Since its founding, CODESRIA has established itself as the leading scholarly publisher in the social sciences on the African continent. The Publications and Dissemination Programme (PDP) is designed to draw heavily but not exclusively on the results of the research and related capacity-building activities it sponsors. It also creates space for unsolicited individual manuscripts from African scholars and the diaspora, and articles that do not directly result from CODESRIA-funded programmes.
The publications unit is responsible for managing the publication process, which includes ensuring quality control of the publications of the Council. CODESRIA publications are written in English, French, Arabic and Portuguese, and consist of both electronic and print versions.
The dissemination functions operate under the CODESRIA Documentation, Information and Communication Centre (CODICE) Unit. A key function of CODICE is to serve as a documentation centre with a well-established library and a digital platform for the storage of electronic materials. It collects, processes, stores and provides access to available information related to social science and humanities research for the benefit of the scientific programmes, the wider CODESRIA community and interested policymakers.
The Programme’s work is guided by a publication policy, which presents a codified statement of its mission, objectives and practices while paying attention to issues of editorial philosophy and direction, institutional identity, the peer-review process, quality control, and distribution and dissemination. The policy framework remains faithful to the ideals for which CODESRIA was established, by seeking to enhance the reach, diversity, visibility and quality of research produced from perspectives that are shaped by the contexts and experiences of the people of Africa.
The Programme also disseminates print editions and digital outputs of the Council’s publications through publishers and distributors who have co-publishing and distribution arrangements with CODESRIA. The Council has retained, through PDP, an active archive of its outputs that include an online bookshop where CODESRIA’s publications can be purchased. Key among the networks is a global email subscription of over 6000 persons and institutions as well as a growing social media network with whom the Council shares electronic copies of its various publications. This, combined with the availability of some of CODESRIA publications on mainstream academic sites ensures a multi-faceted approach to digital distribution.