Showing papers in "JLIS.it in 2022"

Global Trends in Knowledge Production and the Evolving Peer Review Process

Abstract: This essay thus seeks to provide further critique and clarity to the peer review process and the ways in which management of peer review is evolving. These changes occur within a context of massive growth in the knowledge production process: global trends, information technologies, and policies that encourage more people globally to take part in the research process. Associated with these global changes are stressors on the peer review process and particularly questions about who gets to be a peer reviewer and who has the right to produce knowledge under these processes. Less a formal review and analysis of peer review across LIS, this essay takes the form of an autoethnographic narrative that that seeks to draw upon the researcher’s personal observations, experience, and reflections to critically examine changes to the peer review system that are taking place.

Peer review: a process undergoing a required transformation

Abstract: The peer review process is undergoing transformation; this raises a series of challenges, some of which are discussed by the authors of the articles of this issue. Is peer review really peer? Peer review is an activity not recognized for research evaluation. The choice of referees is by no means neutral; it must be contemplate the ethical aspects of the choice.

Analysis and data visualization in bibliometric studies

Abstract: In recent years, academics with different professional formation other than Information Sciences have been involved in research related to metric studies using approaches and techniques based on bibliometrics; however, these professionals do not have knowledge and necessary competences for conduct metric information studies in a rigorous and methodical way. This article aims to find what are methods and tools used by bibliometrics researchers through a descriptive and textual analysis, using methods such as word co-occurrence in bibliographical data extracted from scientific articles indexing in Web of Science, research area "Library & Information Science." We find most frequently software and tools used in bibliometrics have four levels for data treatment: recovery, preparation, processing and analysis, visualization; and use different methods analysis: networks social, geospatial, thematic, temporal, bibliographic coupling, among others.

Voluntary Transparency in Spanish University Libraries

Abstract: The research reported here aimed to ascertain the degree of transparency exhibited by Spanish public university libraries based on their active public disclosure practice. Transparency was measured by applying the TransPa_BA tool to the transparency-related information published by the country’s 50 public university libraries on their websites. The tool addresses 21 indicators grouped under eight areas, used in this study to measure university libraries’ public disclosure performance. The data collected were scored pursuant to the provisions of Spanish Act 19/2013 of 9 December on Transparency, Access to Public Information and Good Governance as adapted to university libraries, as well as in terms of other factors scantly developed in or omitted from the Act. The indicators and their respective parameters (content, form, accessibility, reusability, dating and updating or validity) constitute guidelines enabling libraries to enhance transparency and accountability by reporting their activities and practice in key areas to society in general and their stakeholders in particular. The objective is to help such institutions operate more transparently, for the information afforded by the indicators is deemed relevant to their activity while also monitoring their performance. The findings show that university libraries, which have become more transparent over time, are more transparent than other information units (national public libraries and historic and university archives). Some were nonetheless found to have room for improvement. On the grounds of their scores, these libraries can be classified under three headings: transparent, translucent or opaque. The parameters where good practices were most frequently identified included service usage rules and regulations, user charters and the annual report.

Towards peer review as a group engagement

Abstract: I discuss from an economic perspective two of the most recent suggestions to reform the peer review system: (a) payment to referees; (b) ex post peer review. I show that strong economic arguments militate against these ideas. With respect to payment to referees I use results from the economic analysis of prosocial behavior and the private production of public goods, which show that the supply of monetary incentives has the paradoxical effect of reducing the willingness of agents to collaborate, insofar as they substitute intrincic motivation with extrinsic motivation. With respect to ex post peer review, I show that it fails to offer sufficient incentives to researchers, since it is anonymous, depersonalized, and weak in its marginal impact on publishing decisions. I take this argument to criticize the lack of theorizing, in the side of radical proponents of Open access, about the conditions for transition from the subscription model to the Open model. It is this lack of critical attention to economic arguments that has led to the unintended but dramatic outcome of a net increase in the cost of scientific publishing, as documented in very recent papers. Finally, I advance a proposal for admitting payments to referees, but not as individuals but as groups of researchers. I offer this idea to open discussion.

