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AFROCite

Methodological framework

Methodology

How does AFROCite assess open citation readiness?

AFROCite uses a multi-stage methodology that separates the ability to conduct a reliable assessment, readiness itself, and evidence from open scholarly infrastructures. Keeping these layers distinct prevents limitations in available evidence from being confused with limited readiness.

How does AFROCite work?

01

Stage 1 · Measurability

This stage determines whether the minimum journal identity, public presence, article-level data and traceable evidence required for reliable assessment are available.

Each journal is assessed against five criteria, scored from 0 to 2:

  • G1 · Serial Identity
  • G2 · Stable Public Journal Presence
  • G3 · Article-level Addressability
  • G4 · Minimum Article-level Metadata
  • G5 · Public Evidence Traceability

Measurability requirements are met with a score of at least 7 out of 10, provided that neither G3 nor G4 is zero.

The measurability score does not contribute to the readiness score.

02

Stage 2 · Readiness

Journals that meet the measurability requirements are assessed through 12 indicators organised into four dimensions.

D1 · Scholarly Identity & PID Integrity

20%
  • Journal identity match — 5
  • DOI coverage — 10
  • DOI–work match — 5

D2 · Metadata Interoperability

25%
  • Bibliographic completeness — 12
  • Abstract deposit — 8
  • Machine-readable licensing — 5

D3 · Reference Deposit & Machine Linkability

35%
  • Structured reference deposit — 15
  • Reference deposit completeness — 10
  • Automated reference linking — 10

D4 · Contributor & Institutional Attribution

20%
  • ORCID coverage — 6
  • Institutional affiliation — 8
  • ROR linking — 6

This stage produces a readiness score out of 100, combining the weighted contributions of the four dimensions.

03

Open infrastructures

The readiness assessment is complemented by evidence on visibility, retrievability and verification across open scholarly infrastructures.

Depending on the measure, this layer draws on resources such as OpenAlex, OpenCitations, DOAJ and AJOL, together with machine-harvestable metadata routes and reference-identifier validation.

These observations provide additional context for interpreting the results. They do not contribute to the readiness score or alter its weights.

How is the score calculated?

AFROCite uses predefined dimension weights: 20% · 25% · 35% · 20%. Indicators also carry predefined weights within their respective dimensions.

When an indicator is structurally not applicable, it is excluded only within its own dimension and the weights of the remaining applicable indicators are locally renormalised. No weight is transferred between dimensions.

Missing or unverifiable information is not replaced with imputed values.

How are data states interpreted?

0 — Zero
Verified absence or failure following successful inspection.
Structural N/A
A necessary prerequisite for applying the indicator is absent.
U — Unverifiable
The indicator is conceptually applicable, but a technical or access barrier prevents a reliable determination.

These states are not interchangeable, and unverifiable information is not automatically scored as zero.

Sample and study flow

The pilot framework progressed through:

  1. 137Candidates
  2. 100Eligible
  3. 93Measurable
  4. 85Article sample available
  5. 25Pilot

The 25 journals were selected through purposive maximum-variation sampling, with five journals from each of the five African Union regions.

For each journal, the sample was frozen in advance: 10 primary articles and 5 reserve articles. The same frozen primary sample was used across the readiness indicators to maintain comparability.

Evidence sources

AFROCite relies on publicly accessible and verifiable evidence, including official journal websites, published metadata, Crossref and open scholarly infrastructures used for contextual verification.

The methodology distinguishes between verified absence and situations in which an element cannot be established through a particular source or retrieval route.

How should the current application be interpreted?

The current application is a methodological pilot designed to test the operational use of AFROCite and demonstrate how the framework can be applied.

The sample is not statistically representative of all African journals or universities, and the results are not intended to create a best-to-worst ranking. AFROCite describes observable readiness across defined dimensions using publicly available evidence at the time of assessment.

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