How Publishing in a Collection Ensured Malaria Control Guidance Reached Policymakers

Author: Siobhan Bates

Publishing in a Springer Nature Collection enhances the visibility and real-world impact of an article, and Dr Eboh from Kogi State University can attest to this. When he published his study on addressing malaria through healthcare expenditures in a Springer Nature Collection, his work was academically recognised and achieved real-world impact. Dr Eboh shares his experience publishing in the Collection and the gratification of seeing it inform global policy.

Malaria remains a dire health scourge. According to the World malaria report 2024, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 263 million cases and 597,000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023. As a researcher in Nigeria, one of the countries with the heaviest malaria burdens, Dr. Alfred Eboh has seen first hand how families and communities can be devastated by the disease.

Eboh, a medical sociologist at Kogi State University, and Aderonke Omotayo Adebayo of the University of Ibadan, published an article demonstrating how improvements to healthcare expenditure and access to basic sanitation can reduce malaria cases and deaths. By choosing to publish in a Springer Nature Collection, they gave their work visibility and accessibility which enhanced its real-world impact.

Their article, Addressing malaria incidence in Africa through health care expenditure and access to basic sanitation services was published to the Springer Nature Collection Health Systems in sub-Saharan Africa in Discover Health Systems. This ensured that global policymakers had open access to their empirically grounded findings. “This isn’t just an academic exercise: It’s about saving lives and livelihoods in the places I call home,” said Eboh.

We spoke with Dr Eboh to find out more about his work, as well as the impact and benefits of publishing in a Springer Nature Collection.

Can you give us an overview of your research and the motivation behind it?

We set out to understand how different streams of health-care funding and access to basic sanitation influenced malaria incidence across 28 African countries from 2000 to 2019. Our team was struck by the persistent — yet under‑examined — role that these factors play in the fight against malaria in Africa.

Although there is abundant literature on bed nets and drug therapies, far fewer studies systematically quantify how government budgets, out‑of‑pocket payments, external aid, and access to clean sanitation together shape malaria incidence over time.

By anchoring our work in the Health Production Function framework, we sought to fill that gap and provide policymakers with clear, empirically grounded guidance on where and how investments can yield the greatest reductions in new malaria cases.

What were your main conclusions?

We found that out-of-pocket health expenditure was positively and significantly associated with higher malaria incidence, suggesting that financial barriers prevent people from obtaining timely prevention and treatment.

Similarly, external health expenditure and people using at least basic sanitation services were negatively and significantly associated with malaria incidence, an indication that donor funding and improved environmental conditions both play critical roles in reducing new cases.

In contrast, domestic general government health expenditure alone showed no statistically significant effect on malaria incidence after controlling for various other factors.

Why are these findings important?

They highlight that who pays and how funds are channelled can matter more than aggregate spending levels. For malaria control, removing out-of-pocket costs, sustaining external partnerships, and investing in sanitation are all vital complements to government budgets.

Why did you choose to publish your research in this Collection?

The Health Systems in sub-Saharan Africa Collection in Discover Health Systems specifically targets interdisciplinary research on how health system financing and infrastructure impact population health. Our work sits at the nexus of economics, public health, and environmental services, making this Collection the ideal forum to reach both health economists and policymakers interested in systems-level levers for disease control. 

Why did you choose to publish open access?

Open access ensures that malaria-affected countries, many of which have limited journal subscriptions, can freely access and apply our findings. It also aligns with funder mandates and maximises citation potential, accelerating the translation of research into policy.

Publishing in a dedicated Springer Nature Collection has increased my work’s visibility among health systems researchers and donors. It's also strengthened my CV by demonstrating engagement with a focused, high-impact journal early in my career.

- Dr Alfred Eboh, Department of Sociology, Kogi State University, Nigeria

How do you think publishing to the Collection has impacted your research?

As of 23 June 2025, the article has attracted five citations in peer-reviewed journals according to the Google Scholar platform. This underscores the impact and relevance of publishing open access in a targeted Collection. 

Importantly, the WHO’s World malaria report 2024 referenced our study’s insights on the importance of external funding and sanitation in reducing case numbers. This was incredibly gratifying: Seeing our work inform a flagship policy document underscores that rigorous, data‑driven research can, and does, shape global strategies.

We have since published a follow‑up paper in a well‑regarded, open access BMC journal has widened our reach, ensuring that practitioners, NGOs, and other researchers can build on our methods and findings without barriers.

Ultimately, the impact of these publications and their endorsement in academia and also policy affirm that scholarly work can move beyond citation counts to influence budgets, programmes, and — most importantly — health outcomes on the ground.

Any tips for other researchers thinking of publishing to a Collection?

Align your topic closely with the Collection’s scope and review past articles to gauge fit. Engage with editors early, perhaps by sharing a structured abstract or outline, and highlight policy relevance and interdisciplinary appeal in your cover letter.

Also, ensure data transparency, for example, by depositing datasets in a public repository, to meet open -science expectations.

Finally, would you publish in a Collection again?

Yes, because Springer Nature Collections bring together a community of like-minded scholars and practitioners. The thematic focus, coupled with the open access format, amplifies impact and fosters cross-disciplinary dialogue in ways that stand-alone journals often cannot.

About the Author

Dr Alfred Eboh, Department of Sociology, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria.

Springer Nature Collections are curated groups of articles that support researchers by providing highly focused explorations of specific themes and trending topics. Collections cover all areas and aim to enhance the visibility and impact of research.

Read more research success stories and find out how publishing to a Springer Nature Collection can help you achieve your career goals at: www.springernature.com/collections