Peer Review Practices in Scientific Journals and Developmental Scholarship in South Africa: A Peer Reviewer Perspective

Abstract

The development of science starts with investment in human capital development. Thus far arguments are that it is innovation and development of science which can assure the country of good economic, political and social development. A continuous investment in the youth in academia is a necessity to foster and continue the requirement and continuity of the development of science in academia to advance the society developmentally. This article is conceptual in approach and uses secondary literature to argue that the goal to pursue developmental scholarship, does not only lie with incapacity to mentor, but also lie with the complex peer review system which should enable the emerging researchers with an opportunity to enter the publication space. Therefore, the methodological perspective of the article is purely qualitative and based on scientific materials explored to answer the research question raised in the article. This article concludes that the goal of achieving the next generation of researchers in both academia and practice shall require a system which is highly developmental through a well-developed system of mentoring within the academic environment.

Received: 19 August 2021 / Accepted: 6 October 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021