Prestigious Databases Research Articles

Barriers, Strategies and Accessibility: Enhancing Engagement and Retention of Learners with Disabilities in MOOCs – A Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

This systematic literature review examines the barriers, strategies, and accessibility issues affecting the engagement and retention of learners with disabilities in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Employing the PRISMA procedures, this study systematically identifies and analyzes relevant literature from five prestigious databases: (a) Scopus, (b) ScienceDirect, (c) Emerald, (d) SpringerLink, and (e) EBSCOhost in order to identify (1) the common barriers experienced by learners with disabilities in MOOCs, (2) the strategies that can be employed to improve the engagement and participation of special needs students in MOOCs and (3) influence of accessibility on engagement and retention rates of learners with disabilities in MOOCs. After conducting the screening and eligibility analysis according to the pre-defined criteria, 19 studies of out 624 sources were finally selected between 2014–2024. The review underscores the necessity for comprehensive policy frameworks and institutional commitment to inclusivity. It emphasizes the adoption of universal design principles are essential in bridging the accessibility gap. These measures are pivotal in fostering an inclusive learning environment in MOOCs, significantly enhancing engagement and retention rates among learners with disabilities. The insights from this review provide a solid foundation for educators, policymakers, and platform developers to create more inclusive and supportive online learning experiences for students with disabilities.

Utilization of Detection of Non-Speech Sound for Sustainable Quality of Life for Deaf and Hearing-Impaired People: A Systematic Literature Review

Several assistive technologies (ATs) have been manufactured and tested to alleviate the challenges of deaf or hearing-impaired people (DHI). One such technology is sound detection, which has the potential to enhance the experiences of DHI individuals and provide them with new opportunities. However, there is a lack of sufficient research on using sound detection as an assistive technology, specifically for DHI individuals. This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to shed light on the application of non-verbal sound detection technology in skill development for DHI individuals. This SLR encompassed recent, high-quality studies from the prestigious databases of IEEE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science from 2014 to 2023. Twenty-six articles that met the eligibility criteria were carefully analyzed and synthesized. The findings of this study underscore the significance of utilizing sound detection technology to aid DHI individuals in achieving independence, access to information, and safety. It is recommended that additional studies be conducted to explore the use of sound detection tools as assistive technology, to enhance DHI individual’s sustainable quality of life.

Mentorship program to elevate journal quality and rankings in Indonesia: a case study

This article explores the best practices of mentorship programs in all journals at Universitas Airlangga. The university has established a journal mentoring team, as mandated by the rector’s regulation, which is responsible for guiding journals through preparation, submission, management, policy, and overall quality improvement. A case study was conducted to explore the mentoring mechanisms at Universitas Airlangga. Mentors were selected from among experienced editors at the university, each with a distinguished background in managing their own journals. The mentorship program successfully led to the indexing of 14 journals in Scopus, one in Web of Science (WoS), 85 in the Science and Technology Index (SINTA), and 60 in Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The strategies used can be shared with other universities to assist their journal editors. The mentorship program at Universitas Airlangga has significantly improved the quality and international visibility of its academic journals. This is evidenced by the successful indexing of numerous journals in prestigious databases including Scopus, WoS, SINTA, and DOAJ. The structured mentoring, clear targets, and comprehensive institutional support were instrumental in achieving these results. This model serves as a scalable best practice for other universities seeking to improve their journal quality and global standing.

Project Management and Sensory Acceptance in Ready-To-Use Bakery Products: A Systematic Literature Review

Bakery nutritional products are limited in a global market considering the consumer preferences. Recent years have seen a surge in publications, especially in India and Latin America, reflecting nutritional and development of new products challenge, however, there are project management tools that could help in the development of new products because proactive approaches are necessary to navigate bakery product development complexities. Malnutrition and obesity pose global health challenges, elevating the importance of providing more nutritious bakery options. This systematic literature review explores the intersection of bakery product development with project management methodologies, emphasizing nutritional enhancement and consumer acceptance by the analysis of 69 articles from 2013 through 2024 from prestigious database such as Scopus and Redalyc to generate an overview for new future projects related to enhance the sector in Mexico. The study identifies multiple opportunities in bakery product research. The most researched products in this area are bread, cake, cookies and tortillas compared to pasta, pizza, pudding, waffles, etc. Additionally, only a quarter of articles explore new commercial prototypes, indicating significant potential for further development in this area.

