Building a Reputation in Global Scientific Communication: A SWOT Analysis of Spanish Humanities Journals

Abstract

This paper analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTs) faced by Spanish humanities journals and explores the role these journals play as tools for the transmission of research against a global academia. The dataset is comprised of the replies to twenty semi-structured surveys that were administered among ten editors of Spanish journals in the area of the humanities and ten Spanish humanities researchers with extensive publishing experience in national and international journals. Main findings are discussed in terms of internationality, predominance of English and Spanish as scientific languages, research assessment, visibility, credibility, quality assurance, editorial expertise or open access. Moreover, they point at far-reaching implications for both parties, compelled to seeking academic acceptance and researching credibility in today’s global scholarly communication while at the same time supporting the national science system through publication in national journals.