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Loet Leydesdorff (mentioned as Loet in the following) passed away in March 2023. Our paper is dedicated to the important contributions of this exceptional researcher (in scientometrics). We investigated which studies, theories, methods, and ideas have influenced Loet's scientific work. The method reference publication year spectroscopy (RPYS) can be used to answer this and related questions. Many RPYS studies have been published regarding the historical roots of research fields, journals, and scientists. The program CRExplorer was specifically developed for RPYS. In this study, we used CRExplorer to investigate the historical roots and influential publications of Loet's oeuvre. The results demonstrate the wide range of topics in Loet's research and their fundamental meaning for the scientometric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The irruption of artificial intelligence (AI) in all areas of our lives is a reality to which the university, as an institution of higher education, must respond prudently, but also with no hesitation. This paper discusses the potential that resources based on AI presents as potential reviewers of scientific articles in a hypothetical peer review of already published articles. Using different models (GPT-3.5 and GPT-4) and platforms (ChatPDF and Bing), we obtained three full reviews, both qualitative and quantitative, for each of the five articles examined, thus being able to delineate and contrast the results of all of them in terms of the human reviews that these same articles received at the time. The evidence found highlights the extent to which we can and should rely on generative language models to support our decisions as qualified experts in our field. Furthermore, the results also corroborate the hallucinations inherent in these models while pointing out one of their current major shortcomings: the context window limit. On the other hand, the study also points out the inherent benefits of a model that is in a clear expansion phase, providing a detailed view of the potential and limitations that these models offer as possible assistants to the review of scientific articles, a key process in the communication and dissemination of academic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tweets are used as alternative metrics (altmetrics) to measure the impact or attention of research. However, Twitter data can only be used for research evaluation purposes, if biases do not influence tweet decisions on papers. The existence of biases can only be reasonably investigated using an experimental design with controlled (marginal) manipulations. In this comment, we propose to undertake an experimental approach to study the decision of scientists to ‘tweet’ on a paper. We describe the design of a study that might allow the experimental investigation of tweet decisions including randomized variations and theoretically derived mechanisms for explaining the empirical results. The described study design should be adaptable to other social media platforms (e.g., Facebook or ResearchGate). This comment is intended to be a plea for using an experimental design to investigate biases in tweet decisions. It is an advantage of tweets –in contrast to citations– that an experimental approach can be applied to investigate the decision of scientists to communicate on papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Democracy is considered to be the ideal foundation of societies today. In a democratic society, news media play a highly relevant role as avenues by which public and political powers can interact with society and facilitate civic participation. The public’s perception of the news media’s reputation is a crucial factor for enhancing trust and citizen engagement. This article presents a study of the reputation of the media (paper press, digital press, radio and television) in ten European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. A quantitative method was applied to the results of a survey conducted to determine the reputation of news media among a sample of the informed population in those countries (1,000 residents of legal age who used media at least two or three times a week). The concept of reputation is thereby characterized in its association with the media, identifying its integrating attributes and assessing its incidence in each type of medium. The results indicate that, although television is the most widely used medium, the printed press enjoys a higher reputation in most of the countries studied, being seen as having the attributes of credibility and informative rigor. This study provides a detailed analysis of the scores given to media reputation attributes in the considered countries. It also offers a ranking of the media with the highest reputation in the countries examined, as well as a description of the reputational position of each medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of the 847 papers presented by authors from Spanish universities at the six conferences of the Spanish Association for Communication Research (AE-IC) is analyzed. The six conferences were held in Santiago de Compostela (2008), Malaga (2010), Tarragona (2012), Bilbao (2014), Madrid (2016), and Salamanca (2018). The research variables of study are: author's profiles, geographic location, gender, home university, most commonly studied topics, and considered media. The results confirm that the gender divide no longer exist: in fact, there are more female than male authors. Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona exhibit the highest rates of participation, and Madrid and Catalonia are the most active regions, followed by Andalusia and Valencia. The topics treated are quite diverse, with the study of media content standing out, mainly those focused on political communication. Other common topics are the impact of the digital age, and audiovisual media structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the need in Scientometrics to get beyond merely classifying scientific production based on the classification of the journals in which it is published, there have been many attempts to classify papers directly. Little has been done, however, to check how reliable the results are. In this work, a collection of publications was generated which we call an Author's Assignation Collection (AAC) comprising 13449 papers referenced in the Scopus database and classified by their research guarantor with fractional weighting in terms of Scopus's own ASJC scheme. The methodological approach taken is described, and the collection's representativeness is evaluated and compared with the journal-based classification. There stand out both the great number of papers assigned by their research guarantors to more than one category (at times with even the same weight) and how frequently authors assigned categories which were not assigned to the journals in which their paper was published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological media effects scholarship in the field of journalism and communication is experiencing a reinvigorated blooming due to the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and algorithm-based information. From news production to distribution and consumption, the whole journalistic chain of information media ecosystems and the principles that govern them have all been deeply transformed with the advent of AI and algorithmic tools. Drawing from wellestablished normative principles that have guided the journalistic profession, this paper seeks to synthesize the current state of research on AI and algorithm-based news by providing a principle-based theoretical framework of news media. In doing so, the paper organizes a comparison between algorithmic news versus non-algorithmic news according to three foundational pillars sustaining journalism research: news production, selection, and effects thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the book uses text, pictures, and drawings to show information. To complement the information, various methods have been used, such as adding tangible objects or models. With the advent of digital books, it is possible to incorporate videos, interactive graphics, photo galleries, and 3D objects. This article describes the possibilities of including 3D models in books that are paper or electronic (read on a desktop or mobile device). For this article we have made several book prototypes in various formats, and instructions are presented so that the reader can visualize the 3D objects contained in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, high-growth entrepreneurship (HGE) research has gained increasing importance. For this reason, it is considered necessary to analyze papers that have had the most significant impact on the development of the discipline and that should be familiar to all researchers. Building new knowledge on