Wikibase, or The search for the unicorn

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to study the technological implementation of the emergent bibliographic models (IFLA LRM in particular) taking into account one of the most widespread platforms for the semantic web, namely Wikibase. Different initiatives of implementation of LRM have been taken into account, included: a) a prototype cataloging interface; b)the implementation of the new cataloging system for the Bibliothéque Nationale de France (Bnf); c) a test of use of one of the feature of the Wikibase data model - namely the "qualifier"- to find a sustainable solution for the LRM nomen entity. Wikibase and his data model cannot be considered the magical unicorn that solves all problems. More in-depth analysis and tests are needed, but – as an intermediate result – we can consider Wikibase a promising platform also in the bibliographic field with a low entry barrier.

role of the Wikidata librarian in a renewed Bibliographical Universe: “next generation metadata”, next generation librarians

Abstract: Starting from a brief analysis of the OCLC Research report "Next generation metadata", the contribution proposes a reflection on the librarian metadata and the new centrality of its role in the LIS; among the various declinations that can assume such professional figure, One of the most interesting is the Wikidata librarian, of which a first definition is outlined. Following some international experiences of the use of Wikidata as a tool for new working methods, already consolidated in many library institutions, and as a particularly suitable environment for experimentation, thanks to its features of open, free, collaborative, easy to understand and use system. While information professionals and a large part of the academic and scientific environment have understood the potential of Wikidata, some weaknesses of this instrument have been highlighted, which must be corrected and recalibrated in the name of universally accessible and reusable knowledge, also taking into account the requirements contained in the Semantic Web Manifesto by the Cataloging and Indexing Study Group of the Italian Association of Libraries.

Archival description and conceptual transversality

Abstract: Archival description has become more and more clearly characterized in terms of transversality, as the process of assembling the representations of different information entities; these different components contribute to defining the return of an objective. To this “internal” transversality is then added the question posed by the growing need for multidimensionality functional to the technological system, in an increase which feeds reflections on normalization and the need for contextual plurality

new edition of the Guida al sistema italiano di indicizzazione per soggetto

Abstract: This contribution reproduces the text of the speech that was held in the framework of the presentation of the second edition of the volume Nuovo soggettario. Guida al sistema italiano di indicizzazione per soggetto, that took place in Florence on June 7th, 2022. As happened in these years with the subject indexing tools of important national libraries, the National Central Library of Florence, too, has updated the Nuovo soggettario, that saw the light in 2007, today employed by the Italian National Bibliography (BNI) and by most libraries of the National Library System (SBN). The intervention recalls the context factors that led to the project and to the elaboration of the second edition of the Guida, fully revised and updated: the evolution of the international scene related to indexing (new standards, new conceptual models), the semantic web and the linked open data; the development of the Nuovo soggettario system as a whole (increase of terminology, connections with equivalents in other languages, with resources of archives and museums, availability of the Thesaurus in exchange formats and standard protocols, etc.). The second edition’s novelties are then illustrated: a better organized exposure of the standards, more functional to their use, a totally new first part dedicated to the principles and to the general aspects of the indexing, the confrontation with IFLA LRM, the references to the indexing of non-bibliographical resources (figurative works, photographs) of ancient works, etc. Finally, it ends by stressing the importance that the cooperation with other partner institutions and with ICCU has had in this work, and shall continue to have in the future, for a greater and greater sharing of the semantic data on behalf of the Italian libraries.

new archives definition

Abstract: This paper aims to give a new definition of the word “Archives” as a result of an accurate survey of doctrinal orientations on this specific subject, analyzing - word by word – each particular lemma which makes up the new proposal. Even though there is no definition that is valid in every context, but archival theory seems to suffer largely from a heterogeneous vision, downstream of a rigorous scientific journey, but dense of conceptual and lexical unexpected contingencies. Each term - with meanings and contexts - does not constitute a simple signifier, but refers to a specific baggage of every disciplinary and cultural tradition. For these reasons, we will attempt to provide an overview of the definitions of archives, from the particular to the general.

