A delegation from the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (ASSAf) recently visited BIREME In Sao Paulo, Brazil. The purpose was to review the possibility for the adoption of the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) model as a platform to manage scientific publication in South Africa. The move is projected to spearhead a future regional open access network, as there is a wider African Academies of Science project to boost scholarly publishing across Africa.
SciELO is a model of successful regional collaboration to raise the profile of a developing economy region's research publication in the face of an inequitable global system. BIREME has produced a detailed newsletter on this visit, in which Wieland Gevers is quoted on South Africa's position in this regard. According to Gevers, among the 225 South African scientific journals, over 100 have never had an article cited. The outcome of this initiative is much anticipated, as SciELO is projected to be a powerful partner. It is seen to be one of the most successful regional/international initiatives, including as it does Portugal and Spain as well as Latin American countries.
SciELO has had a successful performance in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is a reference in the process of research, evaluation and adoption of a solution for national scientific communication. The first portal - SciELO Brazil collection - started operating publicly in 1998. Since then, the SciELO project has developed and is present in eight countries, adding up to over 550 titles of certified journals and more than 180 thousand full-text articles available free online (open access). These include original articles, review articles, editorials and other types of communication.
ASSAf showed interest to put into practice a pilot experience with an initial group of five South African publications in order to test the functionalities of the SciELO platform. The BIREME has been invited to make a technical visit to South Africa in September 2008 to demonstrate the system to the members of the Academy Advisory Board.
