The role of Wikidata in DAMEIP Project (DAta and MEtadata for Implementing Peer Review)
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Authors Biographies: See attached PDF
Keywords: Digital libraries, Scholarly publishing, Metadata, Gender, System evaluation, Peer review
TL;DR: Use of data and metadata for implementing peer review and the role of Wikidata
Abstract: The research project DAMEIP (Data and Metadata to Implement Peer Review) is funded by the University of Florence for the years 2025–2026. It will be carried out by a research team consisting of Rossana Morriello, a tenure-track researcher (RTD-b) in the academic field HIST-04/C - Archival Science, Bibliography, and Library Science at the Department of History, Archaeology, Geography, Arts, and Performing Arts (SAGAS); Donatella Selva, a tenure-track researcher (RTD-b) in the field GSPS-06/A - Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes at the Department of Political and Social Sciences (DSPS), and two research fellows in their respective academic fields.
The aim of the research is to analyze the dynamics and practices of peer review in the journals of Florence University Press (FUP), selected as a significant sample of Italian academic publishing. With full respect for privacy and all related ethical aspects, the project seeks to identify and analyze patterns, procedures, quantitative measurements, and timelines of peer review, with particular attention to gender differences.
Peer review is one of the research evaluation systems that operates in two phases of the research cycle: prior to the publication of research results in a journal or other type of publication, and later in research evaluation systems implemented by national evaluation agencies, such as ANVUR. This approach is predominantly applied in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) and partially in STEM disciplines.
As part of its planned activities, the project also includes updating the essential metadata of FUP journals in Wikidata, with a focus, in this case as well, on gender representation, which is sometimes absent or ambiguous due to the common practice of using initials for authors' first names.
Wikidata is a crucial reference tool for projects and applications requiring metadata, from the simplest to the most complex, which today increasingly rely on artificial intelligence. The quality of data in Wikidata is therefore an essential element for effective knowledge organization in the digital world and in scholarly communication. Adding accurate metadata to publications also facilitates their global findability and the assignment of reviewers in internal journal processes.
The contribution of the two researchers, in the form of a lightning talk, will aim to present the ongoing project, which will officially start in January 2025 and will therefore not yet have results suitable for a full paper. Nevertheless, we believe it is important to begin disseminating it, particularly regarding the project component related to Wikidata, and the June conference “Wikidata and Research” is certainly the appropriate venue for this purpose.
Format: Lightning talk (5 minutes presentation)
Submission Number: 37
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