Linking education and practice gaps for inclusive architecture in the AEC industry

PurposeThis study explores the opportunities for a gender-inclusive architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, focussing on the gap between architectural education and practice. This study focusses on three research questions: (1) What factors influence women architects' career retention and advancement in the AEC industry? How can practice outcomes be linked with educational approaches for gender inclusion in the AEC industry? (3) What critical factors can enable structural changes in architecture education, including AEC-related subjects and practice/career pathways towards gender equity?Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a systematic literature review (SLR). The established timeframe for selecting papers in this study considered the last 20 years, as various seminal studies in feminism and gender inclusion in architecture emerged in the early 2000s through the definition of keywords used in two prestigious databases. The academic articles selected were filtered through a process of inclusion and exclusion, following criteria for suitability and relevance using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) diagram.FindingsThis study revealed key trends in the literature review consistent with the research questions, including (1) the disproportionate struggles women face at individual, interpersonal and organisational levels and the gender-based bias from entry and progression in the AEC industry that also requires multi-level interventions; (2) traditional architecture education affects female students and educators who find networking, social capital and leadership opportunities to challenge gender-based stereotypes and promote workplace equity, and finally, (3) observe enablers for fostering equity in architecture and education, which should not be limited to policy-driven interventions but structural transformations through transparency, mentorship, leadership, awareness raising and empowerment of women and men, promoting inclusivity and gender equity in the AEC industry.Research limitations/implicationsThis study considers a global understanding of gender equity in the AEC industry, regional and country-specific analysis needs to be considered in future studies. The study's focus is on women’s inclusion, acknowledging the limitations of conventional binary gender concepts; future studies need to include the experiences of LGBTI + communities and other underrepresented groups. The literature review considers only academic articles; future research should also consider industry reports, government initiatives and organisational documents for a broader understanding of diversity efforts in business.Originality/valueThis paper observes the issues for gender-inclusive architecture within the context of a male-dominant AEC industry through linking architectural education and practice. Studies rarely focus on this link and address workplace issues. This study highlights this link and extends the discussion through the critical literature review, providing a new ground for geographic-specific or intersectional studies.

Spillover–Crossover Effect of Work–Family Interface: A Systematic Review

Work and family are essential aspects of adulthood, exerting a substantial impact on well-being and satisfaction. Work–family conflict refers to conflicts that originate at work and then affect family life and vice versa. Higher levels of stress, the emergence of physical and mental health issues, detrimental effects on family relationships, and poorer life satisfaction are a few outcomes that may have an influence on both individuals and other family members. Work–family conflict can have a socioeconomic impact on broader public health, as it may result in poor job performance and high absenteeism rates at work. This current study aims to identify the mechanisms of spillover–crossover within the work–family interferences. Using a systematic literature review from 57 articles collected from three prestigious databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO, the study found that direct crossover is the predominant form of transmission. However, the crossover phenomenon is not only found in marital relationships but includes interactions between parents-children, superiors-subordinates, and employees-customers. This systematic literature review advances a novel framework by synthesizing these findings, thereby promoting a comprehensive understanding of the spillover–crossover effects of work–family conflict. In turn, this understanding can serve as the basis for the formulation of workplace policies, offering a promising path forward for both individuals and society.