these works is important because it provides legitimacy and coherence to the future development of this research field. Thus, this paper aims to identify and characterize the classic articles in the field of HGE, a line of research that has seen significant growth in the last 30 years. The H-Classics method is used to identify these papers. Subsequently, several bibliometric aspects of this collection are analyzed, such as the forums of journals where they have been published, the most productive authors, the patterns of collaboration, and an analysis of the conceptual structure through co-word analysis. Exhaustive content analysis is carried out to complement this vision, identifying the proposed objectives, methodologies, types of data, analysis techniques used, and their main contributions in three consecutive periods. The results are of value to researchers interested in high-growth firms because they allow us to understand the foundations on which this discipline has been built through its classics and to determine its main challenges for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience communication is a fundamental tool for destinations to improve their image and recover after a crisis. Social media are also important tools for tourism communication and for creating tourist experiences and destination image. Therefore, social media are key tools for crisis communication. Based on a series of hypotheses, this paper proposes a conceptual model of crisis communication management that responds to the need to establish a set of premises related to resilience communication in the tourism sector. The empirical analytical study consisted of the quantitative analysis of the results of a survey questionnaire applied to test the hypotheses based on the formulation of a structural equation model. The results demonstrate the importance of social media communication in Perceived Health Risk (PHR) and its effect on perceived impressions, destination image, and related behavioral responses (Destination Recommendation, DR, and Visit Intention, VI). The four hypotheses in the research model have been confirmed, as the effects are statistically significant in a sample of posts analyzed, and the selected items explain every one of the factors. Specifically, the analysis shows that PHR negatively affects Destination Image (DI) and, in a stronger way, Post Impression (PI). Secondly, PI and DI influence one another and covary to some extent. Moreover, the overall DI, which has been affected by PHR, in turn affects DR and VI, demonstrating that PHR in communication ultimately influences DR and VI negatively too. Finally, is also verified both DR and VI are related and covary as intrinsic behavioral aspects related to DI. Resilience communication is a basic tool for destinations to improve their image and recover after a crisis and this research contributes to the literature on the subject by analyzing the impact of this communication on tourists, and specifically on destination image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public diplomacy is an international political communication activity used by countries to achieve political objectives abroad and establish positive relationships with foreign publics. There are four types of public diplomacy: cultural, media, branding, and niche. Methodology: Following the SALSA framework and the PRISMA statement's four-phase flow diagram, this paper seeks to answer the following research questions: How has the production of academic literature about Latin American public diplomacy evolved? What are the characteristics of the production country by country? What characterizes such production according to the type of public diplomacy it is focused on? The systematic review of the academic literature on Latin American public diplomacy resulted in a sample of 95 items published in databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, SpringerLink, ProQuest One Academic, Jstor, and DOAJ. Results: Academic publications on Latin American public diplomacy emerged in 2007 and have grown consistently since 2016. The primary focus has been on Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, with Brazil and Colombia being the primary editors of journals publishing articles on the topic. Studies on Brazil and branding constitute a significant portion of the research, representing 28% and 60% of the sample, respectively. Conclusions: Academic production about Latin American public diplomacy begins later than that focused on other parts of the world, consistent with its later practice in the region. The dominant powers have the leading role. Branding focused on promoting tourism, investment, and exports, is the type of public diplomacy generating the most interest, to the detriment of strategies with more political weight such as media diplomacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fact checking is becoming an essential journalistic task because of the proliferation of misinformative content disseminated massively through social media and other channels. Based on this observation, the fundamental objective of the research that serves as the basis for this paper was to learn about the Spanish journalists' professional routines and training in fact-checking. The authors developed a 29-item questionnaire distributed via email to journalists nationwide between May and June 2023 to collect the information. We obtained 326 responses, resulting in several findings: a) the implementation of data verification is not uniform, being more frequent in some types of media --newspapers and verification platforms-- and in large corporations; b) workload is an obstacle that prevents most journalists from devoting as much time to verification as it would require; c) some areas generate more problems when it comes to cross-checking data --such as politics and economics--; d) the preferred sources for verification are academic and official sources --governments, state security forces-; e) the digital tools that are known or used by professionals still have low penetration rates, with only some exceptions; f) although the perception of the respondents is that they are sufficiently trained for verification work, only a minority have received specific training in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arab can be considered as a new emergent region in the world by using advanced bibliometric methods, the development of science and technology in Unsure is explored. Purpose: This article explores the implications of publication requirements for the research output of Arab academics of library and information science in Scopus, and reviews (12) years of Library and information science research in the Arab World affiliated with the (22) countries of the Arab League: a bibliometric study 2011-2022. As such it contributes to the existing body of knowledge on quantitative and qualitative effects of research evaluation policies. Design/methodology/approach: Three metrics were chosen to analyses the implications of publication requirements for the quality of research output: publications in predatory journals, publications in local journals and publications per SNIP quartile from the disciplinary perspective. Findings: Study results highlight, that: Firstly: publications of Arab academics of library and information science in predatory journals rose to (12.162 % in 2011-2013) - (39.190 in 2020-2022). Secondly: the share of publications in local journals reached the Peak of fourth period 44.595% in 2020-2022. Thirdly: though the total number of publications has risen dramatically since 2011, but the share of Q3+Q4 has exceeded the share of Q1+Q2. Summaries: the study findings highlight, that research evaluation policies are required to contain not only quantitative but also qualitative criteria. Research limitation: The study does not explore in detail the effects of a particular type of publication requirements. Practical implications: The findings of the study have practical implications for policymakers and university managers aimed to develop research evaluation policies. Originality/value: This paper gains insights into the effects of publication requirements on the research output of Arab academics of library and information science in Scopus & local journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-human-centered design tools, such as ChatGPT, have shown potential as effective aids in academic article design. This study conducts a comparative evaluation of ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4, examining their capabilities and limitations in supporting the academic article design process. The study aims to demonstrate the utility of ChatGPT as a writing tool and investigate its applicability and efficacy in the context of academic paper design. The author interacted with both versions of ChatGPT, providing prompts and analyzing the generated responses. In