Category / open access

Nepal Family Cohort Study dissemination event

international, open access, Publishing, writing

Colleagues working on our Nepal Family Cohort Study (NeFCoS) presented baseline data at a dissemination programme held today (March 28th) in Everest Hotel, Kathmandu.  Bournemouth University is a key partner in this unique long-term follow-up study in Nepal.  Our large international team is led by Dr. Om Kurmi, Associate Professor Research in the Centre for Healthcare and Communities at Coventry University.  The Bournemouth University (BU) team comprises Dr. Pramod Regmi (Principal Academic-International Health), Dr. Edwin van Teijlingen (Professor of Reproductive Health), Dr. Rebecca Neal (Principal Lecturer in Exercise Physiology) and Dr. Vanora Hundley (Professor of Midwifery).
The Nepal Family Cohort Study (NeFCoS) is a multidisciplinary cohort study into the prevalence, incidence, and determinants of various diseases from childhood to adulthood in children and their parents for over two decades.  NeFCoS is a longitudinal study which recently started collecting health and well-being data, and which will collect data repeatedly from the same individuals at certain intervals for years to come.
Today’s programme included a range of academics and policy-makers introducing aspects of the study and its preliminary findings.  Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen did a short presentation offering ‘Special Remarks on Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health’.  To date we have published one academic paper in an Open Access journal on the research protocol of this work [1].
Reference:
  1. Kurmi, O.P., Chaudhary, N., Delanerolle, G., Bolton, C.E., Pant, P.R., Regmi, P., Gautam, S., Satia, I., Simkhada, P., Kyrou, I., Sigdel, T.K., Hundley, V., Dali, P.R., Lokke, A., Hubert Lam, K.B., Bennett, D., Custovic, A., van Teijlingen, E., Gill, P. Randeva, H., O’Byrne, P.M., and Nepal Family Cohort Collaborators Group, Nepal Family Cohort Study: A Study Protocol, BMJ Open 14:e088896. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2024-088896

When is a ‘new’ paper no longer new?

BRIAN, open access, Publishing, writing

This week we had two new academic papers published online.  The first paper was an education one ‘PhD Progress and Transfer Vivas at Universities in the United Kingdom’ [1] and the second focused on ‘Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Masters Level Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic’ [2].  The first paper clearly states “Article History: Received: 10 Jan 2024; Revised: 17 Feb 2024; Accepted: 26 Feb 2024”, the online information for the second paper states: “Published 2024-12-31”, i.e. both are clearly identified as 2024 papers.

The problem for the authors is that both only appeared online this week.  For example, today (27th March 2025) Nepal Journals Online (NepJoL) reports the publication of the latest issue of Education Quarterly, Volume 5 Issue 1, the one in which we published, as 24th March (see picture below).  The reason this happens is because the journal editors experienced problems in the past year and did not manage to publish an issue in the calendar year, which makes the publication history look less professional.  To avoid having a year missing the most recently published issue is given an official 2024 publication date.

In a world full of problems the minor inconvenience of papers being backdated is twofold for academic authors.  First, we can not really announce the publication of a a new Bournemouth University paper since the dated stamped on it is last year’s.  Secondly, paper can’t be used for the REF as the acceptance date is also set in the past, for papers to be acceptable for inclusion in REF 2029 typically papers need to be made available on Open Access within three months after the acceptance date .

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen, A., Marmion, V., Harvey, O., Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2024) PhD Progress and Transfer Vivas at Universities in the United Kingdom, Journal of Education and Research, 14(1): 104-116, https://doi.org/10.51474/jer/16196
  2. Pasa, R.B., Khanal, K.P., Khatri, B.B., Adhikari, D., Kharel, S., Sharma, M.K., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2024). Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Masters Level Students on the COVID-19 Pandemic. Education Quarterly, 5(1): 53–72. https://doi.org/10.3126/jeqtu.v5i1.76745

Reading about Positionality

international, open access, PG research, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

This week ResearchGate informed us that the paper ‘The Importance of Positionality for Qualitative Researchers‘ by Bournemouth University M.Res. student Ms. Hannah Gurr has been read over 800 times.  The co-authors are Hannah’s supervisors Dr. Louise Oliver, Dr. Orlanda Harvey and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS), and one of Nepal’s foremost sociology of health and illness researchers Prof. Madhusudan Subedi. 

The paper is of particular interest for qualitative and mixed-methods researchers as these researchers are especially required to be critically reflective and explain to readers their positionality on their work. This account can be relatively straightforward, but there are occasions when this process of reflection and outlining one’s positionality is much more complicated. This method-paper explains this process. It outlines, using examples of different occasions and situations, where and why such complications may arise, for example, around values and personal experiences. It concludes with further practical advice on writing the section on positionality for novice social scientists.  The journal in which this methodological paper is published is Open Access and therefor freely available to read for anybody across the globe.