role of peer review in the evaluation of research in Italy. Some remarks on the evaluation of PRINs

Abstract: This contribution proposes some remarks on the evaluation and financing mechanisms of PRINs – Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale, promoted in Italy by the MUR - Ministry of University and Research, in the context of the critical issues and evolution prospects of peer review, of which a summary state of the art is presented. Starting from the partial and incomplete data made available on the MUR website dedicated to PRINs, are listed and examined the projects financed for the current disciplinary sector M-STO/08 (Archival Science, Bibliography and Librarianship), in the years between 1996 and 2020, and those included in other disciplinary areas that have as their subject matters related to the contents of the academic field M-STO/08.

Agrifood data processing in Italy: a conceptual model

Abstract: Through the study and analysis of a precise economic sector, that of agribusiness, this contribution attempts to elaborate a replicable conceptual model that, in compliance with scientific methodologies, can contribute to the development of current archives, which will later be historical, capable of managing traceable and secure digital flows. In that absolute semantic individuality that characterizes each documentary complex, subject to "rules" of treatment only by productive affinities and common provenance characteristics, the application of standards has been a matter of discussion for the scientific literature. The example from which we wish to move concerns a specific category of Software Packages (LIMS) that are currently used in Italy by analytical laboratories and that implement integrated management of multiple data and processes.

Quality of papers, gender balance, accessibility, environmental sustainability

Abstract: JLIS.it, in full respect of the originality, rigor, and scientific quality of each of the papers published, places among its constitutive values ​​the dissemination of science within the broad context of open science. This mission intends to guarantee conditions of accessibility and equitable results to researchers, collaborators, reviewers, board members, and readers, regardless of their affiliation, gender, age, geographical origin, or economic condition.

Artists' archives

Abstract: In the last few years, artists' archives have gained a central role in the debate on the nature, treatment and valorization of 20th century and contemporary archives. They are fascinating and precious aggregations, characterized by a plurality of documentary typologies and by specific requirements for their description. Starting from the definition of personal archives, the paper proposes a definition of artists' archives and then attempts to indicate their main characteristics, contents and elements of complexity. Finally, the paper attempts to establish a dialogue between archivists and artists, collectors, gallery owners, critics and curators in order to find common elements and differences in their actions. -

Updating of ISBD and its transformation

Abstract: This article describes the difficult work of revising the ISBD standard. It reviews the previous work and the conceptual and structural problems found in the process of updating the ISBD standard. After the recognition of the difficulties in debates, two points of view were distinguished among the members of the group that ended with the split of the ISBD Editorial Group into two subgroups. The article also gives an account of the changes carried out in the updating of the content of ISBD, to end with the discussion topics of the second working group that will change the structure of ISBD as we know it today

Open peer review: some considerations on the selection and management of reviewers

Abstract: Open peer review (OPR) is a type of review that has long since made space alongside the more well-known single-blind and double-blind peer reviews. Despite this, we still do not have a shared definition by the scientific community and publishers. The purpose of this paper is to offer some reflections on the selection of reviewers in OPR, a process that in its current configuration is traced back to the 19th century. After a brief overview of the best-known definitions of open peer review, the paper continues with an analysis of some aspects of reviewer selection carried out with the help of data from a recent survey.

