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Scientists from low and middle-income countries (LMICs)  face many challenges when it comes to publishing their research in academic journals. First among these challenges is cost. Many journals ask for expensive publishing fees which can be many times the yearly salary of a researcher in many countries. Although some journals have waiver policies, researchers may not be aware of them or may struggle with complex and unclear application processes. Another problem is the cumbersome and complex submission requirements of many journals. Navigating the submission process may be especially challenging for researchers from developing countries that face heavy teaching loads and lack administrative support from their institution. At Seeds of Science, we believe that scientists at all levels of academia can contribute to the advancement of science if given the proper platform for their ideas. Seeds of Science aims to provide such a platform and give a voice to those who are currently excluded from the wider scientific community.

 

The ‘Seeds of Science’ Model

Seeds of Science (SoS) publishes short, speculative and non-traditional articles (<2500 words) on scientific topics. In contrast to many ‘for-profit’ journals, Seeds of Science is entirely open access – free to read and free to publish. We have one criterion for publication – does your article contain original ideas that have the potential to advance science? Our goal is to be as open-minded as possible about what qualifies as a useful scientific contribution. We also allow for a wide diversity of writing styles and formats so that authors can express their ideas in a clear and engaging manner. The openness of our format and simplified requirements (we accept word documents in whatever format you choose) are designed to make the writing and submission process as easy as possible for researchers from around the world.

 

Another issue in the current scientific publishing landscape is that editors and reviewers of academic scientific journals are overwhelmingly from the United States and Europe. This is problematic because reviewers  often exhibit bias towards those from their own country. Seeds of Science aims to address this inequity by creating an inclusive community of “Gardeners” that review articles through voting and commenting. It is free to join our community of Gardeners and all are welcome, no matter your credentials or level of expertise. Seeds of Science provides an exciting opportunity for researchers from the developing world to participate in a unique community-based peer review process.

We have created the platform, but it is up to you to join us as an author or Gardener and help us change scientific publishing. Please visit our website or email us at Info@TheSeedsofScience.org for more information. We tweet @science_seeds.