F1000 extends Open Research Africa platform to all authors in Africa
Open Research Africa (ORA), the publishing platform developed by F1000 and the Science for Africa Foundation, has expanded its author eligibility criteria to allow submission of any research with at least one Africa-based author, regardless of funding source.
Previously, only authors supported by ORA’s partner funders were eligible to publish on the platform. This restriction led to a significant proportion of submissions being rejected: in 2024, around 60% of submissions did not meet the eligibility requirements despite their quality or potential impact.
The revised policy responds to demand from researchers across the continent for a more inclusive publishing route. By removing the funder requirement, ORA aims to broaden participation and provide greater opportunities for African researchers to share their work openly.
Launched in 2022, ORA is designed to support rapid dissemination and reuse of African research. It uses F1000’s open publishing model, combining immediate publication with transparent, post-publication peer review. All content is freely accessible.
Under the new model, articles without funding from an ORA partner may incur an article publishing charge, although waiver and discount schemes are available for researchers in over 40 African countries.
The platform has also introduced operational updates, including editorial-led reviewer selection, intended to improve efficiency and author experience.
“I am delighted that this new phase in Open Research Africa’s development sees the community-driven platform opened up to articles from as wide a group as possible,” said Rebecca Lawrence, Managing Director of F1000. “It has been disheartening to reject so many good quality submissions from African researchers simply because they didn’t meet the previous author criteria. Following this change of policy, we are excited to see ORA maximise the impact of much more of the groundbreaking research taking place across the continent.”