A RevSALUS em 2023 e 2024: reflexões científicas, agradecimento aos seus revisores e horizontes para o futuro

At the beginning of 2024, we take stock of the scientific progress of RevSALUS – RACS’ International Scientific Journal (Lusophone Academic Network of Health Sciences) we thank all those who have played a key role in another successful year for the journal, and we look ahead to the goals we want to achieve. As in the previous year, in 2023, RevSALUS published three regular issues, as well as two supplementary issues, resulting in a total of 22 articles and 236 abstracts from the various areas of life and health sciences. Throughout 2023, RevSALUS received a total of 40 articles through its editorial management platform, 14 of which were accepted for publication. With the growing scientific recognition of RevSALUS in the international arena, particularly in Lusophony, we are continuing the path to achieving indexing in the most prestigious databases in the health and life sciences. The journey so far has been marked by an unwavering commitment to scientific excellence, and we will continue to promote knowledge based on scientific integrity.

Center of mass change in the biomechanics citation network

ABSTRACTThis study examined the hypothesis that the network of citation in biomechanics journals would change over the last decade and specifically the centrality of the journal Sports Biomechanics. Top 20 cited biomechanics journals identified using the ‘Journal Citation Relationships’ feature from Journal Citation Reports were extracted for 12 ‘seed’ biomechanics journals in 2011, 2016, and 2021. From 2011 till 2021 the total number of top cited biomechanics journals in Journal Citation Reports decreased (17%) from 90 to 74, while the citations to these journals nearly increased 5-fold (8,051 to 39,574). Top Journal Citation Reports cited biomechanics journals changed over time, indicating variability in the centrality of many journals in the biomechanics citation network based on this prestigious database. Over time there were decreasing citation of medical journals, as well as increasing citation of open access mega journals and the journal Sports Biomechanics. Citation network analysis provides insight into the changing structure of knowledge creation in biomechanics, with recent trends towards applied research particularly on wearable sensors published in mega journals.

Advancing application of satellite remote sensing technologies for linking atmospheric and built environment to health.

The intricate interplay between human well-being and the surrounding environment underscores contemporary discourse. Within this paradigm, comprehensive environmental monitoring holds the key to unraveling the intricate connections linking population health to environmental exposures. The advent of satellite remote sensing monitoring (SRSM) has revolutionized traditional monitoring constraints, particularly limited spatial coverage and resolution. This innovation finds profound utility in quantifying land covers and air pollution data, casting new light on epidemiological and geographical investigations. This dynamic application reveals the intricate web connecting public health, environmental pollution, and the built environment. This comprehensive review navigates the evolving trajectory of SRSM technology, casting light on its role in addressing environmental and geographic health issues. The discussion hones in on how SRSM has recently magnified our understanding of the relationship between air pollutant exposure and population health. Additionally, this discourse delves into public health challenges stemming from shifts in urban morphology. Utilizing the strategic keywords "SRSM," "air pollutant health risk," and "built environment," an exhaustive search unfolded across prestigious databases including the China National Knowledge Network (CNKI), PubMed and Web of Science. The Citespace tool further unveiled interconnections among resultant articles and research trends. Synthesizing insights from a myriad of articles spanning 1988 to 2023, our findings unveil how SRMS bridges gaps in ground-based monitoring through continuous spatial observations, empowering global air quality surveillance. High-resolution SRSM advances data precision, capturing multiple built environment impact factors. Its application to epidemiological health exposure holds promise as a pioneering tool for contemporary health research. This review underscores SRSM's pivotal role in enriching geographic health studies, particularly in atmospheric pollution domains. The study illuminates how SRSM overcomes spatial resolution and data loss hurdles, enriching environmental monitoring tools and datasets. The path forward envisions the integration of cutting-edge remote sensing technologies, novel explorations of urban-public health associations, and an enriched assessment of built environment characteristics on public well-being.

Skeletal Fracture Detection with Deep Learning: A Comprehensive Review.

