The North-South information highway: case studies of publication access among health researchers in resource-poor countries

Abstract

Less than 2% of scientific publications originate in low-income countries. Transfer of information from South to North and from South to South is grossly limited and hinders understanding of global health whilst Northern-generated information fails to adequately address the needs of a Southern readership. The main findings from a survey of a new generation of health researchers from nine low-income countries summarised here suggests that the desire to contribute to and utilise contemporary scientific debate is strong, yet longstanding barriers remain firmly in place. Innovative thinking and new publishing models are required to bring down these barriers, which for too long have hindered global health and development. (Adcock thesis is available in PDF format and attached as a separate file to this paper - see Supplementary files under Reading Tools online).

Keywords: access to literature; developing countries; open access; academic publishing

(Published: 13 November 2008)

Citation: Global Health Action 2008. DOI: 10.3402/gha.v1i0.1865