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Purpose – This paper aims to determine to what extent the scientific production and research activities of a group of National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) research institutes in the sciences, social sciences and humanities are visible on the internet with a view to identifying areas where web presence is not optimal so improvements can be made. Design/methodology/approach – The authors do this by analysing the relevant information on their web sites and by comparing institutional listings of scientific production between 2005 and 2006, with papers reported in the international, multidisciplinary online services of the Web of Science and Scopus, as well as in Clase and Periódica which cover production in Latin American journals. Findings – Results indicate general poor visibility of research activities and production in the institutional web sites with only limited access to full text articles. Web sites of the institutes in the sciences score better than those in the humanities and social sciences where book publication is an important research output. The official publication lists in the form of annual reports were found not to accurately represent production with additional papers attributed to the different institutions appearing in commercial databases. It is suggested that more effort should be directed towards improving the information content and access to research data on these institutional web sites, possibly through linkage to an UNAM repository. Originality/value – This is the first study to critically examine the visibility of research on Mexican academic web sites for which a series of indicators related to the different categories of research information which would ideally be found on institutional pages were developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide a description and reflection on some of the structural problems and challenges faced when developing a digital humanities (DH) project in a Mexican public university. Design/methodology/approach – As DH is a relatively new field and practice in Mexican academia, this article is based on a case study of developing the Biblioteca Digital de Pensamiento Novohispano (Digital Library of New Hispanic Thought). This is one of the few DH at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the largest public university in the country. Findings – It was found that there were three central problems for developing a DH project in a Mexican public university: existing technical knowledge and abilities at the UNAM will be challenged by DH projects; projects are the place to train human resources in DH methodology; and researchers need to consider different long-term infrastructure and hosting solutions, with or without using institutional infrastructure, at the same time researches need to work within the institution to establish a specific policy for research projects. Practical implications – The paper concludes that the structure, goals and products of DH projects need to be modified and expanded in order to also consider alternative goals and products such as: proposals of institutional policy, creation of infrastructure and academic and student training. DH projects must be regarded as disruptive, that is that the project needs to assume rupture as a part of the project itself. Originality/value – The experience of innovation and disruption is not necessarily the same in all fields and all institutions. This article documents for the first time the particular experiences of a public university in a developing country with DH projects. It has been found that the delay in using computers in the humanities in Mexico has led to the development of a specific paradox: a gap between institutional interest and disposition in the use of computers in humanities, and the lack of DH culture in those who have to develop the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effects of criminal networks involved in corruption and drug trafficking on democratic formal institutions in Colombia and Mexico. The theoretical framework is sustained in the concepts of State Capture (StC) and Co-opted State Reconfiguration (CStR). Three illicit networks are analyzed: (i) The Familia Michoacana in Mexico, (ii) the Autodefensas Campesinas del Casanare (ACC) in Colombia and (iii) the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC). These cases are analyzed throughout the Social Network Analysis (SNA) in order to identify (i) the hub and (ii) the structural bridge of each network. A methodological variation referenced as Social Network Analysis for Institutional Diagnosis (SNAID) is also applied, in order to analyze the institutional scope of processes of StC and CStR. Conclusions and explorative venues regarding the application of SNA and SNAID as a diagnosis tool are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As spatial data handling tools become incorporated into the Internet, new urban planning and design services will increasingly become available to users worldwide. These technologies can be utilized to facilitate and streamline the planning and design process and increase transparency as to how decisions are made. This paper demonstrates a tool that evaluates the suitability of any newly proposed land use in Guadalajara, Mexico, and gives the user an impact score for the proposed change. The application is a simple decision support tool developed as a proof of concept to illustrate use of the Internet in urban planning practices. The goal is to foster urban sustainability and assist planning agencies to make decisions and reach consensus among stakeholders (see http://guadalajara.tierraplan.com). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the use of poetry as interpretive and aesthetic inquiry into the meaning and experience of reproductive tourism. Drawing upon online infertility discussion forums (focused upon fertility travel to Cancun, Mexico) we experimented with three forms of found poetry as a method for listening deeply to participants. We describe our process and identify resonances as we listen to the extraordinarily resilient voices of women struggling with infertility. This inquiry raises distinctive ethical issues, departing from typical forms of qualitative analysis in emphasizing intuition, emotion, aesthetics and respectful play in the writing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper, which is part of a parallel study between Mexico and Spain, analyzes the environmental information requests that are made by users in the Spanish public sector bodies. Furthermore, a webcrawler, which was designed for this purpose, analyzes many parameters of the information displayed on the website of 30 environmental public bodies such as the number of documents, providers, types of environmental information, document formats ... Results highlight the use of metatags instead of metadata and descriptor analysis shows a lack of relationship between the requests and the descriptors which are used to identify such information on the Web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the development of internet research (mostly anglophone) between 1990 and 2007. To do so, some major theoretical topics of internet studies are analyzed, and several key debates are described in order to show the internet's evolution as an object of study. It is suggested that internet studies have become a field of knowledge under construction with increasing academic legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article features a new multimedia Web site from the nonpartisan Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2006. The Web site offers users several documentaries on the struggle to improve sanitation services and bring safe water to rural populations in Mexico. Research papers on small-scale water and sanitation projects can also be downloaded by users from the Web site. The Web site is a component of the center's "Navigating Peace: Forging New Water Partnerships" initiative on water issues.

The article offers information related to cataloging. It is reported that the Library of Congress Cataloging Directorate has issued "Bibliographic Control of Web Resources: A Library of Congress Action Plan. It is further reported that the Library of Congress, the National Library of Canada, and the British Library have agreed to adopt MARC 21 format. It is informed that Doctor Filiberto Felipe Martínez Arellano, a member of the "Cataloging & Classification Quarterly" periodical's Editorial Board, has been designated Director of the Library Center for Library Science Research at the National Autonomous University, Mexico City, Mexico.

Deals with the virtual wars among rebel political groups in cyberspace. Information on the Zapatistas or the Zapatista Army of National Liberation of both Mayan and Latino Mexicans; Web sites for the Albanians and the Serbs.

The article offers information related to environmental science as of 2012. Ocean data in the University of California (UC), San Diego's Google Earth application had been updated. A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) topographic survey was performed in Baja California, Mexico to investigate the land surface impacted by the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake in 2010. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts a study to know hydraulic fracturing's possible effects on drinking water resources.