Deep learning models have shown great promise in diagnosing skeletal fractures from X-ray images. However, challenges remain that hinder progress in this field. Firstly, a lack of clear definitions for recognition, classification, detection, and localization tasks hampers the consistent development and comparison of methodologies. The existing reviews often lack technical depth or have limited scope. Additionally, the absence of explainable facilities undermines the clinical application and expert confidence in results. To address these issues, this comprehensive review analyzes and evaluates 40 out of 337 recent papers identified in prestigious databases, including WOS, Scopus, and EI. The objectives of this review are threefold. Firstly, precise definitions are established for the bone fracture recognition, classification, detection, and localization tasks within deep learning. Secondly, each study is summarized based on key aspects such as the bones involved, research objectives, dataset sizes, methods employed, results obtained, and concluding remarks. This process distills the diverse approaches into a generalized processing framework or workflow. Moreover, this review identifies the crucial areas for future research in deep learning models for bone fracture diagnosis. These include enhancing the network interpretability, integrating multimodal clinical information, providing therapeutic schedule recommendations, and developing advanced visualization methods for clinical application. By addressing these challenges, deep learning models can be made more intelligent and specialized in this domain. In conclusion, this review fills the gap in precise task definitions within deep learning for bone fracture diagnosis and provides a comprehensive analysis of the recent research. The findings serve as a foundation for future advancements, enabling improved interpretability, multimodal integration, clinical decision support, and advanced visualization techniques.

Trending Topics about Performance in Second Language Learning

This article recomposes the background of this theme during the decade 2001 to 2011. This study aims to discover ten main current research trends of performance in second language from 2012 to 2022. It will search scientific articles in the Social Science Citation Index (WOS) and in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) databases and discover which are emergently compared to the previous decade. Finally, the study discusses these topic trends, other alternates and transversal-related issues. It presents a critical vision of the state-of-the-art of the last 20 years, considering reference publications. The method is a documentary review that selects ten scientific articles from the last decade to discover deep trends. This documentary methodology differs from a systematic bibliographic review in that it allows selecting and delving deeper into the qualitative content of the articles. The WOS database is the most relevant and prestigious database that collects journals. Thanks to the quality system implemented, the articles published in these journals included in this WOS database ensure significant studies that ensure scientific contributions and discoveries in the field. The main results are ten recurring topic trends with the previous decade on language learning programs, evaluation, teaching strategies, communication and psychological approach, digital devices, teacher action, cognitive approach, speaking performance, motivation and instructional performance language. The major conclusions highlight emerging interdisciplinary approaches to different variables and the adaptive study of emerging technologies, such as AI, without great interest in linguistic or economic policy issues. However, searches on other academic platforms find a broader open debate for two decades with other contextual parameters about economic factors and language policy, such as the literacy of immigrants in L2 as a factor of social and economic interest, the formal programming of a second language in institutions to obtain employment, especially in the professional framework of international mobility. This means that the WOS database collects general trends in this investigated topic. However, it only partially collects the breadth of scientific interest generated as a result of the needs of the socio-economic context. Funding This work belongs to the R+D+I Project, funded by a national state call titled Multiliteracies for adult at-risk learners of additional languages (Multi-Lits). It is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency [PID2020-113460RB-I00].

Exploring the Trend and Potential Distribution of Chatbot in Education: A Systematic Review

This study reviews recently published scientific literature on the use of chatbot in education, in order to: (a) identify the potential contribution of the incorporation of chatbot as educational tool in educational institutions, (b) present a synthesis of the available empirical evidence on the educational effectiveness of chatbot as an educational tool, and (c) define future research perspectives concerning educational chatbot. From 369 sources, 25 studies on chatbots and their application in education were selected through a step‐by‐step procedure based on the guidelines of the modified PRISMA framework, using a set of predefined criteria between 2016 – 2021 in five prestigious databases (a) Ebscohost, (b) Emerald, (c) ScienceDirect, (d) SpringerLink, and (e) Scopus. For each article, we analyse the purpose of the study, the content to be taught with the aid of chatbot, the type of chatbot used, the research method used, and the sample characteristics (sample size, age range of students and/or level of education) and the results observed. The articles reviewed suggest that educational chatbot usually acts as an element that enhances learning and other benefits; however, this is not always the case, as there are still few studies that have reported adverse situations. The outcomes of the literature review are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and can provide helpful guidance for educators, practitioners and researchers in terms of design, implementation and research in the area.