entities of the IFLA-LRM, RiC-CM and CIDOC-CRM models in the semantic web

Abstract: The traditional approach to cataloguing has always been based on the investigation of the characteristics of the objects in collections that are most relevant to the construction of catalogues. The evolution of cataloguing theory has therefore led to the identification and analysis of entities with those characteristics and to the construction of a logical model capable of explaining bibliographic phenomena in an increasingly refined manner. That approach also led to the definition of RiCCM and CIDOC-CRM models. In addition to this valid point of view, a second perspective is proposed, which takes into account the entities identified in the logical models developed in the library, archive and museum models as part of the much larger, richer and more numerous ontologies of the semantic web, represented by the Linked Open Data Cloud. In this perspective, the logical models of libraries, archives, and museums can be seen as some of the possible infinite modelling of web entities, constructed in the light of the principles and tradition of each subject area. This new perspective helps to better clarify the role of data professionals, the concept of metadata, the characteristics of logical models and to take a unified view of the bibliographic, archival and museum universes.

Rule following

Abstract: The importance attached to subject indexing in library services, librarian awareness of its social role and practical purposes,attention to indexing practices and the use of catalogs: How are these elements reflected in the system of rules governingsubject indexing in Italy? What does “rule following”, to use Wittengenstein’s well-known expression, mean in our field?Why and how do we follow a rule? In which sense is following a rule a practice? How and in which conditions does therule relate to the practice and vice versa? Beginning with these questions, the main features of the Italian subject indexingrules are illustrated: explicit rules, based on linguistic criteria, contain justifications for why a given rule should be followedand should be sensitive to the use-context. All three of these features imply a relationship with practice; at the same time,the rules presuppose a social practice in which they are employed and express their pragmatic meaning. Thus, the indexingrules are manifested in the language of indexing through the means by which this language is used; that is, in the indexingactivity and in the use of catalogs. Hence, the call for libraries to attend to the pragmatic dimension of subject indexing.

Modeling knowledge, archival and bibliographic standards in comparison. 1st JLIS.it Seminar - May 19th 2022

Abstract: The editorial gives an account of the insights that emerged during the Jlis.it seminar Modelling Knowledge, held in Florence on 19 May 2022. First, the political potential of the initiative in terms of integration and collaboration between documentary disciplines is emphasised. It then dwells on the descriptive habits of the different domains in search of more effective knowledge management models in a broad sense. Finally, the text opens up to the readiness of the journal to become a meeting place for different reflections on knowledge modelling.

Covid, document production and administrative efficiency: a case study

Abstract: The article outlines the document production process in some Italian research institutions and compares it to the same pre-pandemic time span by analyzing whether or not the work organization models that have been adopted have had an impact on the completion time of administrative procedures. The aim was to verify the trend of the performance indicators after the pandemic impact and how the absence of employees at work may have influenced the organizational models. Within specific administrative realities, human relationship is often a pillar to carry out activities correctly. The transition to the management of remote procedures carried out totally in digital form caused inevitably important consequences on the expected results.

Artificial Intelligence Systems and problems of the concept of author. Reflections on a recent book

Abstract: The publication of the book Beta Writer. 2019. Lithium-Ion Batteries. A Machine-Generated Summary of Current Research. New York, NY: Springer, produced with Artificial Intelligence software prompts analysis and reflections in several areas. First of all, on what Artificial Intelligence systems are able to do in the production of informative texts. This raises the question if and how an Artificial Intelligence software system can be treated as the author of a text it has produced. Evaluating whether this is correct and possible leads to re-examine the current conception for which it is taken for granted that the author is a person. This, in turn, when faced with texts produced by Artificial Intelligence systems necessarily raises the question of whether they, like the author-person, are endowed with agency. The article concludes that Artificial Intelligence systems are characterized by a distributed agency, shared with those who designed them and make them work, and that in the wake of the reflections of 50 years ago by Barthes and Foucault, it is necessary to define and recognize a new type of author.

