English abstract
This study aimed to understand the Status of the Peer-reviewed Omani Journals, by assessing the level of provision of necessary facilities and support to these Peer-reviewed; also, to identify the affective factors deriving from these journals being open access. The study is based on qualitative research due to the depth of this approach and its ability to understand the problem through interpreation of the different viewpoints. The study datd were drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted with the heads of editing or Editorial Board and with some managers in each of the Council of Scientific Publications and Systems information Center at Sultan Qaboos University and the scientific research Council.
The study produced the following set of results: first, Peer reviewed Omani Journals are achieving continuous improvement in that most of them currently have clear plans and strategies to increase their readership and reputation within Oman and abroad. Second, the results show the availability of necessary facilities for editing and publishing the journals; however, they are affected by limited financial support and shortage of qualified staffing. Difficulties faced by Omani peer-reviewed journals that affect their progress and improvement can be divided into financial, human, and administrative, legal and technical challenges and those related to publishing. The results of the study revealed that 4 of journals are now available as open access. Meanwhile, 2 are provided
internally as electronic resources through the Institution's web site and the remaining 5 still rely on paper-based publishing.
The study raises a number of recommendations: first, a need for collaboration between the Scientific Research Council and Omani peer reviewed journals to increase the number of publications and encourage researchers to publish their grant research in these journals. Second, there is a need to support peer-reviewed journals financially, administratively and technically to hasten their progress towards becoming open access and joining international journal electronic directories.
