Is academic research and publishing still leaving developing countries behind?

ABSTRACT

In this short commentary, the author reflects on his experience working with researchers from developing nations and argues that it is the professional responsibility of those researchers privileged by conducting research in a developed, English-speaking nation to pursue collaboration with researchers in more disadvantageous positions. As noted in a recent article from Matthews et al., researchers from developing countries experience tremendous barriers to identifying collaborators and publishing in top research journals. This commentary notes that researchers from developed countries have both humanitarian and symbiotic rationales for seeking international collaborations with researchers from developing countries. These relationships support the growth of research fields and help deconstruct a western hemispheric hegemony present in much of existing research approaches and thought and publishing practices.

KEYWORDS:

• International
• developing countries
• research
• publishing
• collaboration

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the support of my various collaborators who have inspired and reviewed this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).