 

Reference:

  1. Gurr, H., Oliver, L., Harvey, O., Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E. (2024) The Importance of Positionality for Qualitative Researchers, Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology 18(1): 48-54,

Open Access Publication Fund paused

open access, Publishing

We are currently not accepting new applications to the BU Open Access Publication Fund.

Application to the fund is highly competitive and we have now committed all of the budget for 24/25. We will continue to review the status of fund-supported publications which are under consideration at journals, and release funds which are no longer required back into the budget as we can.

Authors are reminded that BU is signed up to a number of transformative deals with major publishers. These enable authors to publish gold open access for free, or at a reduced cost, in thousands of journals. Authors are encouraged to review the journals which are covered by these agreements which considering where to publish.

UKRI funded authors can still apply for support from the UKRI Open Access block grant to cover eligible costs associated with publishing in fully open access journals and platforms that are not covered by our transformative deals.

Please contact openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk with any queries.

Congratulations to Dr. Tsofliou

open access, PG research, writing

Earlier this month the scientific journal Psychology & Health published the paper ‘Effectiveness of client-centred counselling on weight management among Black African women with overweight and obesity in high-income countries: a systematic review’ [1].   This paper is based on the work of Itse Olaoye, a PhD student at St Mary’s University, London.  Bournemouth University’s Dr Fotini Tsofliou is part of the student’s interdisciplinary supervisory team together with academics from the Faculty of Sport, Allied Health and Performance Science at St Mary’s University, London.
The message in the paper is that client-centred counselling appears promising for weight management in Black African women with overweight or obesity. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of these interventions in this population over time.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health
Reference:
  1. Olaoye, I., Myrissa, K., Kelaiditi, E., Tsofliou, F., & Brown, N. (2025). Effectiveness of client-centred counselling on weight management among Black African women with overweight and obesity in high-income countries: a systematic review. Psychology & Health, 1–32. [Published online: 11 Mar 2025]  https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2025.2475161

 

Nepal maternity care paper online yesterday

international, open access, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Yesterday the international journal PLoS ONE published the latest paper of former Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) PhD student Dr. Sulochana Dhakal-Rai [1].  As in many countries, Caesarean Section (CS) rates are rising in urban hospitals in Nepal. However, the reasons behind these rising rates are poorly understood. Therefore, this study explores factors contributing to rising CS rates in two urban hospitals as well as strategies to make a more rational use of CS.  Dr. Dhakal-Rai was supervised by Dr. Juliet Wood, Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen all based in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.

The paper highlights that high CS rates in the private hospital reflects the medicalisation of childbirth, a public health issue which needs to be urgently addressed for the health benefits of both mother and baby. Multiple factors affecting rising CS rates were identified in urban hospitals. This study provides insights into factors affecting the rising CS rate and suggests that multiple strategies are required to stem the rise of CS rates and to make rational use of CS in urban hospitals.

The journal is Open Access and the paper is freely available to read in Nepal (and elsewhere) for anyone with internet access.

 

Reference:

  1. Dhakal Rai S, van Teijlingen E, Regmi PR, Wood J, Dangal G, Dhakal KB (2025) Explaining rising caesarean section rates in urban Nepal: A mixed-methods study. PLoS ONE 20(2): e0318489. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318489

BU student’s M.Res. paper read 500 times

international, open access, Publishing, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing

Yesterday ResearchGate alerted us that our paper ‘The importance of positionality for qualitative researchers‘ [1] has been read 500 times. This methods paper was only written last year by Bournemouth University M.Res. student Hannah Gurr, her M.Res. supervisors Dr. Orlanda Harvey, Dr. Louise Oliver and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in collaboration with Prof. Madhusudan Subedi from Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Nepal.

In the paper we remind qualitative researchers about the importance of critical reflection, and why they need to explain their positionality to readers of their work. This account can be relatively straightforward, but there are occasions when this process of reflection and outlining one’s positionality is much more complicated. This method-paper explains this process. It outlines, using examples of different occasions and situations, where and why such complications may arise, for example, around values and personal experiences. It concludes with further practical advice on writing the section on positionality for novice social scientists.

Well done Hannah!

Dr. Lou Oliver, Dr. Orlanda Harvey & Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

Reference:

  1. Gurr, H., Oliver, L., Harvey, O., Subedi, M., & van Teijlingen, E. (2024). The Importance of Positionality for Qualitative Researchers. Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 18(1): 48–54. https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v18i01.67553

Important announcement regarding publishing in PLOS journals

open access, Publishing

The decision has been made to not renew our subscription to the PLOS flat fee publishing deal in 2025. This means that authors of outputs accepted for publication in a PLOS journal after the previous agreement end date of 31st December 2024 will be required to pay an open access article processing charge (APC).

