The South African Journal of Science: A biography

Abstract

This article provides a chronological account of the South African Journal of Science (SAJS) from its inception in 1903 up to the present. This approach clarifies the shifts in emphasis and purpose as the Journal moved through changing publishing structures. Over the course of a century, the SAJS evolved from a publication that included both lay and professional contributions into a formal professionalised scholarly journal while retaining its accessibility. Originally appearing as the Report of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science (S₂A₃), for many decades the content presented the work of people with scientific interests, as reflected at the Annual Meetings of the S₂A₃ convened at various locations around southern Africa. Its objective was to serve as a means of communication between scientific workers in all fields and at different levels and not to restrict itself to publishing erudite original findings alone. A further aim was to communicate interesting evidence-based knowledge to the general public, thereby linking science to broader society. From those beginnings, the article traces the numerous changes in format, regularity, quality and financing over a century. As science and scientists became more formalised in South Africa, editorial disciplines were introduced, and higher quality contributions were solicited. Financial considerations thrust the Journal under different publishing umbrellas. Authors became more professional and disciplined in their publications. This article chronicles the development of the SAJS into the open-access scholarly multidisciplinary journal it is today.

Significance:
This work contributes to the history of scientific publishing and scientific institutional history in South Africa. Previous literature in the field of the history of science has made use of contributions to academic journals as sources, but this article on the South African Journal of Science shifts attention to the publication itself to focus on South Africa’s most important multidisciplinary journal. Its partnership with Nature is significant and not generally known. Moreover, this article creates opportunities for further research within the field of colonial and imperial science, nationalism, professionalisation, and links between South African scholarly journals and those published elsewhere.