This course uses examples from journals and books published by Mtandao, including the African Journal of Social Work (AJSW), the Journal of Development Administration (JDA), the Journal of Social Issues in Non-Communicable Conditions and Disability (SINCCD), and the Journal of Ubuntu, also known as Nyingi wa Ubuntu. It is not limited to publications done or hosted by Mtandao. The principles, questions and standards covered have African and global relevance, and apply equally to reviewing for other journals, publishers and book series.

The course symbol: Hwe Mu Dua

Hwe mu dua is an Akan adinkra symbol from Ghana, its name meaning measuring rod or rod of investigation, formed from hwe mu, to measure or examine closely, and dua, stick. It represents excellence, superior quality, precision and critical examination, the same qualities a reviewer brings to a manuscript. It is a fitting symbol for peer review specifically because its origin lies in the practice of physically checking something against a standard before it is accepted, much as gold and silver were once weighed on small scales to confirm their worth, and much as this course asks reviewers to check a manuscript’s theory, ethics, methods and evidence against a clear standard before recommending it for publication. Using hwe mu dua as the course symbol also reflects a wider principle running through this course, that African societies have long carried knowledge, standards and critical practice through symbols and proverbs as much as through written text, and that orature and symbolic knowledge deserve the same respect as any other form of evidence, a principle this course applies directly when it asks reviewers to treat lived experience and orature as legitimate scholarship rather than as something less rigorous than the written word.

Course introduction

Being invited to review is a privilege. It shows that you are recognised as an expert in a specific area. Being invited to review across multiple topics shows that you are recognised as an expert in your discipline. Being asked to review for multiple journals or publishers shows that you are recognised more widely still, as an expert whose judgement is trusted beyond a single editorial team.

This course prepares you to carry that trust well. Peer review is one of the few points in the publishing process where a manuscript or book is tested by someone other than its author or editor. Done well, it protects the quality of what Mtandao and its partner journals publish, and it protects the communities described in the research from work that has not been done with care.

Hwe Mu Dua is built around Mtandao’s own review process and the guidelines used by the African Journal of Social Work (AJSW), alongside the ethical frameworks Mtandao endorses: the African Research Ethics and Malpractice Statement (AREMS), the San Code of Research Ethics, and the work of the African Independent Ethics Committee (AIEC). It also draws on Mtandao’s Research Ethics Course (REC) and Ubuntu: The Basics, reframed here for the specific work of reviewing someone else’s manuscript or book rather than conducting your own research.

Mtandao hosts a family of people centred journals, and you may be invited to review for any of them. The African Journal of Social Work (AJSW) covers social work practice, education and research across Africa. The Journal of Development Administration (JDA) covers development policy, administration and governance. The Journal of Social Issues in Non-Communicable Conditions and Disability (SINCCD) covers chronic illness, disability and related social issues. The Journal of Ubuntu, Nyingi wa Ubuntu, focuses specifically on Ubuntu philosophy and its application. The principles in this course apply across all of them, and examples are drawn from each throughout.

Course learning outcomes

1. Understand the purpose, principles, process and roles of peer review and publishing as practised by Mtandao’s journals, and apply this understanding to reviews of other publications.
2. Apply an Afrocentric and Ubuntu grounded lens when assessing manuscripts and books, including African theories, orature, vernacular language and consent practices.
3. Evaluate research ethics and identify malpractice using AREMS, the San Code of Research Ethics, and Mtandao’s AI policy.
4. Produce a complete, properly structured review of a journal manuscript, book, or proposal, using Mtandao’s templates and conventions, and handle advanced situations such as revisions and disagreement between reviewers.