Any authors who have already submitted an article to a PLOS journal which is still under consideration should contact openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk immediately.

Authors who were considering publishing in a PLOS journal, but have not yet submitted their manuscript, should explore the seven other transformative agreements which BU is signed up to, which enable BU authors to publish open access for free or at a discounted rate. Authors that still wish to publish with a PLOS journal must apply to the open access publication fund before submission of their manuscript.

For all related enquiries, please email openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk 

New editorial Journal of Asian Midwives

international, open access, Publishing, writing

This weekend a new issue of the Journal of Asian Midwives appeared online [1].  Its latest editorial focuses in part on research ethics.  The editors highlight the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidance for best practices in clinical trials [2].  The new WHO guidance was picked up at the 24th FERCAP International Conference “Maximizing Benefits through Responsible Conduct of Research” held in November 2024 in Nepal.  FERCAP is the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in the Asian and Western Pacific Region.

FERCAP reminded us that research as a social activity should improve health and quality of life for both targeted and general populations.  One notable message from this recent conference was the need for shorter and more comprehensible consent forms to make them user-friendly without sacrificing clarity. The other interesting development is that of so-called “decentralized clinical trials”. Decentralized or point-of-care trials can increase the diversity of clinical trial enrollment by increasing its accessibility, for example where elements of the trial are delivered at home and/or data are collected electronically by trial participants instead of researchers. These are exciting new developments in thinking about research ethics.

The Journal of Asian Midwives is Gold Open Access and hence freely available online.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen, E., Musaddique, A.,  Jan, R. (2024) Editorial – Dec 2024. Journal of Asian Midwives, 11(2):1–2.
  2. World Health Organization (2024). Guidance for best practices for clinical trials. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240097711 (accessed Jan. 2025)

Two new BU midwifery publications

international, open access, writing

This past week, as part of her work with McMaster University in Canada, Bournemouth University’s (BU) Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) postgraduate PhD student Joanne Rack published a paper in BMJ Open.  This Open Access paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of midwifery research in Canada [1].  Joanne is currently doing a Clinical Doctorate in the  specialising in personalised care for women of advanced maternal age.  This PhD study is matched-funded by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust and Bournemouth University [BU].  Her PhD is supervised and supported by Professors Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen in CMWH, Prof. Ann Luce, deputy dean in BU’s Department of Communication & Journalism as well as Dr. Latha Vinayakarao in Poole Maternity Hospital.

The second midwifery paper ‘Importance of Expanding Midwifery-led Units and Midwifery Care in Reducing Maternal Deaths in Nepal‘, which is also Open Access, has a different international focus, this time on Nepal [2].  The paper is co-authored by Dr. Preeti Mahato and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  Dr. Preeti Mahato, formerly in BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, is currently based at Royal Holloway, University of London.

 

 

 

 

References:

  1. Ruby, E., Brunton, G., Rack, J., et al. (2024). Exploring the landscape of Canadian midwifery research: strengths, gaps and priorities – results of a scoping review. BMJ Open 14:e087698. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087698
  2. Mahato, P.,  van Teijlingen, E. (2024). Importance of Expanding Midwifery-led Units and Midwifery Care in Reducing Maternal Deaths in Nepal. Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences 6(1). https://doi.org/10.46405/ejms.v6i1.537

New publications Dr. Pramod Regmi

international, open access, Publishing, Research themes, writing

Dr. Pramod Regmi in the Centre for Wellbeing & Long-Term Health published two new academic papers just before Christmas on health and migration.  The first one was called ‘Health and Wellbeing Among Nepali Migrants: A Scoping Review’ [1], and the second one has the title ‘Returning Home to Nepal after Modern Slavery: Opportunities for Health Promotion’ [2].  Both papers are Open Access and, hence, freely available online!

 

 

 

References:

  1. Mahato, P., Bhusal, S., Regmi, P.,  van Teijlingen, E. (2024). Health and Wellbeing Among Nepali Migrants: A Scoping Review. Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1): 79–90. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v12i1.72699
  2. Paudyal, A.R., Harvey, O., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P. R., Sharma, C. (2024). Returning Home to Nepal after Modern Slavery: Opportunities for Health Promotion. Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1): 125–132. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v12i1.72713

First publication FHSS postgraduate student Anjana Paudyal

international, open access, PG research, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Anjana Paudyal, PhD student in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS), on the first publication from her PhD work.  Anjana’s PhD research focuses on human trafficking in Nepal.  Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery and it is a common crime aggravated by poverty, political instability, illiteracy, unemployment, as well as climate change. Despite being a global problem, modern slavery is understudied and poorly understood. Victims of modern slavery are exploited and can experience significant physical, psychological, or sexual, and reproductive health problems. Until recently, there has been little research, especially in low-income countries such as Nepal, around the need and opportunities for health promotion and education in this vulnerable group.

