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Publications

Publications is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on scholarly publishing, published quarterly online by MDPI. 

Quartile Ranking JCR - Q2 (Information Science and Library Science)

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All Articles (567)

Research with Epistemology: Are We Really Following the Scientific Method?

  • Diego Lara-Haro,
  • Alexander Haro-Sarango and
  • Angel Esquivel-Valverde
  • + 1 author

Epistemology underpins the scientific method by clarifying what counts as knowledge, which forms of evidence are admissible, and how procedures can legitimately support conclusions. Under accelerated publishing conditions, these assumptions are often left implicit, which can weaken the inferential coherence of peer-reviewed manuscripts. This study aimed to model reviewers’ perceived epistemological deficiencies as a multidimensional construct with an overarching global component. A 14-item instrument covering four latent domains was administered to 183 peer reviewers from a Latin American academic network. A second-order structural equation model was estimated using SEM with DWLS (lavaan). The model showed excellent fit (CFI ≈ 1.00; RMSEA = 0.000; SRMR = 0.033) and strong factor loadings, indicating a coherent global factor alongside distinct domain-specific components. Reviewers’ accumulated experience was positively associated with the global factor (β = 0.047; p = 0.013), whereas the recent volume of reviews was not statistically significant (p = 0.254). These results suggest that epistemological scrutiny may reflect more stable evaluative competencies than short-term reviewing activity. The instrument can inform editorial rubrics and reviewer training aimed at strengthening problem–theory–method coherence and reflexive methodological justification. Because the measure captures perceptions within a single regional network, further validation across disciplines and cultural contexts is recommended.

7 March 2026

Correlation between variables C1–C14.

The emergence of artificial intelligence tools in scientific production is generating significant challenges for scientific integrity and editorial governance, prompting journals and publishers to develop normative guidelines for their use. This study analyzes the current state of guideline implementation among Latin American journals indexed in Scopus and classified according to the Scimago Journal Rank (SJR). A quantitative approach was adopted, complemented by a descriptive documentary analysis based on a detailed review of the websites of 1119 journals from 17 Latin American countries. The collected data were systematized using Excel and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The results indicate that only 27.2% of journals have explicit guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence, with a predominantly regulatory rather than punitive orientation that prioritizes technical support while restricting practices that compromise human intellectual control. Additionally, statistically significant differences were identified according to quality indicators, showing that journals with higher quality levels are more likely to have such guidelines. Overall, the findings reveal an incipient and heterogeneous regulatory development, underscoring the need to strengthen and harmonize editorial guidelines on artificial intelligence in order to safeguard transparency, clarify the responsibilities of the actors involved in the production and publication process, and protect the integrity of scientific communication.

6 March 2026

Distribution of Latin American journals indexed in Scopus and classified according to the Scimago Journal Rank (SJR) according to the existence of AI guidelines and their position on AI use.
  • Systematic Review
  • Open Access

Open Data Research in Spain Published via the Diamond Route: A Systematic Review

  • Ricardo Curto-Rodríguez,
  • Alberto Leal-Matilla and
  • Rafael Marcos-Sánchez
  • + 1 author

In the information society, open data is an important resource for creating economic value. This study conducts a systematic review, following the PRISMA methodology, of articles published between 2000 and 2025 in Scopus and Web of Science that include the terms Open Data and Spain (in Spanish or English) in their title and/or abstract, with the aim of assessing how Law 37/2007 on the reuse of public sector information has influenced the publications analyzed. After identifying 240 articles in Scopus and 109 in Web of Science and applying the exclusion criteria, we observe that 37 studies use the Diamond Open-Access publishing route. The results are organized into four categories corresponding to the research questions, which represent a meaningful theoretical contribution and enhance current knowledge on open data research in Spain. The identification of obstacles to the effective use of open data—such as the lack of standardization, poor information quality, and the vague definition of reuse conditions—entails practical implications of significant value for managers of open data portals seeking to improve their initiatives.

3 March 2026

PRISMA flow diagram for the literature search in this review (Databases: Web of Science and Scopus).
  • Systematic Review
  • Open Access

Trajectories of the Global Innovation Index and Its Bibliometric Footprint: From the Global Level to Ecuador and Peru

  • Alexander Haro-Sarango,
  • Silvia Cachay-Salcedo and
  • Rosa Salcedo-Dávalos
  • + 3 authors

This article examines how the Global Innovation Index (GII) has become the dominant technical language for assessing and legitimizing countries’ innovation performance, and what this implies for middle-income economies such as Ecuador and Peru. We conduct a systematic review of 89 Scopus-indexed studies, combining bibliometrics with natural language processing of abstracts. The results reveal a largely optimistic discourse that frames innovation as a national, systemic construct—structured around institutions, human capital, infrastructure, market and business sophistication—while relying heavily on standardized GII metrics. Topic modeling and sentiment analysis show limited critical scrutiny of the index itself. The comparative analysis of Ecuador and Peru highlights persistent gaps between innovation inputs and outputs, with Peru leading in human capital and markets but lagging in business sophistication, and Ecuador constrained by institutional and market weaknesses. We argue that the GII should be used as a diagnostic and reform tool, not merely as a reputational ranking.

24 February 2026

PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for updated systematic reviews which included searches of databases, registers and other sources; (*) The records come from the Scopus database.

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Publications - ISSN 2304-6775