Purpose: This paper focuses on scientific journals’ policies on open access and open science. The subject has gained increasing relevance, driven by the need for more-democratic access to knowledge and improved research visibility, which require eliminating the financial, legal, and technical barriers that restrict access to scientific output.
Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses the findings of FECYT’s 2023 Assessment of the Editorial and Scientific Quality of Spanish Scientific Journals, with 254 participating journals, as its case study. Open science indicators assess the transparency of policies on content access, reuse, openness, and reproducibility. Nonparametric tests analyse the relationship between the indicators and the dimensions of publisher type and subject area.
Findings: High compliance rates are found for indicators related to publication licences and intellectual property rights. Only 37% of the journals examined post their editorial policy on Sherpa Romeo. Ninety-four percent publish open access. However, open peer review is rarely applied (0.38% of the journals). Journals in Communication, Information and Scientific Documentation, Fine Arts, Education Science, and Biomedical Sciences have high compliance percentages. Most journals (83%) are institutional, with universities and associations generally exhibiting better results.
Research limitations: This study is based on specific indicators that do not cover all the factors that influence the transition toward open science; for example, editorial culture and technological infrastructure are not envisaged. Furthermore, differences in open science implementation are identified between disciplinary areas and between publisher types, but the underlying causes of these differences are not thoroughly investigated. Future research could address these points for a fuller understanding.
Practical implications: This study highlights the need for journals to improve transparency by adopting open peer review and clear policies. These changes enhance accessibility and credibility, fostering inclusive knowledge dissemination. Institutions and policymakers should support these efforts to boost research impact.
Originality/value: This study offers insights into open science practices in Spanish journals, a growing academic topic. Its originality lies in examining open science indicators across disciplines and publishers. By identifying strengths and gaps, the study helps journals enhance transparency.

Purpose: This study investigates factors associated with scientific recognition, examining how collaboration networks influence the path to ACM fellowship.
Design/methodology/approach: We analyzed 1,497 ACM fellows (1994-2023) using linear regression on 286,791 publication records, examining co-authorship patterns and institutional overlaps while controlling for productivity metrics.
Findings: Collaboration with ACM fellows among new electees increased from 43% to over 90%. Collaborating with ACM fellows is associated with achieving fellowship 3.8 years earlier, with frequent, recent collaborations and prestigious collaborators exhibiting even shorter time intervals to recognition. Gender and institutional factors also significantly impact timing.
Research limitations: The study is correlational, focuses on one society, and may not capture all forms of scientific contribution beyond traditional metrics.
Practical implications: Current processes may favor well-connected candidates. Reforms should increase transparency and expand recognition criteria to address biases and promote inclusivity.
Originality/value: This provides the first comprehensive three-decade analysis of ACM fellowship patterns, revealing the growing importance of strategic networking in scientific recognition and offering evidence-based recommendations for more inclusive evaluation processes.

Purpose: To explore how different types of research funding affect research papers, with implications for optimizing funding policies and promoting sustainable research development.
Design/methodology/approach: We used social network analysis and citation analysis to compare the influence of funded and non-funded papers, as well as among different funding types. Multidimensional scaling and cohesive subgroup analysis revealed thematic differences.
Findings: Funded papers do not always show higher academic influence than non-funded ones, but multi-funded papers perform better than single-funded ones. Papers funded by international institutions and HKMT have a greater impact on the international academic community. Funded papers emphasize innovation and interdisciplinarity; non-funded papers focus more on classical theory application.
Research limitations: This study used only the WoS Core Collection, potentially missing other funding sources.
Practical implications: The findings inform the refinement of funding policies and support strategies that encourage impactful and innovative research.
Originality/value: This study offers a multi-level empirical analysis of how funding shapes research influence and thematic trends.

Purpose: The study evaluates the relative roles of Domestic-Funded Enterprises (DFEs) and Foreign-Funded Enterprises (FFEs) across Chinese provinces. It further examines how industrial structures differ by ownership at both regional and national scales. Drawing on these findings, the analysis traces the geographic shift of FFEs and offers evidence-based guidance for shaping foreign investment policy.

Design/methodology/approach: This study uses Inter-Country Input-Output (ICIO) and Inter-Region Input-Output (IRIO) tables to build two extended datasets: Ownership-Extended Inter-Country Input-Output (OE-ICIO) and Ownership-Extended Multi-Region Input-Output (OE-IRIO) tables. These are then combined to construct the Regionally-Ownership Dually-Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output (RODE-MRIO) table and Global Domestic and Foreign Enterprises Network (GDFEN) model to explore the industrial relocation trends of FFEs in China.

Findings: The results indicate that: (1) From 2010 to 2019, FFEs in China showed an overall decline in influence, profitability, and network robustness. (2) Eastern and developed regions saw a clear retreat of FFEs, with a shift toward domestic control. Central regions and more developed regions played a transitional role. Moreover, western and less developed regions remained stable but still relied on low-end and resource-based activities. (3) FFEs’ influence has been gradually shifting towards less-developed central and western provinces due to rising labor costs and stricter environmental regulations.

