African Research Culture – Opinion Research

Scholars, governments and funders are increasingly interested in promoting positive and inclusive research cultures. Research culture influences researchers’ career paths and determines the way that research is conducted and communicated. In high-income countries (HICs), the existing research culture of ‘excellence’ is being overtly challenged for its competitive nature and inability to be ‘humane’. This is contributing to a negative research culture. However, research culture as defined in HICs may not necessarily apply in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is therefore necessary for the research community to understand what constitutes a ‘positive and inclusive’ research culture in the African context. The main aim of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of research culture in the African context, its impacts and how it could be improved.