New field of development engineering sparks co-mentorship program

Open access journal created by UC Berkeley and Elsevier helps authors in developing countries publish their research.

In the fight against global poverty, policymakers are increasingly relying on rigorous research and an open flow of information to help direct public investments. Yet the expertise and perspectives of scholars in developing countries are often under-represented in policy debates, in part because of lop-sided authorship trends: in 2013, nearly 70 percent of all scientific articles were authored by researchers working in the European Union, United States, China and Japan, according to Elsevier’s analysis using Scopus data.

Disparities in academic authorship are driven by both institutional and social barriers. According to a 2010UNESCO study, researchers in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America found it difficult to publish in highly ranked journals because of limited infrastructure and resources for research, language barriers, and lack of incentives and international peer networks.

This year, a new journal will be trying to address these challenges.

Development Engineering is an open access title that will highlight technology solutions designed around the economic, social, and environmental challenges of poverty. Part of its mission is to connect researchers in developing countries with those in more developed areas. It will be published by Elsevier, with the first issue in September.