FAQ

The following are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the journal and the responses:

1.Question: I want to submit a paper for consideration for publication. Where do I send it to?

Response: Papers are received only via email, or alternatively, via online submission on the journal website. In the latter case, authors may be required to, in addition, submit an extra copy via email in case the quality of the tables and/or figures are not satisfactory. Email submission may be made to: editor.afrjmis@gmail.com (cc: oluwade@sigmaxi.net, bamidele@aims.ac.za)

2.Question: In which country is the journal published?

Response: The journal has two (2) Editorial Offices – one is in South Africa (in addition to the Editorial Assistant) while the other is in Nigeria. The Chief Editor and other Associate Editors are primarily based outside South Africa, including Nigeria, USA, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon.

3. Question: Is the journal classified as predatory?

Response: To the best of our knowledge, there has never been any listing of the journal as predatory in any predatory database due to the standard of the journal from the time it was established! The journal has always been run by seasoned academics who are doctorate degree (PhD) holders in computer science, ICT and other relevant areas; we have always applied editorial rigour to the refereeing process. In case there is an observation of anything to the contrary, the attention of the Editorial Office should be instantly drawn to it. Kindly contact us so that prompt action is taken to correct the anomaly. Email may be sent to:  editor.afrjmis@gmail.com (cc: bamidele@aims.ac.za; oluwade@sigmaxi.net)

4. Question: Is the journal listed in any indexing and abstracting database?

Response: As a new journal which published its first edition in 2019, efforts are being made towards listing it in relevant indexing and abstracting databases early in its life cycle.

5. Question: Does the journal issue acceptance letters to authors?

Response: Yes, acceptance letters are promptly issued (only) to authors whose papers have been accepted for publication.

6. Question: What happens if an error is discovered after the publication of a paper?

Response: Although all efforts are made by the editors to prevent (or minimize) errors, the Chief Editor should be promptly notified if there is any error appearing after publication. If such an error is adjudged to be significantly non-trivial and minimal, the author or complainant will be required to write an erratum/corrigendum which provides details (including the logics and references to back up the claim) and this will be reviewed and published in the nearest edition of the journal. If the error is adjudged substantial (in terms of logical error, plagiarism etc), the paper may be immediately withdrawn and the author notified. In this latter case, the pagination fee already paid by the original author will not be refunded.

7. Question: Can more than one paper by the same author be published in the same edition of journal?

Response: Yes, but the maximum number of papers to be published from a leading author in same edition is two (2).

8. Question: How often is the journal published?

Response: Normally, four (4) times a year. However, more (special) editions may be published as the need arises.

9. Question: How long does it take for editorial decision to be taken on a submitted paper?

Response: It varies, depending on several factors, including style of writing used by the author (logic, typographical errors, clarity etc). However, on the average, we strive to arrive at first time decision within one (1) month. Badly written papers may take longer, and as such, authors are kindly requested to adequately proof-read their papers for logical consistency, plagiarism, typographical errors etc.

10. Question: How long does it take for an acceptance letter to be issued after the initial/first time editorial decision has been conveyed to an author?

Response: It depends on the author(s)! That is, it depends on how fast all the errors pointed out by the reviewers are satisfactorily addressed. From experience, some authors complete satisfactory revision within a few days or weeks (less than a month) whereas it takes several weeks or months for others to do so. Normally, an acceptance letter is issued within 48 hours after a reviewer/editor has certified that all necessary corrections have been effected.

11. Question: How long does it take for an accepted paper to be published?

Response: Accepted papers are normally listed (but not available for download) on the journal website immediately after acceptance, usually within 24 hours. They are then published (available for download) in the next journal edition.

12. Question: When do you receive papers for consideration?

Response: Papers are received on a rolling basis, throughout the year.

13. Question: Does the journal publish in print?

Response: Yes, but in limited quantities. Authors who desire print edition should notify the Editorial Office. Such authors will be required to pay extra charges for the copies at the prevailing rate.

14. Question: Is there a page charge for the journal? If yes, how much is it?

Response: Yes. Being an open access medium, authors of accepted papers are required to pay a flat Article Processing Charge (APC) of US$100.00 (One Hundred Dollars only) OR NGN 25,000.00 (Twenty Five Thousand Naira only) OR equivalent in South African Rand (restricted option) per paper. This fee is meant to defray part of the administrative and technical costs incurred in producing the journal. No other payment is required.