A Scoping Review of Pipeline Maintenance Methodologies Based on Industry 4.0

The fourth industrial revolution was a milestone at the industrial level. It forced most industries to evolve technically and for their collaborators to prepare and advance together with technology; the oil industry was no exception. It develops its activities in dangerous and dynamic environments and needs to protect its human resources, equipment, and infrastructure. This article presents a scoping review, based on the PRISMA guidelines, of pipeline maintenance methodologies based on Industry 4.0. From the first collection of 123 articles from prestigious databases such as SpringerLink, MDPI, Scopus, IEEEXplore and ACM, a final sample of 31 articles was obtained. Here, technologies that enhance preventive and predictive maintenance systems are discussed. The results show that predictive maintenance compared to preventive maintenance has a percentage difference in upkeep time optimization of 38% in the last five years. This difference was corroborated with a Student’s t-test for independent samples, with a significance of 0.023. Likewise, the most used technologies were analyzed, with artificial intelligence standing out with 45.16%.

Comprehensive three-phase bibliometric assessment on the blockchain (2012–2020)

PurposeThe research work provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis on blockchain in general and with respect to trust and reputation management in particular. The research work also incorporates the research progress in Pakistan in the field of blockchain.Design/methodology/approachThe research study is conducted in three phases in which 9 different research questions are assessed for the time duration of 2012–2020 on a total of 9,314 published studies. The source of the research study is from one of the most prestigious databases, the Web of Science (WoS). The scholarly publication includes analysis on WoS categories, annual publication trends, types of documents, research areas, and collaboration network amongst countries, co-word analysis, top 10 countries and top 10 organizations with respect to research publications. The authors use VOSviewer tool to generate collaboration network of countries and co-occurrence network for co-word analysis. The connecting thread among the research question is the overarching research objective of exploring and understanding research out in blockchain. The authors have conducted the research in three phases. Phase 1 is planned to show various quantitative analysis of blockchain worldwide with respect to all 9 questions. In Phase II, prime importance is being given to the trust and reputation management aspect of blockchain. Phase III is concerned with the findings of 9 research questions with Pakistan as the ultimate focus.FindingsMajor findings include that China and the USA are the leading countries as they have contributed the most in research field of blockchain. Computer science emerged as the leading research area. The first research article dates back to 2013 with significant rise in publication trend over the last 4 years from 2017–2020. Trust management emerged as one of the key fields where blockchain plays a pivotal role. Pakistan occupies a position in top 20 countries with respect to research contribution. However, in order to rank amongst top 10 research countries, Pakistan needs rapid technological advancement. The immense rise in research publication trend in Pakistan from the year 2019–2020 as compared to prior 2019 era indicates that due focus is being given in the field of blockchain in Pakistan since the last two years.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors have considered WoS data source. Therefore, the study is limited to those published scholarly studies which are present in WoS database. More detailed assessment can be performed by analyzing other data resources. The authors have performed analysis based on 9 research questions. However, other parameters can also be included to perform more enhanced and detailed analysis. All types of documents are included in our research work including secondary studies also. However, some authors might not prefer to include all types of documents.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications for the development of trust and reputation management area of blockchain.Originality/valueThe bibliometric analysis is worthy for scholars, researchers and students to help them make better decision in the field of blockchain with respect to various parameters. The study also serves as a motivating factor to conduct research in the area of blockchain with any language as a medium of research.

The Time Has Come: Journal of Endodontic Microsurgery: A First Peer-Reviewed Open Access Publication Focused on Microsurgery in Endodontics

