Introduction Few websites in the academic world spark as much heated debate as Sci-Hub. Launched in 2011 by Alexandra Elbakyan, a then-graduate student from Kazakhstan frustrated by her lack of access to scholarly articles, Sci-Hub promised what publishers could not: free and immediate access to millions of research papers locked behind expensive paywalls. For many … Read more
Introduction Academic publishing often presents itself as an objective system, portraying a framework in which research is evaluated solely based on its scientific merit. The peer review process, impact factors, and citation metrics are held up as proof of neutrality, a system that supposedly separates rigorous scholarship from noise. Yet anyone who has spent time … Read more
Introduction For centuries, publishing has been synonymous with the West. The great capitals of the book trade—London, New York, Paris, and Frankfurt—have dictated the circulation of knowledge, the rules of literary prestige, and the economics of intellectual property. But the twenty-first century is redrawing the map of global publishing. Slowly at first and now with … Read more
Introduction The African publishing industry has always been a story of resilience. For decades, publishers across the continent have been tasked with balancing cultural preservation, local readership growth, global visibility, and financial sustainability in environments that often lack robust infrastructure. In 2025, the picture is far more complex but also more promising than ever. While … Read more
Introduction Few numbers hold as much sway in academia as the impact factor. For decades, this little metric has determined careers, influenced funding decisions, and made or broken the reputations of journals. It looks neat and simple, giving the impression of objectivity in a system that is otherwise messy and political. But beneath its polished … Read more