Public Availability of Research Integrity Policies in Leading African Universities

Abstract Background The presence of research integrity (RI) policies in higher education institutions is a critical tool for good research governance. Despite the increased availability and visibility of RI policies at many universities around the world, the status of RI policies in African universities is unknown. This study aimed to assess the existence of key research integrity policies in African universities. Methods We conducted a quantitative content analysis of research integrity (RI) policies at 283 African universities, selected based on the Scimago Research and Innovation Ranking 2024. University websites were searched, and policies were coded as "Yes," "Not Available," or "Not Retrievable." Using SPSS 29, and Excel functions to perform data analysis, we evaluate the prevalence and patterns of policy accessibility across different regions and institutions of Africa. Results Only 20.67% of universities had RI policies in place, while 78.86% did not have such policies. A small percentage (0.47%) had policies were not retrievable. Most of the available Research Integrity (RI) policies were written in English (87%), with smaller portions in Arabic (9%) and French (4%). Southern Africa universities had the highest availability of RI policies (p̂ =3.39), while Central Africa had the lowest (p̂ =0.22). Northern Africa, despite a large sample representation, had substantial gaps in policy accessibility, with a low proportion of universities having RI policies in place (p̂ =0.54). There was a moderate to strong correlation between universities having multiple RI policies. Conclusion This study reveals that Research Integrity (RI) policies across African universities are notably limited, with significant gaps, particularly in Northern and Central Africa. Therefore, research administration of universities in Africa must ensure that their RI policies are publicly accessible to stakeholders, thereby enhancing research governance and promoting integrity across African universities.