addition, a different expert academic was consulted to assess the appropriateness of the ChatGPT responses. The findings suggest that ChatGPT, despite its limitations, could serve as a useful tool for academic writing, particularly in the design of academic articles. Despite the limitations of both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, GPT-3.5 offers a broader perspective, whereas GPT-4 provides a more in-depth and detailed approach to the design of articles. ChatGPT exhibits capabilities in aiding the design process, generating ideas aligned with the overall purpose and focus of the paper, producing consistent and contextually relevant responses to various natural language inputs, partially assisting in literature reviews, supporting paper design in terms of both content and format, and providing reasonable editing and proofreading for articles. However, limitations were identified, including reduced critical thinking, potential for plagiarism, risk of misinformation, lack of originality and innovation, and limited access to literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first review of selective exposure studies in Spain, offering comprehensive insights into the diverse findings and analytical strategies employed over almost three decades by studies that explore the politically oriented media consumption of Spanish audiences. The article divides the evolution of this research line in Spain into two main phases -an initial phase (1995-2016) and a consolidation phase (2017-present)- according to the methodological approaches used during each period. Despite the challenges posed by working with secondary data and the lack of experimental designs, we note a robust initiation of this research line in Spain, accompanied by increasing methodological sophistication and diversification and a substantial accumulation of evidence on how Spanish audiences selectively consume like-minded news media. The paper also identifies the blind spots of selective exposure research in Spain, such as the scarcity of primary data sources, which overlooks phenomena such as online selective exposure and selective avoidance, the need to supplement multivariate analyses with other techniques that allow the direction of causal influence between variables to be established, and the significance of assessing the role of public media as facilitators or inhibitors of cross-cutting exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has witnessed a substantial increase in the number of affiliations listed by individual authors of scientific papers. Some authors now list an astonishing number of institutions, sometimes exceeding 20, 30, or more. This trend raises concerns regarding the genuine scientific contributions these authors make at each institution they claim to be affiliated with. To address this issue, our study conducted a comprehensive regional analysis of the growth of both domestic and international multi-affiliations over the past decade. Our findings reveal certain countries that have experienced an abnormal surge in international multi-affiliation authorships. Coupled with the high numbers of affiliations involved, this emphasizes the need for careful scrutiny of the actual scientific contributions made by these authors and the importance of safeguarding the integrity of scientific output and networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already integrated into news production strategies in some media outlets. Recently, generative AIs such as ChatGPT and others have demonstrated their ability to enhance productivity in content production tasks, raising the question of how journalism faculties can address this new technology. This paper presents an academic study on the application of AI in higher communication studies. The study involved 4 in-depth interviews and 28 semi-structured interviews with university lecturers and researchers. The findings confirm varying degrees of convergence and divergence on different aspects of the technology, including the integration of AI in communication faculties, student training in AI usage, the introduction of AI and journalism as a subject area, and the potential uses of AI in news production and consumption. Additionally, this paper proposes a comprehensive training program on AI and journalism, focusing on its foundations, technical competencies and ethical considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet, the new mobile devices and cloud storage are changing the way in which people deal with information; we still need great storage capacity and information readers but we also value ubiquity and data synchronization between the different devices that we are using. Access has become more important than storage. The web as a tool is leading to the obsolescence of digital media that are just 20 years old and boosts the multimedia possibilities of paper, an analog medium that facilitates the relationship between people and mobile devices. We go through some of the experiences carried out in the Muskiz public library exploring the new multimedia possibilities of paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circulation of newspapers that have both a "paper version" and a "free digital" version is analysed to determine whether there is a relationship between the two kinds of circulation. If there is an existing relationship we want to know how it works, what the overall effects are, and if these effects create some form of "cannibalization". We studied the leading "free digital" publications in Spain for general information (El mundo), sports (Marca), and economics (Expansión). Sources for extracting data are Introl, OJD and OJD Interactiva. Data analysis was based on a descriptive statistics methodology and monthly series over 10 years, starting in June 1998, the first available date for electronic editions of these three newspapapers. The last month analysed is December 2008 because OJD Interactiva modified its measurement methods in January 2009 and this change could have affected the study results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online press is immersed in a dynamic process, characterized by the incorporation of information technologies (IT) and search for new business models. In this context, digital media have found in mobile devices one of their main platforms of development, due to the possibilities of bringing information closer to its recipients and personalising messages according to their preferences. The object of this article is to investigate the potential of new mobile devices for information mobility, and their implementation for Spanish cybermedia. Pages audited with OJD Interactive software were used for this analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to commemorate the late scholar Loet Leydesdorff for his great academic contribution on the basis of data from Web of Science. In the span of more than 40 years, he had 526 publications, with the years 2004-2021 being the most productive (394 publications). His international collaborations spread widely across 36 countries, with Germany, the USA, the UK, China, Russia, and South Korea being the most significant. His most frequent collaboration partners included Lutz Bornmann (Germany), Staša Milojević (USA), Caroline Wagner (USA), Henry Etzkowitz (USA), Jonathan Adams (UK), Ronald Rousseau (Belgium), and Ping Zhou (China). With a broad and deep knowledge background, Leydesdorff's research extended across multiple disciplines and fields, but he was most active in library and information science and computer science. He made profound contributions to the study of bibliometrics, innovation systems (the Triple Helix model), and communications. Leydesdorff had a remarkable and extensive citation impact, with citations in 221 WoS subject categories from 120 countries. His publications in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006, and 2012 are highly cited, and those on university-industry-government relations (the Triple Helix model) are the most cited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of scientific journals poses challenges owing to the existence of various impact measures. This is because journal ranking is a multidimensional construct that may not be assessed effectively using a single metric such as an impact factor. A few studies have proposed an ensemble of metrics to prevent the bias induced by an individual metric. In this study, a multi-metric journal ranking method based on the standardized average index (SA index) was adopted to develop an extended standardized average index (ESA index). The ESA index utilizes six metrics: the CiteScore, Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Hirsh index (H-index), Eigenfactor Score, and Journal Impact Factor from three well-known databases (Scopus, SCImago Journal & Country Rank, and Web of Science). Experiments were conducted in two computer science subject areas: (1) artificial intelligence and (2) computer vision and pattern recognition. Comparing the results of the multi-metric-based journal ranking system with the SA index, it was demonstrated that the multi-metric ESA index exhibited high correlation with all other indicators and significantly outperformed the SA index. To further evaluate the performance of the model and determine the aggregate impact of bibliometric indices with the ESA index, we employed unsupervised machine learning techniques such as clustering coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE). These techniques were utilized to measure the clustering impact of various bibliometric indicators on both the complete set of bibliometric features and the reduced set of features. Furthermore, the results of the ESA index were compared with those of other ranking systems, including the internationally recognized Scopus, SJR, and HEC Journal Recognition System (HJRS) used in Pakistan. These comparisons demonstrated that the multi-metric-based ESA index can serve as a valuable reference for publishers, journal editors, researchers, policymakers, librarians, and practitioners in journal selection, decision making, and professional assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the number of television series increasing almost daily and resources becoming increasingly sparse, it is more important than ever for companies to determine which series will have market success or not. This paper attempts to identify the characteristics of television fiction series that cause consumers to perceive them as being of high quality. In a nation-wide survey, we isurveyed 874 television viewers about ten series from four genres to investigate which characteristics of television series predict consumers' perception of their quality. Although in most cases the coherence of the plot and the dialogues have a strong and positive effect on perceived quality, overall, we find that different genres have different predictors of perceived quality. We discuss the implications of our findings and provide recommendations for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to foster the debate on Media Literacy (ML) projects with a focus on disinformation. We analyse initiatives carried out locally in Portugal, considering the principles of ML, the necessary development of skills and competences, as well as the importance of the journalistic action and the consequences of platformization on professional practices. Mixed methods are applied to collect and analyse quali-quantitative data from ML projects and trainings involving multiple stakeholders. Inquiring three independent samples (editors-in-chief, journalists trained in ML, teachers trained by journalists in ML) the research questions address the importance of journalists' participation in ML within different roles, as well as the training quality and projects' assessment. Findings show a lack of specialised knowledge, practical tools, and continuous training as well the need for more tailor-made programs and evaluation resources that allow for the creation and promotion of more effective ML training programs. This contribution is therefore two-folded: a) it aims to enhance the operational aspects of media training in the field, based on a continuous improvement logic and b) it explores a specific evaluative example on how the feedback from training can help improve research efforts in the media literacy field. Conclusions systematise the assumptions, stemming from an articulation of ML stakeholders' perspectives, that guide the implementation, improvement, and assessment of training: collaboration, continuity, and sustainability. These inductive categories allow for the development of theoretical-practical dimensions of the processes for evaluating innovative training against disinformation which may in turn have an inoculation role in the wider public sphere. We suggest improvements to the methodological-operational processes to involve journalists, to do follow-up, assessment, and implementation of wider training projects, contributing to applied research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research addresses the growing social importance of data from an educational perspective through data literacy (DL), seeking to integrate it into the broader information literacy (Infolit) movement. For this purpose, a systematic review was carried out of the papers in the main collection of the Web of Science that contain both concepts (DL and Infolit) and that were indexed up until March 2023. External aspects, such as the growth of the research and the identity, nationality, professional scope, and productivity of the authors, were taken into account. In addition, internal aspects, such as context (theory, frameworks, definitions, models, and related disciplines), objectives, methodology, results, conclusions, and recommendations, were analyzed to obtain a detailed perspective of the scientific research process adopted. A synchronic and diachronic analysis of the corpus of selected articles is offered, focusing on the aforementioned aspects. The researchers' consensus on the urgency of addressing data training both generally and specifically in the different disciplines, languages, environments, and levels is evident. The emergent, multisectoral, and interdisciplinary nature of data literacy as part of Infolit, which is being applied in the education of students at different levels, viz. professionals and citizens, is noted, although the training limitations of students and many professionals are evident. Consequently, it is imperative to include DL in curricula and training programs to contribute to the acquisition and development of these competencies in different areas. To this end, the joint work of teachers, librarians, researchers, and other professionals is imperative. There is a need to deepen the theoretical, practical, and applied fields, as well as to reach a common definition, form a basic model of DL competencies within Infolit, and create submodels that take into consideration the idiosyncrasies of each area of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As institutions committed to society, universities communicate their responsible behavior and their impacts on the environment and community through University Social Responsibility (USR) and sustainability reports. This paper analyzes USR management in the 50 higher education institutions that belong to the Spanish public university system and their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. A descriptive methodology was followed to carry out a document review and content analysis of their social responsibility and sustainability reports, as well as their institutional development plans. The results show that both the conceptualization and management of USR as a policy is very heterogeneous between universities and by regions. There is little evidence that USR policies are deeply rooted in a government framework and that the contribution of public universities to the 2030 Agenda is incipient. Although the relationship with internal and external audiences is represented in the documents, there are weaknesses in the relationship with mixed interest groups. Responsible communication is presented as a mechanism for the integration and promotion of the SDGs in universities and as a manifestation of their relationships with stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convictions of political corruption depend on public communication, since for citizens, to perceive deviant behaviours, these must receive attention. In Spain, this type of behaviour is part of the agendas of citizens, media, and politicians and, to fight against it, accountability is essential. In addition to the judiciary and legislature (in their oversight role), the media and social media help voters, MPs and others to make informed decisions and press for action. However, the interrelationships between different agents, types, and forms of control for accountability are a rather unexplored research topic, especially when considering non-accountable institutions (those that have power, but are not directly accountable to the electorate, such as the monarchy). The debate on the inviolability of the emeritus presents a perfect scenario to describe what formulas and what kind of sanctions (legal, labour, reputational or personal) for accountability have occurred in Spain in the case of a non-accountable institution. This study explores the agendas of media, Parliament, and Twitter (and their inter-influences) during the Geneva papers scandal. We analyzed 189,037 tweets, 1,220 journalistic pieces and 78 parliamentary initiatives related to the former monarch. The main results show that the media, social networks, and Parliament have acted as agents of accountability with Juan Carlos I, as if it were an accountable institution. Online newspapers and Twitter have