University journals in global indexing databases: Preliminary results on visibility and coverage disparities

Abstract

University journals provide an essential service in the scholarly publishing landscape by offering institutionally supported platforms for disseminating knowledge, often in open access formats. However, they are significantly underrepresented in global indexing databases, which affects their visibility, discoverability, and role in research assessment systems. This presentation presents findings from a pilot study aimed at exploring how UJs are indexed across bibliographic infrastructures. A sample of 68 UJs from ten countries was analyzed using data from Ulrichsweb, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Web of Science CC, and Scopus. The results highlight considerable disparities in coverage, inconsistencies in metadata, and challenges in identifying UJs across systems. The study contributes to broader discussions on bibliodiversity, metadata quality, and the need for more inclusive indexing practices in global scholarly communication.