15. Question: Is it possible for me to submit highlights of my degree project/thesis/dissertation as a technical note?

Response: Yes. This falls in two categories. In the first category, the title, name of author(s) and related information of the project/thesis/dissertation may just be submitted for listing in the journal. In this case, no Article Processing Charge (APC) shall be paid. In the second category, details about the project/thesis/dissertation may be submitted for review as a technical note in the journal.  That is, a submission will pass through the normal refereeing process and, if accepted, will be considered as a published paper. In this case, authors are required to pay a fraction of the normal APC. Accepted submission, after normal peer review, will be published in the ‘Abridged Project/Thesis/Dissertation Section’ of the journal.

16. Question: What are the types of project/thesis/dissertation that can be submitted as a technical note?

Response: Bachelors, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters and Doctorates, or equivalent, within ICT-designated fields.

17. Question: What is the expected format of a project/thesis/dissertation submitted as a technical note?

Response: Every submission of a project/thesis/dissertation in form of a technical note is expected to contain the following: (a) Title of Technical Note (it must be different from the title of project/thesis/dissertation) (b) Author’s name (c) Author’s affiliation/contact address (d) Author’s email address (e) Synopsis/Short summary of the submission (f) Aim of technical note (g) Objectives (h) Statement of Problem (i) Practical Significance of project/thesis/dissertation (j) Brief review of most important literature (k) Summary of research methodology (l) Key results/findings (m) Snapshots of some key results, showing the interface of the programming language used (for software-related projects/theses/dissertations) (n) Recommendation for further study/Implication of study (o) Conclusion (p) Key References (presented in AFRJMIS format) (q) Online source (for already uploaded project/thesis/dissertation on the internet) (r) Nomenclature of the degree (e.g. B.Sc. (Computer Science), PGD (Library and Information Science), M.Sc. (Computer Engineering), Ph.D (Information Technology)) (s) Department/Faculty/School/College (t) Field of Study (e.g. Computer Science, Library and Information Science, Computer Engineering) (u) Year of award (v) Name of awarding institution (i.e. generic name, abbreviation, country) (w) Name(s) of project/thesis/dissertation advisors, with qualifications.

18. Question: What is the requirement for submitting the title of a degree project/thesis/dissertation for listing OR submitting an abridged version of the degree project/thesis/dissertation for consideration for publication?

Response: Every submission is to be accompanied by an approval document (e.g. a certification page) bearing at least the following: (i) The title of the project/thesis/dissertation (ii) Candidate/author’s name (r) Nomenclature of the degree (e.g. B.Sc. (Computer Science), PGD (Library and Information Science), M.Sc. (Computer Engineering), Ph.D (Information Technology))(iii) Candidate/author’s institution (iv) Candidate/author’s institutional matriculation/identity number (v) Name(s) of supervisor(s) (with signature(s)) (vi) Candidate’s signature (vii) Official stamp or seal of the relevant approving authorities e.g. Department, Faculty/School/College, Postgraduate School etc.

19. Question: Can the project/thesis/dissertation supervisor(s) be co-author(s) of a submission for the ‘Abridged Project/Thesis/Dissertation Section’ ?

Response: Yes. However, the supervisee must be the lead author of the submission.

20. Question: As an author of a technical note accepted for publication under the ‘Abridged Project/Thesis/Dissertation Section’, am I to pay the Article Processing Charge for a regular paper?

Response: No. An author is only required to pay 40% of the normal Article Processing Charge.

21. Question: Is a technical note published under the ‘Abridged Project/Thesis/Dissertation Section’ qualified to be cited as a published research paper?

Response: Yes; the characteristics of a published research paper are fulfilled.

22. Question: Is it possible for a paper published under an ‘Abridged Project/Thesis/Dissertation Section’ to be expanded and resubmitted as a full fledged paper for consideration for publication in a subsequent journal edition?

Response: Yes. The new paper will undergo the usual review process, and if accepted for publication, the normal (full) Article Processing Charge will be paid.

