African Web-Based Animal Health Information: Analysis Of Online Databases

Abstract

This paper examines the coverage of animal health information published on the web from Africa or about Africa using content analysis method. A total of 27 agricultural academic indexing and abstracting online databases were selected for the study. African animal health information was determined according to the specific objectives, which included the available scientific content, the ease of locating information once the site is found and the currency of information. Literature review was undertaken to identify challenges and opportunities for African scientists to publish on the web. The study reveals that the representation of African animal health information on the web was generally low by 8.28%. This implies that the web is dominated with the information from developed world. The paper recommends that African scientists should utilize both open access repositories and journals to increase accessibility of the local animal health content on the web.

University of Dar Es Salaam Library Journal Vol. 9 (1) 2007: pp. 1-15