Journals Choice for Research Publication at Ethiopian Public Universities Academia in Decision Making Experience

The purpose of this study is to investigate how academic staff make decisions when choosing journals for publication at Ethiopian public universities. To realize this, a phenomenological research design was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 academic staff from six selected Ethiopian public universities using purposive sampling. Thematic analysis and narrative data analysis were used. The study found a preference for international journals over local ones and highlighted the influence of the Ministry of Education's policy. According to the study, 66% of the participants reported that their articles were rejected when they submitted them for publication in a journal. It also identified challenges such as a lack of awareness about distinguishing peer-reviewed journals from predatory ones, a lengthy review process, and insufficient funding for article publication charges. The study suggests that the Ministry of Education should support accredited local journals to gain recognition equal to highly indexed international journals, provide awareness training for academics about locally accredited and internationally indexed journals, and offer technical and financial assistance to local journals based on their performance to improve their acceptance by academics.