The African Renaissance Review is built on the belief that Africa's renaissance depends on rigorous, independent, well-governed thought. The summaries below set out, in plain terms, how we handle editorial independence, copyright, artificial intelligence, and complaints. They are a guide to our practice, not a substitute for the full policy documents, which are available from the editorial team on request.
Questions about any of these policies can be sent to editor@arreview.africa
1
Editorial Governance Framework
The Framework sets out the principles and authority behind every editorial decision ARR makes in relation to independence, accuracy, and accountability, applied consistently across every pillar we publish.
What it commits us to
- Editorial judgement exercised independently of governments, political parties, corporations, advertisers, sponsors and donors.
- Factual claims that are accurate, verifiable, and appropriately supported, with fact from opinion clearly distinguished.
- Recognition of African agency, institutions and knowledge systems, without shielding them from legitimate criticism.
- Diversity of thought, without treating all claims as equally supported by evidence.
- Correction of significant errors once identified, and transparency about material circumstances readers should know.
Who decides, and how
- Editorial authority rests with ARR's designated editorial leadership, who may accept, reject, commission, edit or decline to publish any submission.
- No contributor, advertiser or sponsor has an automatic right to publication, and commercial relationships never determine editorial conclusions.
- Conflicts of interest — financial, institutional or personal — must be disclosed by editors and contributors alike.
In short
ARR answers to evidence and to its readers, not to funders, advertisers or political interests. Publishing a piece is never an automatic endorsement of every view within it.
The detailed complaints and AI-related provisions of this Framework are set out in full in their own dedicated policies below.
The full Editorial Governance Framework is available from editor@arreview.africa.
2
Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy
Contributors keep what they write. ARR asks only for the rights it needs to publish, distribute and archive the work responsibly.
Ownership
- Unless otherwise agreed in writing, contributors retain copyright in their original work.
- Submitting an article grants ARR a non-exclusive licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, archive and promote it; not to own it.
- Contributors may generally republish their work elsewhere afterward, with appropriate acknowledgement of ARR as original publisher.
Standards we hold contributors to
- Work must be substantially original, with sources appropriately acknowledged and quotations never fabricated.
- Permission must be obtained for third-party photographs, illustrations, data, audio, video or other copyrighted material.
- Plagiarism is not accepted; ARR may correct, amend or withdraw material where it is identified, even after publication.
In short
Your words stay yours. We ask for a licence to publish them well; not for ownership of them.
Authorship should reflect genuine intellectual contribution; a name is not added to a byline for seniority, funding or institutional position alone.
The full Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy is available from editor@arreview.africa.
3
Artificial Intelligence Use Policy
AI is a legitimate research and writing aid in the contemporary digital world, so it is at ARR, but it is never a source of authority, and never a substitute for a human being's responsibility for what gets published.
What's permitted
- Brainstorming, outlining, language assistance, translation, transcription, research organisation and similar preparatory tasks.
- Contributors remain fully responsible for verifying anything AI helps produce — citations, statistics, quotations, names and dates above all.
- ARR may require disclosure where AI materially contributed to the substantive text, research, data analysis or published images.
What's never permitted
- Using AI to fabricate sources, quotations, interviews, research findings or statistics.
- Using AI-generated articles and presenting them as authentic.
- Presenting AI-generated or AI-manipulated images, audio or video as authentic documentary evidence.
- Letting AI-generated summaries or recommendations determine ARR's editorial position. That judgement stays human.
In short
AI can help a contributor think and draft faster. It cannot be an author, a source, or a decision-maker at ARR.
An AI-generated citation is never assumed genuine; it is verified, every time, before publication.
The full Artificial Intelligence Use Policy is available from editor@arreview.africa.
4
Complaints and Appeals Procedure
Readers, contributors and anyone discussed in our pages have a real, fair route to raise concerns about what we publish; and to appeal the outcome.
How it works
- Complaints can be sent to editor@arreview.africa, ideally identifying the article, the issue, and the evidence behind it.
- ARR assesses each complaint, investigates where warranted, and may give the contributor concerned an opportunity to respond.
- Outcomes range from no action, to correction, clarification, an editorial note, revision, or in serious cases result in the removal of the material.
Appeals and fairness
- A decision may be appealed where there is significant new evidence, a material error, a procedural failure, or a conflict of interest.
- Wherever practicable, appeals are reviewed by someone not solely responsible for the original decision.
- ARR does not retaliate against good-faith complaints, and does not treat mere disagreement with a conclusion as grounds for correction.
In short
Disagreeing with an argument isn't a complaint. Evidence of a factual error, plagiarism, fabrication or a breach of our standards is, and we take it seriously.
Credibility isn't claiming to be infallible. It's being willing to listen, investigate, and correct genuine mistakes.
The full Complaints and Appeals Procedure is available from editor@arreview.africa.
The African Renaissance Review
Ideas. Evidence. Wisdom. Africa.
Shaping Africa's Intellectual Renaissance.
