conference issues vs. conference proceedings. Science & Education, 26(5), 449-450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-017-9922-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-017-9922-2

Kaspar, W. A. (2019). Academic knowledge production and university presses: Some random thoughts. College & Research Libraries, 80(5), 590. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.80.5.590 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.80.5.590

Kogos, A. (2011). University presses and provision of learning materials for institutions of higher learning: Case study of University of Nairobi Press, Kenya. (MPhil Thesis). Moi University. Retrieved July 10, 2019, from https://www.mu.ac.ke

Kwanya, T. (2022). Mixed methods and quality of postgraduate research: A Kenyan perspective. In Handbook of Research on Mixed Methods Research in Information Science (pp. 147-172). IGI Global.

https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8844-4.ch008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8844-4.ch008

Ligami, C. (2019). Over 100 PhDs face review in single university. University World News. Retrieved March 2020, from https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2019080207255286

Luescher, T. M., & Schalkwyk, F. V. (2018). African university presses and the institutional logic of the knowledge commons. Learned Publishing, 31(3), 288-298. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1187 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1187

Makotsi, R. L., & Nyariki, L. (1997). Publishing and book trade in Kenya. East African Publishers.

McNabb, J., & Pawlyshyn, N. (2014). Defining scholarship: Boyer's 4 models and the new digital scholarship: A faculty conversation. Faculty Professional Development Day. Boston: Northeastern University. Retrieved April 15, 2020, from https://www.northernuniversity.edu

Mierzecka, A. (2019). The role of academic libraries in scholarly communication: A meta-analysis of research. Studia Medioznawcze, 20(1), 99-112. https://doi.org/10.33077/uw.24511617.ms.2019.1.85 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33077/uw.24511617.ms.2019.1.85

Migosi, J. A., Muola, J. M., & Maithya, R. (2012). Perceptions of academic staff on research and publishing in Kenyan universities. International Journal of Education Administration and Policy Studies, 4(4), 115-126.

Mudditt, A. (2016). The past, present, and future of American university presses: A view from the left coast. Learned Publishing, 29(S1), 330-334. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1047 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1047

Ngobeni, S. (2012). Challenges facing the African university press. African Studies Centre.

Ogechi, N. O., & Bosire-Ogechi, E. (2002). Educational publishing in African languages, with a focus on Swahili in Kenya. Nordic Journal of African Studies, 11(2), 18-18.

Oladokun, B. D., Oyetola, S. O., Mbazu, E. C., & Mohammed, J. D. (2023). Scholarly publishing and communication. Workshop paper. Conference: Kogi State College of Education Workshop. Retrieved July 23, 2024, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371178248_Scholarly_Publishing_and_Communication

Panigrahi, S. (2020, February 5). Importance of research and journal publications in higher studies. The Higher Education Review. Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://www.thehighereducationreview.com/news

Parsons, P. (1988). University presses as "gatekeepers of ideas" within society. Paper presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 298 489).

Pennsylvania State University Libraries. (2020). A guide to conference proceedings. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved April 25, 2020, from https://www.guides.libraries.psu.edu/conferenceproceedings

Quagraine, N. T., & Agyekum, B. O. (2018). In vogue: Demand for scholarly publications among academic librarians. Library Management, 39(6-7), 449-461. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-11-2017-0119 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-11-2017-0119

Rallison, S. P. (2015). What are journals for? The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, 97(2), 89-91. https://doi.org/10.1308/003588414X14055925061397 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1308/003588414X14055925061397

Rayner, S. (2018). The academic book of the future: Communities of practice. Logos, 29(2-3), 80-90.

https://doi.org/10.1163/18784712-02902009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/18784712-02902009

Shamir, L. (2020). The effect of conference proceedings on the scholarly communication in computer science and engineering. Scholarly and Research Communication, 1(2), 020302, 7 pp.

https://doi.org/10.22230/src.2010v1n2a25 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22230/src.2010v1n2a25

Steele, C. (2008). Scholarly monograph publishing in the 21st century: The future more than ever should be an open book. Journal of Electronic Publishing, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0011.201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0011.201

Tarkang, E. E., & Bain, L. E. (2019). The bane of publishing a research article in international journals by African researchers, the peer-review process and the contentious issue of predatory journals: A commentary. Pan African Medical Journal, 32(119). https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2019.32.119.18351 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2019.32.119.18351

Taylor, M., & Jensen, K. S. (2019). Developing a model for university presses. Insights, 32(19), 1-5.

https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.469 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.469

Thompson, J. (2005). Books in the Age. Cambridge.

University of Stellenbosch. (2018). Why publications in an academic journal matter. USB Management Review. Retrieved April 27, 2020, from https://www.usb.ac.za

Vincent, N. (2013). The monograph challenges. In Debating Open Access (pp. 106-119). The British Academy. Retrieved May 15, 2021, from https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1891/Debating-Open-Access-2013.pdf

Wafula, M., Musakali, J., & Muliaro, J. (2019). The extent of adoption of e-publishing by university presses in Kenya. Electronic Publishing (Short Papers). https://doi.org/10.4000/proceedings.elpub.2019.18 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/proceedings.elpub.2019.18

Wanzala, O. (2019, July 30). Probe finds JKUAT broke rules in award of 118 PhDs. Business Daily. Retrieved August 20, 2019, from https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/economy/probe-finds-jkuat-broke-rules-in-award-of-118-phds-2259324

Ware, M., & Mabe, M. (2015). The STM report: An overview of scientific and scholarly journal publishing (4th ed.). International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers. Retrieved March 30, 2020, from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=scholcom

Watkinson, C. (2021). University presses and the impact of COVID-19. Learned Publishing, 34(1), 17-24. Retrieved February 15, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1352 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1352

Weng'ua, F. N., Kwanya, T., & Owano, A. (2024). Revitalising university presses in Kenya through digital technologies. African Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, 3(2), 56-71.

https://doi.org/10.47604/ajikm.3011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47604/ajikm.3011

Weng'ua, F. N., Rotich, D. C., & Kogos, E. J. (2017). The role of Kenyan universities in promoting research and scholarly publishing. South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science, 83(2), 23-29.

https://doi.org/10.7553/83-2-1705 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7553/83-2-1705

Williams, P., Stevenson, I., Nicholas, D., Watkinson, A., & Rowlands, I. (2009). The role and future of the monograph in arts and humanities research. Aslib Proceedings, 61(1), 67-82. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/00012530910932294 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/00012530910932294

Woodrow, L. (2014). Writing about quantitative research in applied linguistics. Springer.

https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230369955 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230369955

Wright, T. E. (2018). Edinburgh University Press: From a department to a subsidiary business. Learned Publishing, 31(S1), 315-317. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1190 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1190

Zell, H. M. (2022). Nigerian university presses: A bleak picture. Africa Bibliography, Research and Documentation, 1, 12-30. https://doi.org/10.1017/abd.2022.4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/abd.2022.4