Historical Review

Historical Review

At the beginning of the 21st century, scientific publishing underwent a historic transformation: printed journals, with limited local circulation and slow editorial processes, began to be replaced by open-access digital platforms capable of disseminating knowledge in a matter of seconds to any part of the world. In this emerging landscape, the Vice-Rectory for Research at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED) of Costa Rica, under the leadership of Katya Calderón Herrera, founded the journal Cuadernos de Investigación UNED in 2009, with ecologist Julián Monge Nájera serving as founding editor.

From its inception, the journal adopted a rigorous editorial policy and a multidisciplinary approach, aiming to provide a high-quality scientific platform that was free of charge for both authors and readers. This model, pioneering in the region, anticipated the current demands of open science.

The year 2014 marked a turning point in the journal’s development, as it began a clear process of internationalization, reflected in the growth of its readership and academic recognition beyond Costa Rica. This evolution led to the adoption of the new name, UNED Research Journal, aligning its identity with international standards of scientific visibility.

In 2018, the journal became exclusively digital, permanently moving away from the print format. This change not only responded to global trends but also enabled faster editorial timelines and unrestricted, immediate access to its content from anywhere in the world.

With the emergence of other specialized journals at UNED —focusing on fields such as education and management— UNED Research Journal reoriented its scope primarily toward the natural sciences, while maintaining a multidisciplinary approach to topics of both regional and global relevance.

Today, articles are published on a rolling basis as soon as they complete the editorial process. Authors receive an initial editorial decision within days, and the total publication time rarely exceeds three months. The journal is indexed in multiple databases, including the current leader Google Scholar, and upholds international standards in peer review, formatting, and content dissemination.

With hundreds of articles published and an impact score approaching 0.8, the journal is recognized for its commitment to open science, its academic support for authors—especially emerging scholars—and its ongoing contribution to the democratization of knowledge.