A range of different methods and tools have been proposed by both academics and professionals in recent years for evaluating the quality of websites. Some are of general application and can be used to assess any type of website, while others have been adapted to the specialized characteristics of the websites employed in a given sector. This paper undertakes an analysis of existing scientific production in this field, with the aim of identifying its most relevant publications, its principal authors and the specific sectors served by the sites under evaluation. By triangulating review methods, 716 texts, published between 2000 and 2018, were identified in Scopus, Web of Science and other databases and examined. In addition to basic bibliographic information, the number of citations received by each text was recorded using Google Scholar. The area of knowledge in which each author works was also categorized based on his or her specific affiliations. The results point to a growing interest in website quality in a scientific community that has a presence in more than 70 countries. Its authors are drawn from various disciplines, although the highest number of publications is recorded in computer science, business and medical informatics. The most frequently cited texts are in fact seminal books in the associated disciplines of usability, information architecture and user experience. However, as of 2007, the number of texts describing evaluation tools for the websites of specific sectors – most notably, education (33%), health (27%) and commerce (21%) – increased their share. In conclusion, it is evident that website quality is a field of study undergoing constant growth and increasing specialization and one that offers ample opportunities for research.

The objective is to characterize and compare the options offered by the main databases to researchers in social communication to search and evaluate academic information. To do this, through an expert evaluation, the functional characteristics of Scopus and Web of Science were examined. As a result, a detailed review of dimensions such as coverage, information retrieval and analysis tools of sources and authors present in each one is presented, as well as specific impact metrics. Among the conclusions, similarities are observed in the available functions, but significant differences in the number of journals in the field of social sciences and humanities, which leaves Scopus in a better position in the case of having to choose.

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Digital publishing platforms are complex academic communication systems that must incorporate information architecture solutions to enable content access at various levels, including the whole publication and each individual article. In addition, to truly harness the advantages offered by the digital world, such platforms must also offer information discovery functions as well as access to information. The former can be implemented by using hypertextuality and, more specifically, links based on semantic similarity. We present herein a review of the various solutions provided in these regards by five important digital platforms. Resumen Las plataformas digitales editoriales son complejos sistemas de comunicación académica que deben incorporar soluciones de arquitecturas de la información para diversos niveles de acceso a los contenidos. Entre tales niveles destacan el de la publicación como un todo, y el de cada artículo individual. Además, para potenciar las genuinas propiedades del mundo digital, estas plataformas deben ofrecer funciones de descubrimiento de la información, y no solamente de acceso. Las primeras pueden implementarse gracias a la hipertextualidad y, más en concreto, gracias a enlaces basados en semejanza semántica. En este trabajo presentamos una revisión de las diferentes soluciones aportadas en estos elementos por cinco plataformas digitales de gran significación.