NPR

Scientists In Africa Wonder If There's Bias Against Their Research

The problem is, it's hard to prove. Journals deny it. But some academics say they've experienced it firsthand.
A laboratory technician prepares blood samples from volunteers for viral-genotyping at the government-run Ifakara Health Institute in Bagamoyo, 70 kms north of the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.

Abraham Haileamlak is a professor of pediatric cardiology at Jimma University in Ethiopia. He's also the editor-in-chief of the Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr. Haileamlak does research on children's health and rheumatic heart disease. But when he shares his studies with journals based in high-income countries, he's often greeted with surprise.

"They say they do not expect such quality research from a low-income country," he says.

Other researchers in Africa report similar experiences. They say they simply don't

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