Peer Review Mechanisms: The Bottleneck of Academic Freedom

Abstract

protection of rights of faculty to teach and of students to learn, but also the freedom to create and disseminate knowledge. The literature, especially in Africa, mainly portrays the violation of academic freedom due to external interference into universities’ autonomous functioning. However, this article, by focusing on academic publications and the peer review process, suggests that the internal governance of HEIs also has equally serious implications on academic freedom. By analyzing data collected from editors, reviewers and researchers of three research institutions that publish reputable journals at the Addis Ababa University, this article reveals that peer review mechanisms in academic institutions constrain the production of knowledge and, hence, undermine academic freedom.