Trust, Transparency, and Challenges in Academic Publishing Landscape: What do scholars from the Global South think?

Trust in academic publishers is increasingly shaped by perceptions of transparency, fairness and author support, yet empirical evidence from Global South researchers remains limited. This mixed-methods study addresses that gap through an online semi-structured survey conducted between December 2024 and August 2025 that combined quantitative responses with in-depth qualitative insights. Overall, respondents expressed moderate to high levels of trust in publishers and placed strong emphasis on transparent editorial processes. Financial barriers, particularly article processing charges, emerged as the most significant obstacle to publication, while citation metrics were widely regarded as central to academic reputation. Bivariate analysis revealed only weak associations between trust and individual characteristics such as experience, mentorship engagement or publication pressure. However, multivariate analysis showed that clear and effective editorial communication, along with access to mentorship, were the strongest positive predictors of trust, whereas perceived publishing barriers reduced confidence. Structural equation modelling further demonstrated that transparency enhances perceptions of fairness, which in turn significantly strengthens trust. Transparency also exerts a smaller but meaningful direct influence on trust. The findings suggest that trust in academic publishing is shaped less by demographic factors and more by authors’ experiences of procedural clarity, fairness and support. Strengthening communication practices, improving transparency reporting, expanding mentorship opportunities and addressing financial inequities are therefore central to building durable confidence in the scholarly publishing system, particularly among researchers operating in structurally constrained contexts.