led the oversight, while the parliamentary initiative has been ineffective and has essentially served as an instrument of partisan communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the announcement of the retirement of Microsoft Academic Graph (MAG), the non-profit organization OurResearch announced that they would provide a similar resource under the name OpenAlex. Thus, we compare the metadata with relevance to bibliometric analyses of the latest MAG snapshot with an early OpenAlex snapshot. Practically all works from MAG were transferred to OpenAlex preserving their bibliographic data publication year, volume, first and last page, DOI as well as the number of references that are important ingredients of citation analysis. More than 90% of the MAG documents have equivalent document types in OpenAlex. Of the remaining ones, especially reclassifications to the OpenAlex document types journal-article and book-chapter seem to be correct and amount to more than 7%, so that the document type specifications have improved significantly from MAG to OpenAlex. As another item of bibliometric relevant metadata, we looked at the paper-based subject classification in MAG and in OpenAlex. We found significantly more documents with a subject classification assignment in OpenAlex than in MAG. On the first and second level, the classification structure is nearly identical. We present data on the subject reclassifications on both levels in tabular and graphical form. The assessment of the consequences of the abundant subject reclassifications on field-normalized bibliometric evaluations is not in the scope of the present paper. Apart from this open question, OpenAlex seems to be overall at least as suited for bibliometric analyses as MAG for publication years before 2021 or maybe even better because of the broader coverage of document type assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, collaboration within a team to solve complicated scientific and social problems has attracted growing popularity. In particular, many complex challenges and opportunities require expertise and skills across disciplinary, organizational, and cultural boundaries. However, rapid growth in the demand for scientific collaboration has outpaced changes in the factors needed to support scientific teams. Also, scientific results are not simply a combination of different working results; understanding how teams work and what causes them to fail or succeed is of the utmost importance. Thus, the Science of Team Science (SciTS), an emerging interdisciplinary research area, has emerged as a way of understanding and managing the circumstances that facilitate or hinder the effectiveness of large-scale cross-disciplinary, collaborative research, training, and translational initiatives. SciTS integrates various quantitative and qualitative research methods and is still advancing in its sophistication. Using bibliometric and information visualization methods, this paper clarifies the concepts and connotations of teams and team science. It sets out important events in the emergence and development of SciTS and summarizes the characteristics of the SciTS literature, identifying seven main research areas. The paper concludes with a discussion on the challenges facing the future advancement of SciTS and corresponding recommendations for breaking through these bottlenecks. Our goal is to deepen researchers’ understanding of SciTS and better inform the policies and practices that govern SciTS for more effective team science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes an important contribution to comparative research by examining data journalism in Spain and Austria. This paper examines the practice of data journalism from a triple perspective: (a) the common features of day-to-day work, (b) the organizational structure and the role of the teams in newsrooms, and (c) the obstacles to and the future of data-driven reporting. Results from content analysis of data-driven news stories in El país and Der standard (N = 136) show differences and similarities in the covered topics, sources, narrative style, visualizations, interactive functions, and levels of transparency. Interestingly, only 36.8% of the analyzed news stories correspond to the normative expectations of transparency by incorporating both sources and methodological details. While the Spanish newspaper shows significantly higher levels of transparency compared with the Austrian newspaper, both newspapers perform very similarly when it comes to providing access to raw data, which was the case in only every fifth news story analyzed. Findings from focused interviews with the heads of data journalism teams deliver interesting insights into specific challenges that each news outlet is facing when creating day-to-day data-driven news stories. This research confirms the relevance that data journalism has achieved in countries such as Spain and demonstrates the effort of journalists in countries without access to information and transparency laws to create data-driven stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the results of the first global ranking that assesses the status and evolution of the media according to their digital reputation. We analyzed 4,541 general information digital newspapers, both legacy and native, published in 200 countries and in more than 80 languages. Methodologically, we applied a new Digital Reputation Indicator (DRI) as a composite evaluation and measurement tool, weighting web metrics from globally recognized, balanced, and validated sources such as Semrush, Ahrefs, and Majestic. This establishes the foundations of the SCImago Media Rankings (SMR) as a balanced watchdog resource for analysis of the digital transformation of the media and as an international catalog of journalistic websites, with a consensus-based and homologous classification and typification that can be applied to different countries. The main conclusion of the first three quarterly waves, carried out between September 2022 and March 2023, is that there is a direct relationship between the degree of socioeconomic and cultural development of the countries and the digital reputation achieved by their media outlets in the ranking. Additionally, the influence of language is notable as a determining factor in the positioning of the media in the ranking. The top positions are occupied by reference digital newspapers located in Western countries of the Northern Hemisphere, especially those in the English language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present an international overview of the use of artificial intelligence in the context of media archives in broadcasters, preservation institutions and press agencies, through a comprehensive analysis of sources primarily focusing on case studies presented at international conferences and seminars, together with the results of the survey on the use of artificial intelligence conducted by FIAT/IFTA. Once the most commonly used technologies have been defined and we have identified the stages of the production workflow in which they are used, we will discuss the specific applications of these technologies in television archives, audiovisual heritage preservation organisations, press agencies and innovation projects where technology vendors and media companies collaborate. Finally, we will deal with the challenges related to the implementation of AI in media archives, the need for datasets in the development of language models, and the relevance of a sensible use of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AI integration in media newsrooms is changing professional routines, required profiles and journalistic products. The acceleration in the development of this technology since the end of 2022 makes it necessary to review these tools in order to analyse their uses and risks, as well as their possible applications in the journalistic field. OpenAI launched Chat-GPT in November 2022 open to the public. This tool has been a key element in this technological revolution. This paper analyses ChatGPT applications in journalistic newsrooms through its introduction during a working day in the routine of different professionals. A mixed methodology was used to carry out this experience: a benchmarking of AI tools applied to journalism was created, a walkthrough experience was carried out with ChatGPT and, based on the results obtained in these first two phases, the experiment with journalists was designed. A total of 12 journalists of different ages and sectors with little or no previous contact with technological tools based on artificial intelligence, as the aim of the study is to observe the application in newsrooms without the need for technical training, participated in this research. The results show the usefulness of the tool to automate mechanical processes, rewrite texts, analyse data and even serve as a content idea creator. On the other