23. Question: What do you mean by saying the African Journal of Management Information System is an open access journal?

Response: The journal is open access because papers published in it are freely downloadable by the reading public i.e. there is no subscription fee for the journal. Thus, authors have unrestricted access to their papers. This peculiar free access is compensated for via the Article Processing Charge payable by authors and also via special orders for print edition by institutions and libraries.

24. Question: Who owns the copyright for a paper published in the journal?

Response: The copyright belongs to the journal, even though authors have unhindered access to their papers.

25. Question: When is an author of an accepted paper required to pay the processing/pagination fee?

Response: Author of an accepted paper is required to pay the stipulated processing fee before a final acceptance letter is sent by the Editorial Office. Authors of processed papers that are rejected are NOT required to pay any fee. Initially, an itemized summary of the review comments and initial editorial decision, called Preliminary Editorial Decision, is sent to authors after the reviewers’ comments are received. This summary will contain the generic corrections desired with respect to a paper, in terms of the basic strength and weakness of the paper. For a rejected paper, the process ends there and no fee is expected to be paid. However, if a submitted paper is accepted subject to some expected corrections, the next stage is for the authors to pay the stipulated Article Processing Charge. Thereafter, the full collated review report is sent. After an appropriate submission of a revised version of the paper by the author(s), a final acceptance letter is issued. Within some hours after this, the paper is normally listed on the journal website, though it will not be available for download until after publication in a particular edition.

26. Question: As an author of an accepted paper, which bank account am I to remit the Article Processing Charge?

Response: This is normally specified when the Preliminary Editorial Decision is conveyed to an author. In general, kindly contact the Editorial Office at editor.afrjmis@gmail.com for the account details.

27. Question: Is the APC refundable?

Response: Generally, no.

28. Question: What are the basic criteria used in assessing the quality of a submitted paper to African Journal of Management Information System?

Response: The basic criteria include: novelty of theme, technical depth, realization of set objectives, logical connection, no plagiarized submission and minimal (or no) typographical errors. Others include currency of references, clarity, cohesiveness, style of writing and orderliness in arrangement of (sub)sections. Authors are encouraged to integrate at least one relevant past published paper in the journal into their paper. This will involve reviewing the paper(s), citing it (them) and including it (them) in the list of References.

29. Question: Is the journal an IEEE publication?

Response: No.

30. Question: Are papers submitted to the journal subject to the review process?

Response: Certainly yes! Every submitted paper is normally reviewed by a minimum of two(2) scholars who are knowledgeable on the theme of the paper.

31. Question: What is the implication of not requiring an author to pay processing fee at the point of submission of an article for review to AFRJMIS?

Response: Although an author is not required to pay a processing fee at the time of submission of a paper, there is an explicit agreement that a processing fee will eventually be paid if the paper is considered suitable for publication. An author whose paper has been reviewed (with an editorial decision ‘Revision’ (minor or major), and NOT ‘Rejection’) is expected to submit same paper to the journal after revision and not to any other journal or publication media.

32. Question: What happens when an author whose paper was not rejected, prima facie, fails to carry out satisfactory correction after several revisions?

Response: If by the third (3rd) revision an author is unable to carry out the requested corrections to the satisfaction of reviewer(s), the paper may be rejected in its entirety. Alternatively, the author may be required to convert it to a survey paper. In the latter case, all necessary corrections will still need to be carried out before publication.

33. Question: Is there a minimum number of references to be included in a submitted paper?

Response: Although there is no stipulated minimum number of references, authors are normally expected to include a minimum of ten (10) relevant references, including those published within the last 3 years before submission.

34. Question: If an accepted paper has more than one author, does it mean each of the authors will pay the journal Article Processing Charge of US100.00 (or equivalent NGN25,000.00) ?

Response: No. The processing fee is paid per accepted paper. The authors have to agree on the proportion to be contributed by each.

35. Question: As an author of a submitted paper, am I required to include a telephone number on my paper?

Response: An author is NOT obliged to provide a telephone number, apart from the mandatory email address. However, it will be appreciated if a phone number is provided as an alternative faster means of communication when the need arises. However, any phone number included in a submitted paper will not be published if the paper is eventually accepted.

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(c)2020. Society for the Advancement of ICT and Comparative Knowledge (https:socthadick.org), POB20253, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Last updated on 13th June, 2020.