Scholarly Communication Transformation in Ghana: Strategic Opportunities of Open Journal Systems in University Research Ecosystem

Scholarly Communication and Open Journal Systems Adoption

Abstract

This paper explores the adoption, usage, and issues of the use of Open Journal System (OJS) in the Ghanaian higher education institutions, especially in the field of higher education where it has the potential to revolutionise scholarly communication within a university research setting. The study used a quantitative research methodology and a descriptive survey design with the aim of surveying a population of 104 people directly engaged in the management of institutional journals under the OJS on four purposively chosen public universities. These were the editorial board, librarians and IT support personnel. A total of 80 valid responses out of this population was received and analysed. A structured questionnaire was then used to collect data and descriptive statistical tools were employed to analyse data in SPSS. The results show that users tend to consider OJS a helpful and trustworthy tool in scholarly publishing and rated the system and information quality high. Nevertheless, issues connected with the system navigability, support services, and infrastructure especially the slow speed of internet connection were also reported. This paper finds that although OJS has great potential to improve scholarly communication in Ghana, the extent to which it will do so is determined by its solution of the usability issues and the enhancement of user support systems. It proposes specific training, infrastructure investments, and institutional cooperation to use OJS to its full advantage as a strategic instrument to build the concept of open access and enhance the quality, visibility, and control of academic journals. This research is unique in that it empirically examines the adoption of OJS in several public universities in Ghana by incorporating the editorial board staff, librarians, and IT personnel. It provides the evidence-based information particular to a region whose scholarly communication infrastructure is yet to be developed thus creating an imperative vacuum in open access publishing literature golbally.