Her PhD fits in with Bournemouth University’s collaboration with the Unites States-based La Isla Network, the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Nepal Development Society.   Led by La Isla Network, we are leading the first-ever international effort to research and address trafficking among Nepalese labour migrants. The work is funded by a $4 million cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, International Programs.

Reference:

  1. Paudyal, A. R., Harvey, O., Teijlingen, E. van, Regmi, P. R., Sharma, C. (2024). Returning Home to Nepal after Modern Slavery: Opportunities for Health Promotion. Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v12i1.72713

Race Equity Month: Disparities in maternity care

NHS, open access, Women's Academic Network, writing

Race Equity Month – Can the UK finally tackle health disparities in maternity care?

Last week Prof. Hora Sultani, who leads the joint bid submitted by Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and Bournemouth University (BU) in reply to the ‘NIHR Challenge: Maternity Inequalities funding call’, wrote an article on the website of the Council of Deans for Health.  This piece with the title ‘Race Equity Month – Can the UK finally tackle health disparities in maternity care?‘ can be freely accessed (click here!).  One of Prof. Soltani’s key arguments is that it is vital that national policy makers and service providers collaborate with researchers and communities to co-design and provide practical solutions for such important maternity challenges in UK society.

Prof. Soltani was writing on behalf of  the UK Network of Professors in Midwifery and Maternal and Newborn Health, an organisation to which both Profs Hundley and van Teijlingen belong.

International Open Access Week: Library support for open access

open access, Publishing

It’s Day 4 of International Open Access Week! Today we are focusing on how Library and Learning Services (LLS) supports Open Access at BU.

LLS plays a key part in promoting open access across the University, managing journal funding deals and making research outputs available via Bournemouth University Research Online (BURO) and the Bournemouth Online Research Data Repository (BORDaR).

Our Open Access guide helps with understanding OA and promoting our funding deals, enabling BU academics to publish Gold Open Access for free (or in some cases for the cost of VAT) in over 10,000 journals.

Gold open access publications will be made available via publisher web pages, and BURO, but it is the work of the BURO and BORDaR Teams that allow your Green open access work to be made publicly available, such as this paper on tourism or this dataset on cyber security.

Populating BURO involves

  • Scanning alerting services weekly for BU research outputs to ensure BRIAN is comprehensively populated with records
  • Ensuring full text is uploaded to BURO via BRIAN where it is missing (around 20% of all BRIAN records are resolved by LLS)
  • Processing all records uploaded by academics and ensuring the correct version is made available and copyright compliant

In the past 12 months 1400+ records were reviewed and processed by the BURO Team. Amongst the 10 most popular downloads over the last 12 months include this Green open access paper from 2019 on social media (4000+ downloads), this BU doctoral thesis from 2015, also on social media.

Join in the conversation around open access week on social media using  #OAweek, or contact us at research@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to share your thoughts via the research blog.

Find out more about Open Access at BU on the RKE Sharepoint site

International Open Access Week: BU ranked in top 20 universities worldwide for proportion of open access research outputs

open access, Publishing

BU has been ranked 13th in the world for the proportion of our research outputs which are published open access.

The CWTS Leiden Ranking provides information about the scientific performance of over 1,500 major universities worldwide – including their scientific impact, collaboration and open access publishing.

In the 2024 rankings, BU is placed 13th for the proportion of research outputs that are published open access – with 91.5% of our publications being freely available.

Around half of all BU publications were green open access publications and around 22% were published gold open access, with biomedical and health sciences, and physical sciences and engineering having the largest proportion of open access publications.

This week marks International Open Access Week, which aims to showcase the benefits of publishing open access and build momentum for the open sharing of academic knowledge.

We are committed to supporting open access research at BU and strive to make our research data as accessible as possible. By having the research of our academics and students online for everyone to access, this enables our research to reach communities worldwide and have greater impact.

Professor Sarah Bate, Interim Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “Open science is immensely valued by the BU research community, not only underpinning the integrity and transparency of the research that we do, but allowing this work to be freely accessed by readers from within academia and beyond.

“Our high position in the Leiden ranking is a testament to our researchers and those promoting research excellence in professional services, highlighting the strength of our commitment to open science.”

Join in the conversation around open access week on social media using  #OAweek, or contact us at research@bournemouth.ac.uk if you’d like to share your thoughts via the research blog.

Find out more about Open Access at BU on the RKE Sharepoint site

Open Access drop in session

open access, Publishing

Got any questions about Open Access?  Which journals are covered under transformative deals?

Come to our Open Access drop-in session on the ground floor of Fusion (FG19) tomorrow, Wednesday 23rd October, from 12:00-13:00. No sign-up is required, just come along with any questions you may have about our transformative deals, applying to the Open Access Publication Fund, or anything else open access related! Look out for the posters on the glass rooms………Or you can email openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk.