Help Center
Find answers to common questions and learn how to use the platform
Getting Started
What is AFNID Research Platform?
AFNID Research Platform is an African-owned research publishing platform that empowers researchers to share, discover, and collaborate on research papers.
What We Offer:
- Free AFN-ID: Africa's own persistent identifier system (alternative to Western DOI)
- Open Access Publishing: Share your research with a global audience
- Peer Review: Transparent, community-driven quality control
- Analytics: Track your research impact (views, downloads, citations)
- Collaboration: Connect with researchers worldwide
- Blog Platform: Share research updates and insights
Quick Start Guide
Click "Register" and fill in your details. Takes 2 minutes.
Add your institution, research field, and ORCID (optional).
Click "Submit Paper" and upload your research.
Account & Registration
Creating an Account
Click "Register" button (top right) or visit /register
- Full Name: As you want it published
- Email: Valid email (will be verified)
- Password: Minimum 6 characters
- Institution: Optional
- Field of Study: Optional
Check your inbox and click the verification link
Publishing Research
How to Submit a Paper
Ensure you have: Title, Abstract (150-300 words), Full text, Keywords (5-10 terms), Author information
Click "Submit Paper" or go to /papers/create
- Title: Clear and descriptive
- Abstract: Brief summary (required, 150-300 words)
- Keywords: Comma-separated terms
- DOI/AFN-ID: Leave blank if you don't have one
Option A: Write directly in rich text editor
Option B: Upload PDF or DOCX file
Select relevant research categories (multiple allowed)
Preview your paper, then click "Submit Paper"
Paper Statuses Explained
| Status | Meaning | Who Can See | What You Can Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Saved but not submitted | Only you | Edit, delete, or submit for review |
| Under Review | Submitted for peer review | You and reviewers | Wait for decision (2-4 weeks) |
| Published | Accepted and public | Everyone | Share, track metrics, update (with versioning) |
| Rejected | Not accepted | Only you | Address comments and resubmit |
| Revisions Required | Needs changes | You and editors | Make requested changes and resubmit |
AFN-ID System
What is AFN-ID?
AFN-ID (African Persistent Identifier) is Africa's own system for uniquely identifying research papers.
- African-owned and controlled
- Free for African researchers (vs. $200-500/year for DOI)
- Compatible with DOI (can cross-reference)
- Persistent (never changes once assigned)
- Resolvable (always points to your paper)
AFN-ID Format
Namespace
Regional prefix
Content type
Year
Sequential ID
Regional Prefixes:
| Prefix | Region | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | West Africa | Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, etc. |
| 2000 | East Africa | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, etc. |
| 3000 | Southern Africa | South Africa, Botswana, etc. |
| 4000 | North Africa | Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, etc. |
| 5000 | Central Africa | DRC, Cameroon, Gabon, etc. |
| 9000 | International | Non-African researchers |
| 8000 | Partner Institutions | Partner universities |
How to Get AFN-ID
AFN-ID is automatically assigned when you publish
After peer review approval, your paper gets published
Your AFN-ID appears on the paper immediately
ORCID
What is ORCID?
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a globally recognized identifier for researchers.
Why You Need ORCID:
- Disambiguation: Distinguishes you from researchers with similar names
- Linking research: Connects your publications to you
- Streamlined submissions: One-time profile, auto-populates forms
- Career tracking: Maintains record across institutions
- Publisher requirement: Many journals now require ORCID
How to Get ORCID
Go to orcid.org
Click "Register for a free ORCID iD" and fill in your details (takes 2 minutes)
Check your email and verify
Go to Profile → Edit Profile → ORCID field → Enter your ORCID iD
Literature Review Generator
AI-Powered Literature Reviews
The Literature Review Generator scans the platform's research database and creates comprehensive, well-structured literature reviews based on your topic.
- Topic-based search — Enter your research topic and the AI finds relevant papers
- Automatic synthesis — Generates a structured review with thematic grouping
- Citation-ready — Every claim is backed by platform paper citations
- Multiple formats — Export as APA, MLA, or Chicago-style bibliography
- Editable output — Review, edit, and refine before downloading
How to Use
Navigate to /literature-review from your dashboard
Type your research question or topic (e.g. "machine learning for crop disease detection in Africa")
Choose date range, minimum relevance score, and maximum number of papers to include
Click "Generate" and review the synthesized literature review. Edit as needed
AFN-ID ⇄ DOI Crosswalk
What is the Crosswalk?
The AFN-ID ⇄ DOI Crosswalk provides bidirectional mapping between your African Persistent Identifier (AFN-ID) and existing DOIs. This ensures your research is globally discoverable while maintaining African ownership.
- Bidirectional mapping — AFN-ID resolves to DOI and DOI resolves to AFN-ID
- Automatic sync — When you add a DOI, the system attempts to auto-resolve metadata
- Manual link — Add or update DOI links for already-published papers
- Bulk import — Upload a CSV of paper-DOI pairs for batch crosswalking
- Verified badge — Crosswalked papers get a verified interoperability badge
How to Use
Navigate to the paper you want to crosswalk
Find the Crosswalk section on the paper management page
Paste the full DOI (e.g. 10.1234/example.2025.001) and click "Resolve"
Review the resolved metadata and confirm the crosswalk
Grant-Funding Matcher
Personalized Funding Discovery
The Grant-Funding Matcher recommends funding opportunities tailored to your research profile, discipline, career stage, and geographic eligibility.
