ABSTRACT
Scholarly publication in a peer-reviewed journal is the highest form of disseminating research findings. However, the process of publishing in peer-reviewed journals remains a daunting task for researchers and academics in Africa (Tarkang & Bain, 2019). Today, African researchers remain under pressure to publish for many reasons. One of these reasons is peer-review, thus the critical assessment of manuscripts submitted to journals for evaluation before publication. As African researchers continue to suffer from what Tarkang and Bain refer to as the publishing abroad syndrome, their manuscripts suffer a high rejection rate for reasons which happen not to be scientifically grounded. The high competition and rejection rate in renowned peer-reviewed journals often makes publication a dream as African authors suffer more from this flaw. This explains why some naïve authors easily turn to predatory journals to publish, compromising their standards even more. This chapter proffers an argument on why publishing in high impact international peer-reviewed journals for African writers remains a mirage. The chapter is premised on two competing predications: (1) that decolonising the publication process in internationally peer-reviewed journals is key; and (2) the need for African scholars to value and publish in local journals.