Research limitations: First, only general policy recommendations are proposed, without exploring the design of specific policy instruments. Second, the significant impact of recent trade measures on the behavior of FFEs has not been considered. Third, further research is needed to deepen the analysis by comparing regional ownership dynamics in China with those in other major economies.

Practical implications: This research provides valuable insights for policymakers aiming to enhance regional economic development and improve China’s position within Global Value Chains (GVCs).

Originality/value: The originality of this paper lies in its development of a new model that combines geographic, sectoral, and ownership dimensions. This model allows for a clearer analysis of the roles of foreign and DFEs in China’s regional economy. It offers insights into industrial transfer trends within global value chains and provides a framework for analyzing and forecasting future shifts.

Purpose: To describe the characteristics of research outputs using persistent identifiers generated by ResearchGate to gain insight into what publications are shared and disseminated through this functionality, revealing their academic and non-academic impact.
Design/methodology/approach: A total of 1,092,934 RG-DOIs were collected, using the DataCite API, along with bibliographic metadata for the associated registered output (RG-DOI publications). The subsequent analysis evaluated the publication date, document type, and language. These values were cross-referenced against the full text of a random sample of 666 records to verify accuracy.
Findings: RG-DOIs have served primarily to identify and make accessible scholarly gray literature, including posters, presentations, conference papers, and theses, with notable emphasis on publications in Spanish and Portuguese. Around 41,000 citations from Web of Science indexed publications to RG publications are evidence of their infrequent but perceptible use in scholarly discourse. The declining number of registrations of RG-DOIs observed may indicate a shift in researcher preferences to alternative platforms for DOI generation.
Research limitations: The study uncovered substantial inconsistencies in DataCite metadata, which can be attributed to the automated DOI registration process and internal changes in the available document types on ResearchGate.
Practical implications: The study encountered challenges in conducting a quantitative analysis due to inconsistencies in the metadata. These have potential implications for researchers, practitioners, and librarians relying on RG-DOIs to conduct bibliometric or bibliographic analysis.
Originality/value: This study is the first comprehensive analysis of RG-DOIs and, as such, provides a unique perspective into academic gray literature. It also sheds light on the quality of ResearchGate data transmitted to DataCite when registering DOIs.

Purpose: With the deep integration of information technologies into urban governance, smart communities have emerged as pivotal platforms for advancing sustainable urban development. However, existing research has not offered a systematic analysis or clear presentation of the field's academic evolution and thematic structure. This study examines the literature on smart communities published between 2000 and 2024. Employing data analysis and visualization tools, it aims to trace the evolution and development trends of smart community research, map its core themes and their interrelationships, and provide actionable insights for policymaking and practical implementation.
Design/methodology/approach: Based on 2,347 publications indexed in the Web of Science from 2000 to 2024, this study employed CiteSpace and VOSviewer to conduct co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence mapping, national collaboration network analysis, author and institutional contribution assessment, burst detection, and hotspot term analysis. The literature screening adhered to predefined publication-type criteria and citation-count thresholds to ensure that the results were representative and reliable.
Findings: This study, through literature analysis and data visualization in the field of smart communities, yields the following principal conclusions. First, the application of digital twin technology in optimizing smart community resources has attracted growing attention, demonstrating considerable potential in urban management, infrastructure maintenance, and resident services. Second, as technology advances, digital-twin applications are evolving towards greater precision and efficiency, particularly by deepening their support for resource allocation and decision-making processes. Finally, the future development of smart communities will increasingly depend on the deep integration of digital twins with other cutting-edge technologies, thereby driving intelligent management and optimization of community resources.
Research limitations: This literature repository excludes grey literature and non-English publications, potentially underestimating the representativeness of grassroots innovation. Furthermore, the temporal analysis was constrained by the citation-lag effects of publications from 2000 to 2024.
Practical implications: This study proposes a decision-support toolkit tailored for municipal planners and policymakers. The toolkit comprises three core intervention strategies: multiscale environmental sensing, participatory governance protocols, and regenerative technology pathways. These measures are designed to advance the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Originality/value: By explicitly defining and applying the “thematic knowledge framework,” this paper offers a concise roadmap for the evolution of smart community research. It also provides precise guidance for designing and implementing community development strategies that align with Sustainable Development Goals.