hand, journalists have also perceived significant risks such as inaccuracy of AI as well as lack of 'empathy'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Harbingers project, which studied the working lives and scholarly communication behaviour of early career researchers (ECRs) over 6 years, found evidence of changing attitudes to questionable (grey) publishing. Thus, whilst predatory publishers have come to be treated with equanimity, as a problem easily dealt with, there was growing concern with the high volume of low-grade research being generated, some of which by 'grey' open access publishers for want of a better name (questionable and non-standard have also been used). With the recent announcement (2023) that the government of Malaysia (a Harbinger case country) is not providing Article Processing Charges (APCs) for articles published by MDPI, Frontiers and Hindawi on quality and cost grounds, we set out to see what lay behind this decision and whether other countries exhibited similar concerns. Information was obtained by asking Harbinger country leads, mostly embedded in research universities, from Australia, China, France, Israel, Malaysia, Poland, Spain, UK, and the US to conduct desk research to establish what is happening. It was found that countries, like ECRs, appear to have formed into two different camps, with China, Poland, France, and Spain joining Malaysia in the camp of those who felt concerned about these publishers and the UK, US, Israel, and Australia belonging to the camp of the unconcerned. Explanations for the split are furnished and whether the Malaysian position will prevail elsewhere is considered. Finally, in this paper, we have aired issues/concerns, rather than provided robust, systematic data. For a systematic study we shall have to wait for the fuller study we are hoping to conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conceptualization of the EU as a normative power has become a central theoretical framework in the field of European studies. This concept highlights the EU’s role in the promotion of normative principles, particularly those concerning its core values as laid out in article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. While the majority of academic works on NPE have mostly focused on the EU’s external action, there is a growing trend to apply this concept to the study of member States that challenge the core values of the EU. This paper takes a step further in that endeavor through the analysis of Spanish media discourses on the EU, and their role in the discursive construction of the EU as a normative power, both internally and externally. Specifically, our research focuses on how the EU’s commitment to human rights norms and the rule of law are reflected in dominant media discourses on the EU in Spanish media. To conduct our study, six national Spanish media outlets were selected based on the following criteria: Ownership; ideology; consumption; and impact. A final sample of 540 news items published between July 2021 and March 2022 were selected for analysis. Using a qualitative methodological approach that includes content analysis and critical discourse analysis, we analyzed the major discourses identified in relation to the EU, focusing on those in which the construction (or deconstruction) of the EU as a normative power is more prevalent. We also attempted to unfold how this construction is projected internally and externally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interconnection of technology and politics and the enactment of particular political goals (technopolitics) has been closely articulated with emotions and the building of foreign policy narratives. In the current context of change in the communication paradigm, global and disintermediated, bringing together in the same digital space distinct actors, and having wide diffusion and reach, the challenges to international politics are diverse. Digital and media literacy are, in this regard, key to address the implications of these changes, avoiding the spreading of disinformation, fake news and distorted practices that might have profound effects at societal and political level. In this context, this paper aims at providing a basis for understanding the emerging and increasingly clear connection between political communication, polarization, disinformation, and emotions in social networks and digital literacy as a central factor explaining misuse or alleviating deficiencies, on the one hand, and how this context is affecting the reconfiguration of international relations and politics, on the other hand. The case of the war in Ukraine is illustrative of these trends and dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the sustainability of the recorded music industry from the perspective of music performers. Music streaming platforms, or digital music service providers (DMSPs), have changed the recorded music industry paradigm since the middle of the 2010s. Business models for performers have evolved from royalty agreements based on sales to more complex remuneration systems based on revenues from a combination of (ad-based) free and paid subscriptions. Previous research has mainly focused on the examination of the business models of streaming services from the point of view of the innovation players (digital platforms) and/or the traditional dominant intermediaries (record labels and publishers). However, not all innovation-driven transformations are sustainable. In this paper, we argue that the sustainability of the main business models in the music industry demands the consideration of the performers' perspective. We combine a qualitative approach with primary and secondary data sources to investigate the sustainability of existing trends of business models and business practices for different categories of performers, including both monetary values and a description of how revenues are shared. We conclude that DMSPs foster an asymmetric value chain in which the creative players barely capture value while technology-based innovations increase the capability of DMSPs to generate and capture value. Finally, we outline some alternative business models looking for the long-term sustainability of the digital music marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After two-years of repeat interviewing around 170 early career science/social science researchers from China, France, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Spain, UK and US about their work life and scholarly communications in pandemic-times, the Harbingers project is now in possession of a mountain of data on what constitutes a very important academic topic. The purpose of the paper is to share the early highlights of the data, with a focus on the main and lasting impacts of the pandemic. The data presented comes from the national interviewers, who had conducted 3 rounds of interviews with their 20 or so early career researchers (ECRs) over two years and, thus, knew them well. They were asked to provide an ‘aerial view’ by identifying the most important impacts they had detected while things were still fresh in their minds. The main findings are that: 1) ECRs, the research workhorses, have generally proved to be resilient and perseverant and some have prospered; 2) the pandemic has fast-tracked researchers to a virtual and remote scholarly world, with all the advantages and disadvantages that comes with it. The data, however, is nuanced, with significant differences occurring between countries, especially China and France. The paper also updates a literature review on the topic previously published in this journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are we witnessing the return of virtual worlds such as Deuxième Monde (1997) or Second Life (2003), boosted and enhanced by technologies? Or is it the coming of the next generation of the Internet (Web 3.0)? Or is it just a marketing repackaging of virtual reality markets that up to now did not deliver as expected? This paper attempts to provide answers to these questions. It introduces the notion of the metaverse, looks at its definition(s), and describes its key elements, thereby outlining the metaverse ecosystem. The article also attempts to draw lessons from the pioneering experiences of former virtual worlds, and thus examines some case studies from the video game industry. In conclusion, we investigate the metaverse's potential constraints (energy/environment, cost of hardware and bandwidth, lack of business models, regulation) and opportunities, and reveal the challenges ahead for its widespread adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the under-researched topic of the use of Twitter by members of parliament (MPs) in Latin America. There have not yet been any thorough comparative studies on this topic, and the majority of publications on the region focus on single case studies. Previous studies have primarily