Perceived barriers to research publishing in Saudi Arabia and the potential for electronic publishing

Alzahrani, JAH

Abstract

This study focuses on the academic publication processes in Saudi Arabia, the barriers that affect
researchers' ability to carry out and publish research and the potential advantages and disadvantages
offered by the Internet in the area of academic publishing. It addresses the readiness of researchers to adopt
innovative approaches to publication including those based on electronic media. There are potential
problems faced by researchers wishing to publish; these include length of time required to publish, low
publication numbers, referees' demands and conditions, mailing difficulties, lack of communication
between researchers and journals, delays in researchers' addressing the reviewers' amendments, the
weaknesses of financial support, the cost of using and publishing articles, weaknesses in the distribution of
academic journals, their limited international spread because of the use of the Arabic language more than
other languages, delays in the printing of research because of the low capability of Universities' printing
houses, (resulting from a lack of human and machinery resources), and finally the limited numbers of
academic journals written in Arabic. In the view of the author, given that publication of papers and
distribution of knowledge through the Internet is faster, more efficient and more effective than the
traditional approach; many of the current procedures could be improved through the use of this medium.
The data collection and analysis presented in this study addresses the extent to which such benefit could be
realised in practice. This research reviews the limitations of research publishing in Saudi Arabia by
focusing on the nature of academic journals, in terms of their numbers and purpose, the barriers that
academic staff faced when they wished to publish their research work in local or international academic
journals, and the attitudes of academics towards electronic publishing and publishing in general. The
research comprises interviews, case studies, and questionnaire methods. The most prominent findings from
this study are the lack of encouragement for academic staff to conduct and publish research, lack of
financial support to the research publishing sector, lack of a research publishing infrastructure and a lack of
private sector support for funding research and publishing. An interesting finding is that unlike many other
countries, there is no culture of volunteering for work that does not provide direct financial benefit. This
could be an important factor affecting the adoption of an online open publishing approach in which
reviewers and editors are not paid directly for the work. This research leads to recommendations aimed at
giving more focus to academic staff, the application of some regulations and incentives to encourage
increased academic research and publishing, increasing the financial support to the research publishing
sector, to automate the research publishing process, discarding some unnecessary elements of the process,
encouraging and rewarding voluntary work in supporting research publishing, and encouraging the private
sector to improve and support academic research in general and research publishing specifically. In
conclusion, this study focuses on the academic publication process; the potential advantages and
disadvantages offered by the Internet, and the attitudes of scholars towards electronic publishing. This
research ultimately aims at proposing and implementing suitable processes and policies to solve these
problems and to identifying means of overcoming the research publishing barriers in Saudi Arabia.

Citation

Alzahrani, J. Perceived barriers to research publishing in Saudi Arabia and the potential for electronic publishing. (Thesis). Salford : University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2012
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2011