Purpose: This study explores the implications of low journal self-citation rate (LJSCR). While some interpret LJSCR as a sign that a journal's authors do not cite each other's work, others see it as a mark of prestige, reflecting greater recognition from outside the journal. We argue that these perspectives are not contradictory: low self-citation can be prestigious precisely because it reflects low self-readership.
Design/methodology/approach: We analyze the physics and mathematics of journal self-citation. Our findings show that the self-citation rate (i) increases with journal market share, (ii) approaches a well-defined upper bound, (iii) this upper bound remains significantly below unity, and (iv) without a minimum level of market share, self-citation is virtually absent. Here, market share refers to the proportion of a journal's publications relative to its Web of Science (WOS) subject category. To test our analysis, we examine 61 journal-years of data from three major hybrid fluid dynamics journals: Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Physical Review Fluids, and Physics of Fluids.
Findings: We identify a consistent relationship between journal self-citation and market share. A striking result is the mathematical analogy we establish between journal self-citation behavior and the concentration of intermediates in consecutive irreversible unimolecular chemical reactions. We also observe that creating specialized subdisciplinary journals (“twigging”) can reduce self-citation rates by narrowing scope.
Research limitations: The study is limited to fluid dynamics journals. Broader validation across disciplines is needed.
Practical implications: Editors and publishers can apply these insights to interpret citation metrics and assess the visibility and readership of their journals.
Originality/value: This work redefines LJSCR as a counterintuitive metric—one that may reflect both low author engagement and high external impact. It introduces a novel physics-based model to understand citation behavior across journals.

Purpose: This study aims to analyze academic research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and tools in academic libraries, focusing on publications from the Scopus database between 2014 and 2024.
Design/methodology/approach: The study adheres to the PRISMA protocol, using VOSviewer, Bibliometrix, and Rstudio’s Biblioshiny function for bibliographic analysis and visualization.
Findings: The study highlights how the potential of AI in academic libraries may be increased by changing user needs and technical advancements. It comprises four thematic clusters: foundational technologies (machine learning, natural language processing, and automation), emerging innovations (generative AI), user-centric applications (chatbots), and the importance of AI literacy. It also reveals research gaps in automation and strategic AI integration, providing recommendations for improving library services.
Research limitations: The study is limited to articles published between 2014 and 2024 in the Scopus database, potentially excluding previous foundational work and research from other sources.
Practical implications: The study offers policymakers and library practitioners insightful information on effectively utilizing AI tools. This may result in overlooking earlier foundational work and research from multiple sources.
Originality/value: The study discovers the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modernizing academic libraries, identifying research gaps, and providing strategic insights to improve technology and user experience.

Purpose: This paper examines African Journals Online (AJOL) as a bibliometric resource, providing a structured dataset of journal and publication metadata. In addition, it integrates AJOL data with OpenAlex to enhance metadata coverage and improve interoperability with other bibliometric sources.
Design/methodology/approach: The journal list and publications indexed in AJOL were retrieved using web scraping techniques. This paper details the database construction process, highlighting its strengths and limitations, and presents a descriptive analysis of AJOL’s indexed journals and publications.
Findings: The publication analysis demonstrates a steady growth in the number of publications over time but reveals significant disparities in their distribution across African countries. This paper presents an example of the possibility of integrating both sources using author country data from OpenAlex. The analysis of author contributions reveals that African journals serve as both regional and international venues, confirming that African journals play a dual role in fostering both regional and global research engagement
Research limitations: While AJOL contains relevant information for identifying and providing insights about African publications and journals, its metadata are limited. Therefore, the kind of analysis that can be performed with the database presented here is also limited. The integration with OpenAlex aims to overcome some of the limitations. Finally, although some automatic citation procedures have been performed, the metadata has not been manually curated. Therefore, if errors or inaccuracies are present in the AJOL, they may be reproduced in this database.
Practical implications: The database introduced in this article contributes to the accessibility of African scholarly publications by providing structured, accessible metadata derived from the AJOL. It facilitates bibliometric analyses that are more representative of African research activities. This contribution complements ongoing efforts to develop alternative data sources and infrastructure that better reflect the diversity of global knowledge production.
Originality/value: This paper presents a novel database for bibliometric analysis and offers a detailed report of the retrieval and construction procedures. The inclusion of matched data with OpenAlex further enhances the database’s utility. By showcasing AJOL’s potential, this study contributes to the broader goal of fostering inclusivity and improving the representation of African research in global bibliometric analyses.

Purpose: Despite the global shutdown of universities and research laboratories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant and unexpected increase in scientific production was observed during 2020 and especially in 2021 (Rousseau et al., 2023). A plausible explanation is that researchers took advantage of the lockdown period to write and develop pre-existing ideas. But what happened once that stockpile of ideas was exhausted?
Design/methodology/approach: This study aims to address that question by analyzing the scientific output of fourteen highly productive countries using data from three databases: WoS, Scopus, and OpenAlex.
Findings: Our analysis shows that, following the production peak in 2021, there was a general decline over the next two years (2022 and 2023) across most Western countries, including Japan and Brazil. However, this trend was not observed in China or India, which have maintained sustained growth since 2021. Russia, by contrast, has shown a continuous decline since 2021, likely related to its involvement in armed conflicts. Notably, this pattern of decline persists even when excluding the broad category of Life Sciences and Biomedicine.
Research limitation: The observed phenomenon cannot be fully explained. A broader understanding would require the wide distribution of a questionnaire among researchers and institutions.
Practical implications: This study provides insight into how the scientific system responded through its publication output to the temporary suspension of research institutions’ activities during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Originality/value: Our analysis contributes to understanding the unusual trends in research publications due to the pandemic’s influence. It can be seen as a discussion of a natural experiment in the science of science.