Abstract

Although the field of Communication Sciences has been slower to organize in Spain than in other European countries and the United States, in recent years it has shown a clear tendency to growth. One way to trace this process is by analyzing scientific production, and this paper focuses on this aspect. Using bibliometric methods, we analyze scientific journals and papers indexed in Thomson Reuter’s international database, the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) for Communication. While the focus of the study is Spanish scientific output, the results are related to international activities in this field. The three Spanish journals included in SSCI in recent years: «Comunicar», «Comunicación y Sociedad» and «Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico» were studied in detail. The results show that Spain plays an important role in Communcation journal publishing (4th in the world) and as a producer of scientific papers (6th in the world), with a remarkable evolution, in quantitative terms, especially in the last five years. The inclusion of these three Spanish journals in the international database has been an important contribution to the country's visibility in this field, but there is still a need to promote international collaboration to achieve greater impact and openness in the scientific community.

Abstract

Background: Achieving clear visibility through a windshield is one of the crucial factors in manufacturing a safe and comfortable vehicle. The optic flow (OF) through the windshield has been reported to divert attention and could impair visibility. Although a growing number of behavioral and neuroimaging studies have assessed drivers' attention in various driving scenarios, there is still little evidence of a relationship between OF, windshield shape, and driver's attentional efficacy. The purpose of this research was to examine this relationship. Methods: First, we quantified the OF across the windshield in a simulated driving scenario with either of two types of the windshield (a tilted or vertical pillar) at different speeds (60 km/h or 160 km/h) and found more upward OF along the tilted pillar than along the vertical pillar. Therefore, we hypothesized that the predominance of upward OF around the windshield along a tilted pillar could distract a driver and that we could observe the corresponding neural activity. Magnetic resonance scans were then obtained while the subjects performed a visual detection task while watching the driving scene used in the OF analysis. The subjects were required to press a button as rapidly as possible when a target appeared at one of five positions (leftmost, left, center, right, and rightmost). Results: We found that the reaction time (RT) on exposure to a tilted pillar was longer than that on exposure to a vertical pillar in the leftmost and rightmost conditions. Furthermore, there was more brain activity in the precuneus when the pillar was tilted than when it was vertical in the rightmost condition near the pillar. In a separate analysis, activation in the precuneus was found to reflect relative changes in the amount of upward OF when the target was at the rightmost position. Conclusions: Overall, these observations suggest that activation in the precuneus may reflect extraneous cognitive load driven by upward OF along the pillar and could distract visual attention. The findings of this study highlight the value of a cognitive neuroscientific approach to research and development in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry. Document type: Article

Abstract

The main aspects of how to create a CRIS (current research information system) are discussed. From several points of view, CRIS addresses the following: knowing an institution’s scientific impact; simplifying and improving institutional management; having a suitable tool for researchers to elaborate their curriculum vitae; and having a global research database, etc. To get a CRIS it is necessary for collaboration between different professional types, including librarians –who should be heavily involved-, in order to have the best and most complete information available.

Abstract

This contribution examines the visibility and accessibility of the doctoral dissertations in Library and Information Science in Spanish universities. The analysis shows the inadequacies of available resources that locate the theses in this discipline and calculate the percentage available as full text. Finally, a reflection about the use of classifications in the document databases is included.

Abstract

Visibility in the Web of Science databases differs between the hard sciences and the social sciences, and between scholarship in English and in other languages. Quantitative data for 2006 are offered for SCI, SSCI, and AHCI, along with the author’s observations. The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) has developed suggestions to reduce the marginalization of the social sciences and Spanish liberal arts in citations.

Abstract

The evolution of the MIAR project (Matriu d’Informació per l’Avaluació de Revistes ) –Journal evaluation information matrix– is described. Originally MIAR  was designed to quantify the indexing of humanities and social sciences journals in bibliographic data bases. Given the present availability of various journal evaluation systems in Spain, MIAR could evolve into a collaborative portal where stakeholders can share the main features of the journals in which they participate directly or indirectly. The project would use social networks, voting and commenting systems, and technologies like open linked data, thus enabling a greater dissemination and socialization of the data collected for each publication. In this way data could be better used by the three most directly concerned groups: referees, publishers and authors/readers.

Abstract

Scientific publishing is a substantial component in the activities of any university, channeling much of the research that occurs there. This productivity is significant from both the quantitative and qualitative viewpoints, although scarcely considered in the accreditation systems. The changes in scientific publishing, characteristic of a publishing context that has undergone profound transformations, require these entities to make improvements related to the editorial function, development of catalogs and publishing formats.

Abstract

Robots.txt and sitemaps files are the main methods to regulate search engine crawler access to its content. This article explain the importance of such files and analyze robots.txt and sitemaps from more than 4,000 web sites belonging to spanish public administration to determine the use of these files as a medium of optimization for crawlers.

Abstract

The field of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (PASS) in Spain requires activities that contribute to the improvement of its journals quality. Thus, journals may become efficient ways of diffusion and communication of scientific knowledge developed by their researchers. The present paper describes the development of the “International Workshop on Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Quality Journals” held in Valencia on the 25th and 26th of October 2007. Different views on journals quality, editorial process examples and specific strategies of improvement were discussed during these days. This Workshop represents a step further in the contribution to the international visibility of the young Spanish field of PASS.

Abstract

Publication of scientific journals is governed by a management model that controls multiple processes and roles, and affects the quality of the published contents. The advantages of software packages specifically designed for journal management and publishing are described, analysing their relevance to several areas that determine the final quality of the journal (managerial flexibility, efficiency, standardisation, visibility, impact and other added values). Lastly, we present several key points to be considered before choosing one of these software packages, as well as a brief description of the most popular options, both commercial and freely available (usually based on an Open Source code).