concentrated on presidents, or in the case of MPs, on specific case studies. A total of 2,353,138 tweets were accessed via the Twitter API, and 3,215 MPs were examined. Regression models and correlations were used to answer research questions, and the main variables examined concerned individual characteristics of MPs (gender and age) and socioeconomic indicators of the country (number of people on Twitter, internet access, Human Development Index - HDI). As a result, this paper offers a report on how MPs in Latin America are currently utilizing Twitter. While this social network is used by more than 90% of MPs in some countries (Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru, and Uruguay), there are countries where fewer than half of MPs use it (Bolivia, Honduras, and Nicaragua). The results show that female MPs are more likely than male MPs to use Twitter. In addition, Twitter is being adopted more by younger MPs. Other results show that country characteristics such as internet penetration, Twitter population, and the HDI are significant predictors regarding the adoption and use of Twitter by MPs. These results are consistent with assumptions based on cost-benefit calculus. Thus, it does not make as much sense for politicians to adopt Twitter in countries where there are fewer people on Twitter and low internet penetration. In particular, if politicians want to be elected or inform citizens about their activities, they have an opportunity to reach voters through Twitter. However, this is only true if Twitter is used in their countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of the Covid-19 virus in early 2020 grew in parallel with the spread of rumours, false or unverified news and even contradictions between information sources and health sources. It has been the first pandemic to be broadcast live on social media and has generated disinformation which was described by the WHO as an "infodemic", a pandemic as serious as the virus itself. The aim was to identify and analyse the impact generated by the first wave of Covid-19 (January-June 2020) on public health communication. The review was carried out under the Prisma guidelines. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases, which yielded a figure of 1.157 papers. Using seven keywords as a filter a corpus of 193 articles was reached. Four main themes were identified: 1) Need for massive public health literacy; 2) Social networks as an information and disinformation during pandemic; (3) The uncertain response of institutional communication; and (4) Media coverage of the pandemic. The authors propose large-scale health literacy and point out the need to work on health information together -governments, health institutions and the media-. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the thematic and conceptual structure of the Spanish scientific production published in Emerging Sources Citation Index (Web of Science) journals. In this way, the aim is to identify the closest links between concepts and terms based on the co-occurrence of keywords used by the authors of the papers analysed, and also to point out the theoretical foundations that exist in the discipline through the co-citation relationships of articles in the bibliography of the documents in the sample. Finally, these results were compared with those obtained from the analysis of Spanish scientific production in Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). To achieve these objectives, a network analysis of the co-occurrence of keywords and co-citation of references in articles published in Communication journals between 2015 and 2021 in ESCI (N = 3,559) and SSCI (N = 1,738) with at least one author linked to a Spanish institution was carried out. The results point to similar structural cohesion values and to a thematic and methodological similarity between both sets observed. There is a marked tendency towards quantitative studies on new technologies. While in SSCI there is an almost absolute dominance of Journalism studies, in ESCI there is a greater diversity of other disciplines such as Audiovisual Communication or Advertising. However, the intellectual structure of the production in SSCI reflects a more specialised character than in ESCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to dissect the presence of female writers in the main four cultural supplements of Spanish reference press: Babelia (El país), Cultura/s (La vanguardia), El cultural (El mundo) and ABC cultural (ABC). For this, we analyzed the "books of the year" recommended between 2010 and 2021 (n = 1,286), as well as the juries in charge of elaborating these ranks. The results show the subsidiary role reserved for women in this sphere of cultural information: they barely author 25.3% of the selected books, although some degree is progress is observed in the historical series, after going from 4.8% in 2011 to 37.8% in 2020. The increase in the presence of women in the juries has contributed to this phenomenon --the correlation between ratio of women in both lists being statiscally significant (rs = 0.647, p < 0.001)--, together with the commitment of supplement such as Babelia and Cultura/s to literature written by women. On the contrary, there still seem to be pockets of exclusion in El cultural and ABC cultural, which reduce the visibility of work of female writers in Spain. According to our findings, women authors stand out for their youth (they are between 8 and 20 years younger than men, depending on the indicator), cosmopolitism (there are more foreign female writers, especially American, than Spanish) and origin (mainly, Madrid and Barcelona). This article evinces the collective imaginary, settled for centuries, by which literature was considered a men's affair, and reflects on the role of cultural journalism and its prescriptive function when it comes to breaking down gender stereotype --a task that, in view of the data provided in this paper, is still far from been completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of Communication in Spain is analyzed, contextualizing Spanish output at a global and local level between the years 2000 and 2020. Based on a descriptive bibliometric analysis of the Communication category of the Social Sciences Citation Index database, part of Web of Science, the impact of the main countries is identified. The weight of the output in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) database between 2015 and 2020 is also studied. An analysis of the output by universities in Spain for the period 2010–2020 is also carried out, comparing it with the impact and the works in the first quartile. The results reveal that Spain has been the fourth country in terms of output in Communication in the last decade and that Austria stands out as the country whose works have the greatest impact. It is also observed that 67% of Spain’s works in Communication are published in journals that are indexed in ESCI. The impact of Spanish universities is very close to the world average. The Universitat Pompeu Fabra stands out, publishing the most articles and, furthermore, being the Spanish university with most papers in the first quartile of the JCR in Communication between 2010 and 2020. The study of the Shanghai Ranking by area includes eight Spanish universities, only three of which have output in Communication that comes mainly from professors in this area. The role of the Spanish journals Comunicar and Profesional de la información is notable, as they publish a large fraction of the output by Spanish universities in the Communication field. Finally, this paper presents the challenges of research in Communication, as well as those related to its bibliometric analysis, and a reflection on the problems that affect scientific production and research in this subject area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil adopts a classification system of research and graduate education that is key to its high-stakes national evaluation. Originated in the 1970s, the system is organised around evaluation areas that have expanded and matured not only to support the evaluation dynamics in the country but also to address the immense growth of the National System of Research and Graduate Education (SNPG). This study investigates the origins, evolution and current profile of the Brazilian classification, identifying that five decades of expansion led the system to become somewhat peculiar, especially when compared with international classification systems such as the OECD Fields of Research and Development (FORD) and the Unesco International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). The investigation and the comparisons conducted reveal that the system needs to be revised. For that, the study advances to propose a scientometric approach to rethink not only the classification of evaluation areas but also the allocation of research and graduate programs within