- Profile-based matching — Recommendations based on your research field and career stage
- Geographic filtering — Grants available in Africa and for African researchers
- Deadline tracking — Calendar view of upcoming deadlines with reminders
- Application templates — Save and reuse application data across multiple grants
- Success analytics — Track your application pipeline and submission history
How to Use
Ensure your research field, career stage, and institution are up to date
Navigate to /grants from your dashboard
Browse recommended grants sorted by relevance score
Filter by funding type, amount range, and geographic focus to refine results
Research Data Repository
Store and Share Research Data
The Research Data Repository provides secure storage for datasets associated with your publications, with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) compliance built in.
- Dataset upload — Upload CSV, JSON, SPSS, R, Stata, and other common formats
- AFN-ID for datasets — Each dataset gets its own persistent identifier
- DOI crosswalk — Link datasets to their associated published papers
- Versioning — Update datasets while preserving previous versions
- Access control — Public, restricted, or embargoed access options
- FAIR metadata — Guided metadata entry following FAIR principles
How to Deposit a Dataset
Navigate to /data-repository from your dashboard
Fill in title, description, and methodology notes
Select files (max 2GB per dataset) and add README documentation
Optionally link to an existing published paper or leave unlinked
Choose access level and publish. An AFN-ID is assigned automatically
Preprint Cross-Poster
One-Click Preprint Distribution
The Preprint Cross-Poster lets you distribute your preprint to multiple repositories simultaneously from a single dashboard.
- Multi-repository posting — Post to arXiv, bioRxiv, OSF Preprints, and AfricaArxiv at once
- Metadata mapping — Automatically maps your paper metadata to each repository's format
- Status tracking — Monitor submission status across all repositories in real time
- Version sync — Update all repositories when you post a new version
- AFN-ID preservation — Your AFN-ID is included in all cross-posted versions
How to Cross-Post
Navigate to /preprint/cross-post from your dashboard
Choose a draft or published paper from your papers list
Select which repositories to post to (check each repository's policy)
Preview the metadata for each repository and click "Post to All"
OA Compliance Dashboard
Track Open Access Compliance
The OA Compliance Dashboard helps you monitor and meet funder and institutional open-access mandates. Get clear visibility into which of your papers comply with specific policies.
- Policy library — Database of funder and institutional OA policies (Plan S, UKRI, Wellcome, Gates, etc.)
- Compliance checks — Automated checking of your papers against selected policies
- Actionable guidance — Specific steps to bring non-compliant papers into compliance
- Deadline alerts — Reminders for upcoming compliance deadlines
- Institutional reporting — Generate compliance reports for your institution
How to Use
Navigate to /oa-compliance from your dashboard
Select the funders and institutions whose policies apply to you
Click "Check Compliance" to analyze all your papers against selected policies
Follow the recommended actions for any non-compliant papers
Cross-Platform Profile Sync
Sync Your Research Across Platforms
Keep your publication record consistent across ORCID, Google Scholar, and other academic platforms from one central profile.
- ORCID sync — Bidirectional sync with your ORCID record
- Google Scholar — Import publications from your Scholar profile
- Crossref auto-import — Automatically pull papers registered with Crossref
- Conflict resolution — Smart merge with manual override for conflicting data
- Sync history — View logs of all sync operations across platforms
How to Set Up Sync
Navigate to your profile and click "Sync & Connected Accounts"
Click "Connect" next to ORCID, Google Scholar, or other platforms
Follow the OAuth flow to authorize the connection
Click "Sync Now" to import/export publications. Review and confirm changes
Peer Review Registry
Build Your Reviewer Record
The Peer Review Registry gives you credit for every review you perform. Build a verified, transparent record of your peer review contributions.
- Verified reviews — Every review is logged with a verifiable timestamp
- Reviewer dashboard — Track your completed, pending, and invited reviews
- Performance metrics — See your average review time, quality scores, and acceptance rate
- Credit badges — Earn badges for milestones (10, 50, 100 reviews)
- Exportable record — Download your reviewer history for grant and promotion applications
How to Review Papers
You'll be notified when you're invited to review a paper
Respond to the invitation within 7 days
Provide your assessment, comments, and recommendation via the review form
The review is added to your registry automatically once submitted
Volunteering as a Reviewer
Even without an invitation, you can volunteer to review papers in your field.
Ensure your research field and expertise are listed on your profile
Toggle "Available for Review" in your profile settings
Go to the Peer Review Registry and click "Browse Open Reviews" to find papers matching your expertise
Research Podcast Generator
Turn Papers into Audio
The Research Podcast Generator converts your published papers into audio podcasts with natural-sounding AI narration, making your research accessible to a wider audience.
- AI narration — Natural-sounding text-to-speech in multiple voices and accents
- Abstract summary — Optional short summary version (2-3 minutes)
- Full paper audio — Complete narration of the full paper content
- Multi-language — Generate podcasts in English, French, Portuguese, and Arabic
- Download & embed — Download MP3 or embed the audio player on other sites
How to Generate a Podcast
Navigate to /podcast from your dashboard
Choose from your list of published papers
Select voice, language, and whether to generate a summary or full version
Click "Generate Podcast" and wait for processing. Download when ready
Discovering Research
How to Search for Papers
Enter keywords, paper title, or author name in the search bar
- Category: Filter by research area
- Year: Filter by publication year range
- Sort: Relevance, Latest, Most Viewed, Most Cited
- Use specific terms: "machine learning" not just "learning"
- Use quotes for exact phrases: "public opinion"
- Combine terms: "machine learning AND Africa"
Understanding Paper Metrics
| Metric | What It Means | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Views | Number of times paper page was viewed | Shows interest in your research |
| Downloads | Number of times PDF was downloaded | People are reading your full paper |
| Citations | Number of papers citing this paper | Your research is influencing others |
| Bookmarks | Number of users who bookmarked | People want to return to your paper |
| Rating | Average reviewer rating (1-5 stars) | Quality assessment by peers |
Collaboration
Following Researchers
Stay updated with researchers in your field.
Click their name on any paper or search for them
Button changes to "Following"
Their new papers appear in your activity feed
Commenting on Papers
Engage in academic discussions.
Navigate to the paper you want to comment on
Find the "Comments" section at the bottom
Write your comment and click "Post Comment"
- Be respectful and professional
- Provide constructive feedback
- Stay on topic
- No spam or self-promotion
Bookmarks
Saving Papers for Later
Bookmark papers to build your personal reading list and easily return to them later.
Browse or search for a paper you're interested in
Click the bookmark icon on the paper card or paper page
Go to /bookmarks from your profile menu to view all saved papers
Notifications
Staying Updated
The notification bell in the top navigation keeps you informed about platform activity.
- New followers — when someone follows you
- Comments on your papers — when someone comments on your research
- Review decisions — when your paper is approved, rejected, or needs revisions
- Review invitations — when you're invited to review a paper
- Connection requests — when a researcher wants to connect
Mark notifications as read individually, or use "Mark all as read" to clear them at once.
Blog Platform
Sharing Research Insights
The blog platform lets you share research updates, insights, and informal articles with the community.
- Write articles with the rich text editor
- AI-powered writing assistant to generate and improve blog posts
- Organize by categories and tags for better discoverability
- Reader comments to engage with your audience
- SEO-optimized — blogs are indexed for search engines
Writing a Blog Post
Navigate to /blog/create or click "Write Post"
Use the rich text editor for formatting. You can also use the AI assistant to generate drafts.
Add categories and tags, then publish your post
Resume Generator
AI-Powered Resume from Your CV
Premium Feature. Generate professional resumes directly from your analyzed CV data.
- 6 professional templates — Modern, Classic, Creative, Minimal, Executive, Academic
- AI rewrite — Select any section and rewrite it in Professional, Confident, Concise, or Formal tone
- Photo support — Add a profile photo to your resume
- Editable — Edit any section directly, then save or download
- Download as HTML — Print to PDF from your browser
How to Use
Go to your profile and upload your CV (PDF, DOCX, or TXT format)
The AI analyzes your CV extracting skills, experience, education, and languages
Choose a template, generate, then use the AI rewrite tool to polish any section
AI Assistant
Your Personal Research AI
Chat with an AI assistant to help with your research tasks. The AI is powered by multiple providers (Groq, GitHub Models, Gemini) with automatic fallback.
- Research questions — Ask about research methods, literature, or analysis
- Writing help — Get help drafting abstracts, introductions, and conclusions
- Code & data analysis — Ask about statistical methods or data processing
- Conversation history — Previous conversations are saved and accessible
- Custom API keys — Advanced users can configure their own AI provider keys
Accessing the AI Assistant
Navigate to /users/ai/dashboard from your profile menu
Type your question or request in the chat input
Access your conversation history from the sidebar
API Access
Programmatic Access to Research Data
The platform provides public and private APIs for integrating research data into your applications.
Public API (No Key Required)
- GET /api/papers — List published papers with pagination and filters
- GET /api/papers/{id} — Get details of a specific paper
- GET /api/search — Search papers programmatically
- GET /api/categories — List research categories
- GET /api/researchers — List researchers on the platform
Private API Keys (Premium & Institution Plans)
Generate API keys from your settings for authenticated access with higher rate limits.
- Institution plans — 10,000 API calls per month
- Rate limiting — 60 requests per minute for unauthenticated, 300 for authenticated
- Key management — Generate, revoke, and monitor usage from admin panel
Technical Support
Troubleshooting
Can't Log In?
- Click "Forgot Password" on login page
- Enter your email and check inbox for reset link
- Try a different browser if issues persist
Upload Fails?
- Check file size (max 50MB)
- Ensure file is PDF or DOCX format
- Try a different browser
- Clear browser cache
Search Not Working?
- Check spelling of search terms
- Try broader search terms
- Remove filters and try again
Contact Support
Help Center
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