“Yomi” (readings) in bibliographic data for materials in Japanese

Abstract: In bibliographic and authority data of materials in Japanese, it is necessary to represent kanji (Chinese characters) and its reading as a pair. Readings, called “yomi” in Japanese, are represented in katakana or the alphabet (romanization form). The readings in Japanese language have many variations depending on the context, so Japanese bibliographic information needs to provide both kanji and its reading as a pair to avoid misunderstandings.The JAPAN/MARC is a machine readable version of the Japanese National Bibliography and provides sets of kanji, katakana-yomi and romaji-yomi (romanization form) of bibliographic and authority data. This paper introduces how readings of bibliographic and authority data in Japanese have been expressed and handled mainly in JAPAN/MARC, compared with international standards.

Peer review in research assessment and data analysis of Italian publications in SSD M-STO/08 (Archival science, bibliography, library science)

Abstract: Since the introduction of research assessment systems at institutional level in the 1980s, the ongoing debate on the roles and functions of peer review and bibliometrics has been vivid and lively. In the first part of the article, the main lines over time of this debate are traced, and a reflection on the epistemic functions of peer review and citations is proposed. In Italy, the first research assessment exercise (VTR) was based on peer review only, while the following ones (VQR) were based on different methods for bibliometric disciplines and non-bibliometric disciplines, namely bibliometric indicators and peer review. Starting from a data analysis on Italian publications, and using as a sample data from M-STO/08 (Archival science, bibliography and library science) area, the essay shows some trends and changes in publication habits in HSS. Conclusions open a perspective on revitalization of peer review as a solid qualitative method for research assessment.

Gender equality in library science and book history Italian journals: a focus on boards, authors and peer-reviewers

Abstract: The presence of women in Italian open access journals in library science and book history has never been subject to quantitative evaluations. As in the case of other areas in the humanities, the study of the number of women on the boards and as authors has taken second place to analyses of gender positioning in academic careers. Starting from the data entered into Wikidata by the project "Riviste di biblioteconomia" managed by the Wikidata Group for Museums, Archives and Libraries, the contribution presents a focus on AIB Studi, Bibliothecae.it and JLIS.it regarding the gender balance in the scientific committees and board and the number of female contributors. In conclusion, a mention concerns the small number of articles from foreign countries, in particular from Africa and South-East Asia.

Scholarly publishing and peer review in the Global South: the role of the reviewer

Abstract: Peer review is an integral part of contemporary scholarly publishing, especially journal publishing. Work submitted by scholars from all parts of the world is subjected to it. This includes submissions by scholars from the Global South, who wish to publish in “international” journals or in local journals which follow the same model. These authors may not be native English speakers and may be unfamiliar with the conventions of Western scholarship. Many of them conduct research and write their manuscripts under challenging circumstances. They may find it difficult to comply with the requirements of the journals to which they submit their articles. Their manuscripts quite often pose challenges to the peer reviewers. The purpose of this article is to provide some background on scholarly publishing in the Global South and the challenges those colleagues face, and to outline what this may mean for the role of the reviewer.

Peer review ethics in Iranian LIS scholarly journals: a comparison between views of reviewers and authors

Abstract: Peer review is one of the most efficient ways to ensure the quality of papers for possible publication in scholarly journals. However, the process of peer review is not free of bias and disorders. Many reviewers are unaware of how their attitudes towards the evaluation of scholarly papers may violate Peer Review Ethics (PRE). This paper attempts to analyze the different ethical issues influencing the job of reviewing. The research sample for this study included 7 Iranian library and information journals, 124 Iranian peer reviewers, and 34 authors. Peer reviewers and authors were asked to evaluate the most important ethical elements of peer review in Iranian LIS journals through two different questionnaires based on Rajabali Beglou et al. (2019) research. Findings showed that there was no difference among authors and reviewers in terms of gender in most PRE elements. Also, the level of experience of the authors was not significant in terms of understanding and acceptance of the PRE among reviewers and authors. However, review experiences regarding some PRE elements were significant in respondents’ viewpoints. The experiences reviewers had already gained were influential on their views about PRE. In addition, results showed that there were significant differences among reviewers and authors about the PRE elements in LIS journals. Authorship experiences had not effect on the PRE elements and the dual role of peer reviewing and authorship had no impact on their views.