them. The methods explored in this paper show the potential of the approach, as the different analyses performed can provide evidence to expert committees in the challenging task of performing an evolutionary review of the adopted classification system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anonymity of the Manosphere has provided a fertile breeding ground for the spread of misogyny through increased hate speech on the Internet. In recent years, this virtual space composed mostly of men, has been the subject of numerous studies aimed at identifying the discursive mechanisms of identity constructions that underlie the denigration of women. This paper takes the findings from international research on the subject to address a phenomenon still little explored in Spain through the analysis of misogynistic comments on Burbuja.info. Economic forum. The analysis sample comprises 4,281 messages that include the lexeme “woman” posted over 2.5 years, 761 of which contain expressions that ridicule, disparage, or insult women. Thematic analysis demonstrates the repetition of misogynistic topics and tropes common in the most radical Reddit and 4chan subforums, such as hypergamy, objectification, and the constant disparagement of the world of women, not to mention criticism of feminism, left-wing political parties, and legislation on gender violence. The results obtained show that the “male identity crisis” is narratively constructed in the messages on Burbuja.info using the motif of sacrifice –the cornerstone of a monotypic story in which the purpose of the hero-man-victim’s journey is to punish the villain-woman. Furthermore, we also found that there are different configurations of identity related to attitudes toward women; these match up with the four most prominent masculinist subcultures identified in the leading literature on the subject: Men Rights activists (MRA), Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), Pickup Artists (PUA), and Involuntary Celibates (Incels). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the societal impact of research from the perspective of interconnected genres. Information reaches professionals outside academia through many different types of documents. Those documents often connect with scholarship by referencing academic work, mentioning professors, or publishing articles authored by scholars. Here the pattern of referencing journal articles is compared across professional genres. Such citation counts make visible societal impacts to the extent that a field engages a genre, and different genres favor different fields. Biomedical sciences are most visible in patent citation counts. News and social media most often reference medicine. Policy documents make heavy use of social science. Ulrich’s indexing of trade journals, magazines, and newspapers suggests social sciences engage heavily with the professions through trade press. However, caution is warranted when using citations to indicate societal impact. Engagement with scholarship occurs not only through referencing but also through authorship and mentions. Not all citations indicate substantive engagement, particularly in social media. Academic literature is but one of many types of sources referenced in professional genres. And scholarship engages with many genres beyond those currently indexed, most notably trade press. Nevertheless, understanding citation patterns across heterogeneous professional genres offeres a promising frontier for information sciences to provide a foundation for the analysis of scholarship’s societal impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of 2020, media around the world have started and intensified their TikTok activity to gain notoriety and reach young people, their main user group. However, as with other previously popularized social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, the platform’s logic is different from that traditionally employed by the media system when developing information products. The objective of this paper is to analyze the degree of adaptation to the logic of this network for the activity developed on it by the Spanish media. For this purpose, a combined methodology of quantitative and content analysis was applied to 446 videos posted by the official user accounts of 20 Minutos, Antena 3 Noticias, El Diario, El Mundo, and El País–the five media outlets with the largest online audience in that period–from the time the accounts were created until January 31, 2022. Specifically, we studied the activity developed, the notoriety achieved, and the interaction obtained, as well as the most common formats, topics, protagonists, and brand identity elements. The results show that the main Spanish media have tried to adapt to the entertainment logic of the platform both with the use of native editing resources as well as through the creation of original materials, predominantly soft news, about entertainment, celebrities, and lifestyle. The videos that gain more notoriety are those that are more adapted to this logic. However, the Spanish media analyzed post less frequently than international media, obtain fewer views, and register lower engagement levels; in addition, they do not use their presence on this social network to promote their other editorial products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to discuss what we call environmental opacity, a condition of mobile instant messaging services (MIMS) that operates on the basis of end-to-end encryption systems. Utilizing WhatsApp as a specific example, the article presents two fundamental dilemmas around which some issues concerning transparency are mobilized when it comes to digital private communication. The first of them relates to how end-to-end encryption has simultaneously become an asset and a problem for democratic environments; on the one hand, protecting users’ privacy, and on the other, allowing for the circulation of misinformation and harmful content. The second dilemma deals with how this environment of opacity impacts the ethics and transparency of scholarly research focused on WhatsApp and other MIMSs. The paper also reviews an extensive body of studies that discuss the political uses of WhatsApp in different dimensions, and argues that emerging countries with large user bases, such as Brazil and India, have experienced a series of negative effects after the adoption of WhatsApp by politically oriented groups. Among the main proposals, the article suggests some measures to foster platform transparency and facilitate scientific research instead of hindering it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has greatly impacted science. It has become a global research front that constitutes a unique phenomenon of interest for the scientometric community. Accordingly, there has been a proliferation of descriptive studies on COVID-19 papers using altmetrics. Social media metrics serve to elucidate how research is shared and discussed, and one of the key points is to determine which factors are well-conditioned altmetric values. The main objective of this study is to analyze whether the altmetric mentions of COVID-19 medical studies are associated with the type of study and its level of evidence. Data were collected from the PubMed and Altmetric.com databases. A total of 16,672 publications by study types (e.g., case reports, clinical trials, or meta-analyses) that were published in the year 2021 and that had at least one altmetric mention were retrieved. The altmetric indicators considered were Altmetric Attention Score (AAS), news mentions, Twitter mentions, and Mendeley readers. Once the dataset of COVID-19 had been created, the first step was to carry out a descriptive study. Then, a normality hypothesis was evaluated by means of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, and since this was significant in all cases, the overall comparison of groups was performed using the nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test. When this test rejected the null hypothesis, pairwise comparisons were performed with the Mann–Whitney U test, and the intensity of the possible association was measured using Cramer’s V coefficient. The results suggest that the data do not fit a normal distribution. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed coincidences in five groups of study types: The altmetric indicator with most coincidences was news mentions, and the study types with the most coincidences were the systematic reviews together with the meta-analyses, which coincided with four altmetric indicators. Likewise, between the study types and the altmetric indicators, a weak but significant association was observed through the chi-square and Cramer’s V. It can thus be concluded that the positive association between altmetrics and study types in medicine could reflect the level of the “pyramid” of scientific evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]