Bibliography and references are fundamental pillars in any scientific research, since they validate its relevance through the typology, quality and timeliness of the resources used. This article proposes a practical and simple methodology to descriptively demonstrate the relevance of the bibliography used in a doctoral thesis, taking advantage of the functionalities of Zotero and Scimago. The results of this study demonstrate that proper management of references in Zotero facilitates their export. This makes it possible to migrate them to Scimago Grafica to generate graphical and interactive visualizations of the relevance of sources in an academic or scientific research, taking advantage of the catalog of available visualizations. In addition, this methodology has made it possible to demonstrate the relevance of the bibliographic sources used in a doctoral thesis, analyzing their typology, temporality, SJR index and H-index. This corroborates the construct that postulates: "a study is more relevant the more current its sources are and these correspond to resources published in high impact journals".
The elaboration of a doctoral thesis not only requires a rigorous research methodology, but also a
meticulous justification of the relevance and quality of the bibliographic sources [
Reference analysis is crucial for understanding historical roots, measuring interdisciplinarity, and
assessing research impact [
The integration of Zotero and Scimago represents an innovative methodological proposal to transform bibliographic management in doctoral work. This combination not only facilitates the organization, classification and export of references through Zotero, but also makes it possible to objectively visualize and evaluate the impact of the sources used through Scimago Graph. The goal is to transcend traditional management, often limited to formal aspects, to provide reviewers and readers with a clear understanding of the scholarly rigor underlying citation decisions, thus improving the transparency and robustness of research.
Combining Zotero, a bibliographic reference manager, with Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR),
which provides journal impact and relevance metrics, allows for the generation of valuable graphs.
These graphs can illustrate the average impact of cited journals by subject area or the distribution of
sources by quartile. Although the process is not fully automated and requires manual steps such as ISSN
identification and searching for SJR or H-index indicators, the synergy of both tools is an accessible and
efective solution to visualize the quality and relevance of cited sources. This is particularly useful in
academia, where transparency and bibliometric analysis are crucial for doctoral studies, as demonstrated
by Mendoza, Moscoso- Zea and Morgan [
This approach was applied in a practical way in the doctoral thesis "Relational capital in collaborative
strategies: its role in the value-at-risk structure of MSMEs", successfully defended in March 2025 at the
Faculty of Economics of the University of Havana, as part of the PhD program in Economic Sciences. For
the evaluation, Scimago Journal Rank was used, recognized for its reliability in measuring the impact of
scientific journals indexed in Scopus, especially relevant in Latin America due to its challenges of access
to international databases. In addition, Zotero was used, valued in the academic community for its ease
of use, compatibility with word processors and web browsers, and its eficiency in the management of
bibliographic information during scientific writing [
The methodological innovation of this article lies in its pedagogical and replicable approach, which,
unlike traditional techniques, promotes a source validation model that integrates document
management with bibliometric measurement. Recent literature, such as that of highlights the importance
of incorporating digital information management tools and equipping researchers, especially at the
doctoral level, with skills to evaluate scientific production, this not only substantiates their studies, but
also contributes to building stronger and more transparent academic communities. Thus, this work
responds to the need to establish transparent and reproducible criteria for the validation of bibliographic
sources in academic evaluation processes, particularly in the elaboration of doctoral theses, where
the absence of explicit justifications on the relevance of the sources can undermine the perception of
research depth [
This procedure not only validates the relevance of references through bibliometric indicators, but also visualizes them in a comprehensible way through graphs generated with Scimago Graph algorithms. These graphs can be incorporated both in the annexes and in the main body of the thesis. The objective of this article is to present a clear, accessible and efective methodology to justify the scientific relevance of the bibliography in doctoral research, integrating Zotero and Scimago. It is hoped that this proposal will raise the quality standards in the writing of degree works, theses and scientific articles, and will be adopted by academic institutions as a good research practice.
Although the relevance of a study is often associated with the timeliness and high impact of its sources,
it is essential to analyze this notion in greater depth. Citing recent sources from prestigious journals
can increase the visibility, credibility, and novelty of a research, as these publications often reflect the
most up-to-date knowledge and enjoy greater recognition in the scientific community [
A database of 168 bibliographic references was analyzed, initially compiled with Zotero for the
doctoral thesis "Relational capital in collaborative strategies: its role in the value-at-risk structure of
MSMEs", defended in March 2025 by Dr. Jessica Silvana Matute Petroche, at the Faculty of Economics
of the University of Havana and available at https://accesoabierto.uh.cu/s/scriptorium/item/2195277.
Subsequently, this database was enriched with key variables such as the “Scimago Quartile”, the “SJR
(Scimago Journal Rank)”, the “H-Index (H-Index)” and the "Subject Area". The Scimago Quartile (Q1 to
Q4) classifies journals by their impact within a thematic category, with Q1 being the most prestigious
and Q4 the least, allowing comparison of their relevance [
The H-Index (H-Index) is a crucial metric that measures the productivity and impact of a journal or
author, reflecting the number of articles that have received at least that many citations. This tool is
valuable for comparing sustained influence over time [
Variables 1 and 2 were fundamental for the initial analysis, determining the temporality and typology of the resources used. Subsequently, variable 4 complemented the data of variables 5, 6, 7 and 8 obtained from Scimago Journal & Country Rank. With the latter, together with variable 3, a second analysis was carried out to evaluate the relevance of the sources according to their impact. Finally, variables 9, 10 and 1 were used to identify each resource within the interactive images created with Scimago Gráfica.
Zotero, available at www.zotero.org is a free, opensource tool designed to simplify bibliographic
reference management for researchers. Initially developed as a Firefox add-on, Zotero has evolved into
a standalone application and extension for modern browsers, compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux
[
The use of Zotero is essential in scientific research because it minimizes errors in references, optimizes bibliographic management and ensures compliance with editorial standards, which raises the quality and acceptance of academic papers; for this reason, universities, scientific journals and digital libraries usually recommend it, highlighting its accessibility and its contribution to good practices in the organization and rigorous presentation of information sources.
Once the database is created in Zotero, its information is easily extractable, migratable or exportable to various formats, which are constantly updated. For this analysis, it was decided to export the data using the "Export - Format - csv" option from the "File" tab. It is crucial to note that, if the library was generated in Spanish, it is necessary to additionally select the option "Character encoding (Unicode (UTF-8)". This ensures that special characters specific to Spanish, such as accents or the letter "ñ", are exported correctly and are not lost.
The Scimago platform, created by the research group of the same name, has established itself as a
fundamental tool for evaluating and visualizing the impact of global scientific production. Its origin
is centered on the development of the Scimago Journal Rank (SJR), a key indicator that measures the
prestige of scientific journals by weighting both the quantity and quality of citations received [
In addition, Scimago has expanded its scope with tools such as the Scimago Institutions Rankings (SIR),
which allows analyzing and comparing the performance of various research institutions and universities,
calculating mainly on data from the Scopus database [
The platform is fundamental in scientific research because it allows an objective evaluation of the
visibility, impact and quality of journals, institutions and countries. This capability directly influences
crucial decisions such as the selection of where to publish, the allocation of resources and the design
of academic development strategies. In addition, its use facilitates the identification of trends, as well
as strengths and weaknesses in scientific production and investigations. However, it is important to
recognize that the platform also presents technical challenges and of interpretation, so adequate training
is required to maximize its usefulness [
For the doctoral dissertation, "Relational capital in collaborative strategies: its role in the value at-risk structure of MSMEs", 168 academic resources were managed with Zotero. These were exported to CSV format and analyzed with Scimago Graph software to visualize the relevance by type and temporality of the sources used.
Figure 3 shows that 68% of the sources are scientific journal articles, followed by books 11%, nonacademic journal articles 8% and theses 4%. Other sources such as book sections, conference papers, reports, blogs, laws and newspapers represent 2% or less each. In terms of temporality, 51% of the publications date from the period 2011-2024, while 20% correspond to 2001-2010 and 47% to 1981-2000. A smaller percentage 1% covers 1951-1980 and 1817- 1950.
These data reflect a clear preference for recent sources, especially journal articles, which are essential for an up-to-date state of the art in a doctoral thesis. Nevertheless, the inclusion of classic works, such as David Ricardo’s 1817 book on economics, demonstrates an enrichment and historical relevance in the study. According to the analysis in Figure 3, the "Journal Article" was identified as the most relevant type of article. After supplementing the data of variables 5, 6, 7 and 8 in Table 1 for each ISSN code.
Figure 4 shows that 78% of the resources belong to the area of Business, Management and Accounting. This is followed by Economics, Econometrics and Finance with 16%, Computer Science with 4%, and Arts and Humanities with 2%. Within these thematic areas, it is noteworthy that 73% of the journals consulted are in Quartile 1 (Q1), which indicates high prestige. Sixteen percent correspond to Quartile 2 (Q2), 8% to Quartile 3 (Q3) and 3% to Quartile 4 (Q4).
Figure 5 illustrates conclusively the solidity and high scientific influence of the bibliographic resources used in the study. This analysis is based on the consultation of high impact journals, characterized by a high SJR Index (Scimago Journal Rank).
A high SJR indicates that the publications consulted are not only widely cited, but also come from sources of great prestige within their respective fields. Likewise, the presence of a high Hirsch Index, either at the journal or author level, reinforces the quality and relevance of the bibliographic material.
This is because the H-Index reflects the productivity and impact of the research, demonstrating that the articles consulted have received a significant number of citations, which in turn endorses the selection of rigorous sources of information with a recognized impact on the academic community.
The exhaustive analysis of the academic sources used in this doctoral thesis has confirmed the soundness and high quality of the research. The inclusion of academic journals classified in the Q1 and Q2 quartiles has been strongly prioritized, which guarantees access to cutting-edge literature with high impact in the scientific field. In addition, the selection has been based on high SJR (Scimago Journal Rank) and H-Index indexes, metrics that corroborate the excellence and influence of the publications and authors cited. This rigorous curation of the bibliography, focused mainly on the thematic areas of Business, Management and Accounting and Economics, Econometrics and Finance, not only validates the theoretical basis of the study, but also significantly reinforces its scientific rigor and validity, positioning it as a robust contribution to knowledge in these disciplines.
The results allow us to conclude that a doctoral study must be based on scientific relevance, which requires a demanding search for relevant information. One of the sources, but not the only one, is precisely the Scopus database analyzed. However, this analysis is not limited exclusively to this database, as this methodology can be applied to demonstrate the relevance of sources such as Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, etc.
The results of this study open the door to implementing new methodologies to demonstrate the
relevance of reference sources in higher education studies such as doctorates, as well as in scientific
research studies where the state of the art or state of the art plays a fundamental role based on the type
of sources and bibliographies used. Methodologies such as complex networks, for example [
It is imperative to suggest the incorporation of a methodological analysis of sources of this nature in the relevance section of all doctoral research. The methodology employed and the results obtained ofer an enriching framework that enhances the credibility and impact of scientific production in higher academia.
To foster transparency and collaboration, students and researchers interested in verifying the data, as well as using the models and interactive designs generated in this article, can access the resources free of charge through the following repository1.
This free access seeks not only to facilitate replicability and learning, but also to drive future research based on solid empirical evidence. If you have any problems downloading or have any additional questions, please send an email to: jessica.matute@cu.ucsg.edu.ec o credrobano@ecotec.edu.ec
The authors have not employed any Generative AI tools.