Conceptual and linguistic changes: document, resource, and item

Abstract: The bibliographic universe has radically changed in a short time; the major innovations, mainly related to the digital environment, have had consequences in terms of terminology. This contribution offers an analysis of three specific international cataloguing terms: document, resource, and item. The terms document and resource constitute an example of terminological evolution; item, introduced in cataloguing by FRBR as the fourth entity of Group I, highlights the difficulties of transposition from one linguistic system to another, and the multiple terminological meanings linked to different disciplinary contexts.

Open peer review: the point of view of scientific journal editors

Abstract: Academic journals have been incorporating several elements of open science: open access (since 2000), later, the deposit of research data of the articles published, the dissemination of preprints before the publication of the paper and, finally, the open peer review (OPR). While open access is well-established and the inclusion of research data is increasingly widespread, the OPR is just at the beginning of its incorporation as a real alternative to the double-blind model, which is the most widespread and consolidated. The objective of our article is to analyse the opinion of the editors of Spanish scientific journals about the advantages and disadvantages or barriers for the implementation of the OPR. This is a qualitative study that has been carried out from the open answers of a questionnaire sent to the 1875 editors of the Spanish academic journals that appear in the database Dulcinea and that obtained a response of 22.4%. Regarding the limitations, the study is based on the opinions and experience of the editors of Spanish scientific journals, which are mostly published by academic institutions and are in the field of social sciences and humanities. The results focus on delving into the advantages and disadvantages. Among the encouraging factors, the editors point out that to have open reports is very useful for the scientific community, that it recognizes the role of the reviewer, makes it possible to control the arbitrariness of some reviewers, and that it promotes the reviewer-author dialogue. The main barriers discussed are the following: a possible lack of objectivity and rigor, resistance to change a consolidated system (“double-blind”), knowing the author benefits established authors and harms novices, more difficulties for finding reviewers, increases costs and can lengthen the review process.

Institutional repositories and copyright in Greek academic libraries

Abstract: Institutional repositories were created to collect, preserve, and make available the academic institution's scientific output. The purpose of this study is to investigate and illustrate how Greek academic libraries with institutional repositories deal with copyright challenges. The study aims to identify and describe if institutional repository managers apply a certain copyright clearance protocol, the problems they encounter, and how they deal with them. For this study, a quantitative research method based on questionnaires was employed. The questionnaire consisted of twenty-nine (29) questions separated into three (3) sections and was sent to thirty-one (31) academic libraries. According to the survey results, the majority of academic libraries have an institutional repository and provide open access to its content. It was found that academic institutional repositories face intellectual property difficulties. The biggest issue highlighted was a lack of knowledge of the notion of copyright. Finally, communication amongst libraries seems to be the foundation for developing a common policy and addressing the difficulties that have arisen in institutional repositories as a result of Greek copyright legislation limits.

Firenze University Press: the peer review policy of an Italian academic publisher. Interview with Fulvio Guatelli by Alessia Papa

Abstract: Peer review evaluates the originality and quality of a scientific work, through the judgment of a peer group, in order to preserve scientific authority and prevent the publication of poor quality manuscripts. Fulvio Guatelli, director of the Firenze University Press (FUP), one of the most innovative realities in the scientific field and one of the first publishing houses to have brought the peer review process to Italy, answers eight questions. FUP pays considerable attention to editorial practices; the FUP Scientific Cloud for Books project allows the systematic description, through a "cloud" of metadata, of all aspects of the scientific book (authorship, evaluation process, dissemination tools and access methods), in order to contribute to its enhancement and place it in the wake of scientific journals. FUP also aims at the dissemination of a qualitatively valid science, supporting the reviewers through collaborations, such as ReviewerCredits, which certify and reward their work. Initiatives that testify to the continuous evolution and gradual refinement process of peer review in the context of today's scientific community.