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JOTSE’S EDITORIAL:
Reflection on how artificial intelligence can affect journals

Beatriz Amante García1, María Martínez Martínez2

1Projectes d’Enginyeria, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain)

2Enginyeria Química, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain)

As is customary in JOTSE, the first editorial of the year encapsulates our examination of the progression of JOTSE. In this edition, moreover, we offer a brief reflection on the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on various journals, recognizing its utility as an invaluable and inexorable tool.

As we can observe in Figure 1, the objective of steady growth has been accomplished throughout these 10 last years, even with this terrible pandemic. Clearly, as indexing has expanded, the influx of articles into the journal has risen. We aim to sustain this growth, all the while upholding the high quality of our content. We express our gratitude to the authors for entrusting us with the publication of their meticulous work.

Figure 1. JOTSE's evolution (2010-2023)

As to the articles published (included in Table 1), we can observe the evolution of the volumes/issues and articles published in the years (2011-2023). In 2020 and 2021, we have not published special issues and therefore we have reduced in 2020 a little bit the number of articles published.

When analysing the percentage of rejected articles, we can see in the website of JOTSE that in year 2016 it was 36 %, in 2017 the figure rose up to 69 %, in 2018 it was 64%, in 2019 it was 63%, in 2020 it was 49% (a little less than before), in 2021 it was 57,14%, in 2022 it was 54,23% and in 2023 it was 60%. As evident from the data, the rejection rate of the journal falls within the range of 55% to 69%, indicating a notably high level of selectivity. Although if we have a look in more detail at the numbers in 2023, of 474 received, only 110 go through the review process and of these 60% are rejected.

These numbers show the rigor of the work developed by the journal team. It is important to mention here the role of JOTSE's editorial team and reviewers who do their job with much quality and out of their generosity. In fact, we could not publish our journal without their help and, therefore, we thank them all to be here.

Table 1. Article submissions evolution from 2011 to 2023

Now, if we analyse JOTSE's internationalisation as to visits to its website is concerned (one of our challenges), the countries that have visited JOTSE's website more frequently in the last years and more particularly in 2023 were:

• •Philippines the first position with 35.77% of visited JOTSE's website (226,384 number of visits in 2023)  

• •Indonesia was second with 11.86%  

• •United States was the third with 11.4% and Spain with 7.07% are in the fourth position.  

This is clear evidence that the degree of internationalisation of JOTSE Journal is keeping. At the moment we have more authors from foreign countries (168 last year). Only 41 authors are from Spain (this is a 20%).

Finally, we repeat the importance of the reviewers and the JOTSE's editorial team without their help we could not publish at all this journal.

Reflection on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence

If we now focus on how artificial intelligence could impact a research journal like JOTSE, it becomes evident that not everything is as negative as it may initially appear.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently emerging as a transformative force in the realm of research journals. Its influence spans various critical aspects, ranging from editorial management to enhancing the quality and accessibility of content.

Concerning editorial management, AI systems can streamline and optimize peer-review processes by efficiently identifying potential reviewers, expediting review times, and enhancing the detection of ethical issues. This not only accelerates the publication cycle but also contributes to a more equitable and efficient evaluation of submitted papers.

Moreover, AI plays a pivotal role in enhancing content quality. Algorithms for natural language processing can identify potential improvements in wording, style, and structure of articles, ensuring increased clarity and consistency. AI also aids in detecting possible similarities or plagiarism, thereby fortifying academic integrity.

In terms of accessibility, AI has the capacity to personalize the reading experience, tailoring content to the individual preferences and needs of researchers. Additionally, AI-based recommender systems assist readers in discovering relevant works, expanding their understanding and knowledge in specific areas.

Nevertheless, addressing the ethical and transparency challenges associated with the use of AI in research journals is paramount. Ensuring fairness in evaluation, safeguarding data privacy, and upholding trust in editorial processes are crucial considerations.

In summary, the integration of artificial intelligence into research journals presents significant opportunities to enhance the efficiency, quality, and accessibility of scientific publishing.

On the other hand, the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic journals presents a range of ethical concerns that require meticulous consideration. Key issues encompass:

1.-Fairness in Evaluation: AI's involvement in article assessment, be it in automated reviewer selection or decision-making algorithms, may introduce biases, potentially compromising the impartiality of the review process.

2.-Data Privacy: The handling of personal data in AI implementation raises privacy apprehensions for authors, reviewers, and readers, necessitating the establishment of unequivocal data protection protocols.

3.-Transparency: The lack of clarity in certain AI algorithms poses challenges in understanding decision-making processes, impacting the transparency of the editorial procedure and overall accountability.

4.-Diversity and Bias: Algorithms trained on historical data may perpetuate existing biases, leading to potential inequities and misrepresentation in the selection of articles or reviewers.

5.-Academic Integrity: The ease with which AI can generate or manipulate content raises concerns about plagiarism and compromises in academic integrity, posing a threat to trust in published research.

Ensuring ethical practices entails the implementation of explicit policies, ongoing algorithm scrutiny, and active involvement of human experts in the editorial process within academic journals.

For all these reasons, we believe we face an interesting challenge with the use of AIs in the coming years.

Conclusion

Finally, the primary objectives for 2024, as outlined in this inaugural editorial, are to persist in expanding our reach to more countries, achieving moderate growth while maintaining a commitment to quality.

Last but not least, we would like to thank to readers and authors for continuing to trust us.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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