By Anthony M. Wanjohi
Kenpro Data Analytiks | E-mail: infokdanalytiks@gmail.com
Abstract
For decades, academic publishing has operated on an unequal footing, heavily marginalizing Global South research through Eurocentric citation biases and rigid indexing duopolies like Web of Science and Scopus. Traditional models render local academic excellence invisible, perpetuating a two-tier global research ecosystem. This article evaluates the structural dynamics of this inequality, interrogating the historical and epistemic exclusion of African scholarship. To correct this systemic imbalance, the academic community must embrace autonomous regional evaluation. AfriJournal Indexing (AJI) emerges as a sovereign bibliometric powerhouse, integrating open metadata standards such as DOIs, OAI-PMH feeds, and ORCID alignments to ensure seamless global interoperability. By deploying context-aware metrics and enforcing rigorous editorial transparency, AJI successfully challenges the narrative, serving as a definitive global benchmark for equitable open science metrics in the twenty-first century and empowering institutions across the continent to validate homegrown excellence.
Keywords
Bibliometrics, African Citation Index, African Journals Indexing, African Journals Citations, Open Science, Scholarly Publishing, Global South Africa, Africa Publishing Indexing Gap, Scientific Information Digital Divide, Scopus indexing, Web of Science indexing, AfriJournal Indexing
References
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About Author
Wanjohi is a scholar, author, educationist, social research scientist and sustainable development practitioner. He is Founder and Director of Projects and Research at Kenya Projects Organization (KENPRO), Higher Institute of Applied Learning (HIAL) and Editor-in-Chief of the African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences (ARJESS). His work spans research and publishing, quality education, sustainable development, environmental sustainability, and innovations in renewable energy and information systems.
Copyright
Copyright © 2026 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.
This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.
Citation in APA
Wanjohi, A.M. (2026). Bridging the Digital Divide: Scientific Information Indexing and Citation in the Global South. African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences, Vol. 14, Issue 2, 2026. Retrieved from https://arjess.org/bridging-the-digital-divide-scientific-information-indexing-and-citation-in-the-global-south/