After 30-year hiatus, Arba Minch University has finally launched its first ever ‘Omo International Journal of Sciences’ (OMO int. j. sci.) in a function held at Main Campus on 21st March, 2017. With this, university has entered into the academic firmament where owning journal is construed as the index of institutional reputation. Click here to see the pictures.
It will let university’s reputation soar high in and outside world. A perfect podium from where staff can ventilate their creative instincts earning benefits for career development and a potential lure that possibly can be used to arrest staff attrition.
Research Director, Dr Simon Shibru, a member on editorial board, in welcome speech, said owning such scientific journal is an obligation but now focusing on its quality, sustainability and integration of such noble publication into our institutional system is our foremost priority.
University President, Dr Damtew Darza, appreciating the initiative, said it will uplift AMU’s status as a research institution and unleash slew of benefits for the staff. This might be the beginning, yet it will encourage staff in carrying out research on thematic areas and those two journals in the nascent stage will soon see the light of the day.
Thereafter, he launched the journal by un-wrapping it and later distributed few copies to each representative of AMU libraries and principal investigators. He assured all possible support for journal’s sustainability as it will make research and community service more dynamic.
Discussion that ensued saw all appreciating the move expressed worry primarily on issues of sustainability, reliability, associability, relevance and contribution of external board members.
The Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Yisehak Kechero, Associate Professor, replying to the barrage of queries said this diversified journal can accept papers from different academic fraternity. And it’s privilege to have committed senior staff on board whose rich experiences will play pivotal role in maintaining its sustainability.
He adds, since, novelty and relevance is its motto and quality benchmark, efforts are on to lift its standard to global level so that it attracts papers from across the world. And to maintain the integrity of scientific literature, editors must publish corrections, retractions, and notices of duplicate publication in accordance with the standards stipulated in the guidelines, he stressed.
On steps to enrich it, Dr Yisehak said, a website is being developed to ensure availability of robust database and Digital Object Identifier number will soon be procured to avoid plagiarism that will help to identify content and provide a link to its location on internet.
It’s also learnt that research database is being developed and its soft copy will be parked on the institutional repository to make it accessible.
Vice President for Administration, Mr Behailu Merdekios, one of the members of editorial Board, sincerely urged all those getting ready to launch two more journals, to take a leaf from this event and get things materialized.
OMO int. j. sci. is a joint venture between College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Natural Science and College of Medicine and Health Sciences will publish peer-reviewed original research, critical reviews, technical notes, future articles and short communications in the areas of agriculture, medicine, health, natural, computational and food sciences, technology and veterinary medicine as well.
This biannual periodical’s International Standard Serial Number is ISSN 2520-4882 and it has four editorial members that include Editor-in-Chief, two Co-Editors and Editorial Manager; around 20 to 30 renowned professors are on International Advisory Board.
The first issue has six papers of which two are from AMU scholars and remaining four articles are from different institutions across Ethiopia. The first volume of 200 copies will be distributed to authors, universities, agro-research, health-based and biodiversity centers in the country.
(Corporate Communication Directorate)