The Global South Committee for Open Science brings together researchers from countries and regions in the Global South with shared socio-economic and political challenges that often result in limited representation and influence on critical issues in the wider academic publishing landscape. This group plays a crucial role in guiding eLife's efforts to enhance participation in science communication and innovation. It serves as a cornerstone in improving opportunities for Global South researchers and expanding eLife's outreach and support in these regions.
eLife established the Global South Committee for Open Science in July 2023 to advise and collaborate with us in pursuing more inclusive, equitable and diverse scientific communication and innovation. The group currently has eight members from some of the regions that make up the geography for the purpose of the project. We are now seeking to recruit a further five members to bring the group to its revised capacity of 13, matching our other community advisory groups.
In the effort to reach a balanced representation, we will recruit two members from the Caribbean and one member each from the Indian subcontinent, Latin America and Pacific Islands. Candidates based outside of these regions will not be able to apply for this opening. You can instead consider joining our Open Science Champions Network as well as applying to our Ambassadors programme which opens for recruitment in October 2024.
eLife works to contribute positively to improving the diversity of voices and players in the global scholarly publishing community, and we see the Global South Committee for Open Science as a mechanism to equip researchers and practitioners from the region so they can work with us and other partners in addressing the challenges that have traditionally disenfranchised them. Members of the group will be supported to facilitate that process. We envisage a group that can work both with us and independently to contribute to the discourse and bring the voice of the region to the table.
The Global South Committee will serve as a bridge between eLife and the region, providing us with advice on best practice in engaging and supporting researchers, especially in how we can contribute to resourcing them by providing training, opportunities to participate in editorial and publishing work, and involvement in local events.
The Committee will engage internally with eLife structures through our Communities team as well as externally with other stakeholders. eLife in turn will act as a facilitator for researchers from the region to access opportunities to participate in wider industry activities where possible.
Members of the group must be practising scientists in the area of life sciences, including medical and PhD students. They must live and work primarily in the Global South. They will receive a small compensation for their service.
We invite individuals who meet these criteria and are interested in promoting the contribution and recognition of researchers in the Global South within the broader discourse to apply here and join us towards this goal.
We welcome applications from diverse individuals because we believe that this will enrich the perspectives and creativity of the group. This includes, but is not limited to religion, abilities, genders, sexual orientation, neuro differences, career levels and socio-economic backgrounds.
The term for the available positions will commence in January 2025 and run for two years. Candidates will be shortlisted based on their potential to increase the diversity of perspectives in the group, their demonstrable ability to contribute to the changing landscape of scholarly communication, and their desire to improve the culture of research in the local communities.
The deadline for applications is: 12pm BST on October 3, 2024.
Eligibility
Applicants must be:
- Practising scientists in academia or industry, including medical and PhD students
- Residents of, and primarily working in countries and territories of the G77 member states, or members of Aboriginal, Native American and First Nations communities
Application and assessment
Applicants will be required to provide details about themselves, their career and their passion. In addition, they will be asked to provide a short (~200-word) statement describing their vision for improving the active involvement of Global South researchers in the wider conversation about research culture and dissemination.
During this process, applicants will be asked to complete a form to confirm how they meet the requirements, including providing their primary location for the purpose of the project – please see the eligibility guidelines above. Applications will be reviewed by three assessors to one application. Assessors will be eLife editors and members of our early-career researcher community from the Global South to ensure that the contexts within which candidates are writing are comprehensively understood with the same nuance.
After the assessment, eLife’s Communities team will review the scores with a view to ensure diversity and inclusion that broadens the perspectives of the Committee to the widest possible range.
Responsibilities
The role of the Global South Committee for Open Science is to guide and influence the work of eLife in how it can support researchers from this area to feel more represented. We expect this role to be delivered through engagement in the members’ communities to obtain feedback and identify resources that would enhance the overall goal. This includes:
- Providing feedback on how researchers in the Global South can actively contribute to the wider global conversation
- Identifying resources that can equip researchers in the Global South with the skills they need to participate in academic publishing
- Identifying opportunities to help improve the visibility of researchers from the community
- Supporting eLife's work to promote greater equity, diversity and inclusiveness in research and research communication
Members will abide by eLife’s Code of Conduct which is outlined here.
Time requirement
Members will be expected to commit to attending at least 75% of the group’s meetings in a year, including regional sub-groups where these exist. Meetings would be expected to last one to two hours and occur monthly. Other time requirements would be based on the group’s agreed projects, such as article writing, training and other activities that the group may set themselves. These may also include attending conferences and seminars.
Terms and conditions
Incoming members of the Global South Committee will serve two-year terms, starting on January 1, 2025, with the option of two annual renewals (up to a maximum of four years in total). Members must meet the eligibility criteria at all times and are expected to step down if their status as a researcher or staff scientist changes. Those who no longer satisfy eligibility criteria must step down at the end of the working year or at the end of their term of service, whichever comes first. Please email community@elifesciences.org with any questions you may have.
Regions list
This is the list of regions covered by the Global South Committee for Open Science. If you believe we may be missing a country or territory in these regions, please do email us.
- Africa
- Asia (excluding Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand)
- Indian sub-continent
- Caribbean
- Latin America
- Pacific Islands
While this group is nominally labelled as “Global South”, we recognise that there are perspectives from people living outside of this geographic area who have many shared experiences. We will consider applications from all qualifying countries and territories. However, for jurisdictions where it is impossible for us to transfer funds, we will explore all practical and legal options to allow any recruited candidates in these locations to receive their compensation. Researchers based in locations subject to economic sanctions, or who are unsure about their eligibility or ability to receive funds are invited to contact eLife’s Head of Communities, Godwyns Onwuchekwa, via community@elifesciences.org before making an application.
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