Multiple articles, textbooks and chapters, parts of the residency programs, meetings` topics, courses with hands-on training, and social media groups with more than 12,600 members; it`s not a full list of the scientific and practical developments associated with endodontic microsurgery (EM). The field of endodontics and EM is flourishing around the globe and more and more dental clinics/offices became equipped by microscopes, special EM instruments, used 3-D printed cutting guides, and educate their stuff, etc. Analysis of the existed publications at the (1) Portal of International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) International Center and (2) SCImago Journal and Country Rank [10] revealed a scholar gap in such growing field as EM. Using a search function at the Portal of ISSN International Center, all publications with a word endodontic(s), endodontology, microsurgery, and microsurgical in their titles were analyzed and no endodontic microsurgery was found. Among 141 journals of in a subject area “Dentistry,” category “Dentistry (Miscellaneous),” (metrics based on Scopus® data as of April 2021) only eight of them (5.67%) have the word endodontic(s) in their titles (Table 1). Moreover, as of September 30, 2021 another endodontic publication (Endodontology journal) became a Scopus-indexed journal. Thus, despite nine endodontically-focused journals are included to the prestigious database and published some number of EM papers; none of them are focused precisely on EM. That is why an initiative group of five EM-associated practitioners take a responsibility as chief editors to move the EM direction forward with a new Journal of Endodontic Microsurgery (JEM). The names of those experts and opinion leaders are Spyros Floratos (Greece, United States), Daniel Flynn (United Kingdom), Carlos Aznar Portoles (Netherlands), Oleksandr B. Tkachenko (Ukraine) (Fig 1), and Puala Villa (Colombia). All editors have a clear purpose to publish every year a volume of high-quality peer-reviewed articles.

Journal citation reports and the definition of a predatory journal: The case of the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

AbstractThe extent to which predatory journals can harm scientific practice increases as the numbers of such journals expand, in so far as they undermine scientific integrity, quality, and credibility, especially if those journals leak into prestigious databases. Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports (JCR), a reference for the assessment of researchers and for grant-making decisions, is used as a standard whitelist, in so far as the selectivity of a JCR-indexed journal adds a legitimacy of sorts to the articles that the journal publishes. The Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) had 53 journals ranked in the 2018 JCRs annual report. These journals are analysed, not only to contrast the formal criteria for the identification of predatory journals, but taking a step further, their background is also analysed with regard to self-citations and the source of those self-citations in 2018 and 2019. The results showed that the self-citation rates increased and was very much higher than those of the leading journals in the JCR category. Besides, an increasingly high rate of citations from other MDPI-journals was observed. The formal criteria together with the analysis of the citation patterns of the 53 journals under analysis all suggest they may be predatory journals. Hence, specific recommendations are given to researchers, educational institutions and prestigious databases advising them to review their working relations with those sorts of journals.

Iranian Brain Imaging Database: A Neuropsychiatric Database of Healthy Brain.

Introduction:The Iranian Brain Imaging Database (IBID) was initiated in 2017, with 5 major goals: provide researchers easy access to a neuroimaging database, provide normative quantitative measures of the brain for clinical research purposes, study the aging profile of the brain, examine the association of brain structure and function, and join the ENIGMA consortium. Many prestigious databases with similar goals are available. However, they were not done on an Iranian population, and the battery of their tests (e.g. cognitive tests) is selected based on their specific questions and needs.Methods:The IBID will include 300 participants (50% female) in the age range of 20 to 70 years old, with an equal number of participants (#60) in each age decade. It comprises a battery of cognitive, lifestyle, medical, and mental health tests, in addition to several Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) protocols. Each participant completes the assessments on two referral days.Results:The study currently has a cross-sectional design, but longitudinal assessments are considered for the future phases of the study. Here, details of the methodology and the initial results of assessing the first 152 participants of the study are provided.Conclusion:IBID is established to enable research into human brain function, to aid clinicians in disease diagnosis research, and also to unite the Iranian researchers with interests in the brain.

Indexing in the REDIB database.

It is with great satisfaction that we inform our readers and collaborators that BJIHS is now in one of the largest and most prestigious scientific database in Spain, REDIB. REDIB (Ibero-American Network of Innovation and Scientific Knowledge) is a platform for aggregating scientific and academic content in electronic format produced in the Ibero-American sphere, related to it in a broader cultural and social sense and geographically not restrictive. REDIB has a clear vocation to promote technological innovation in editorial production tools. These facilitate access, dissemination and improvement of scientific production generated in the countries within its reach, especially in the various languages. The recipients of this information are both the academic community and society in general, as well as those responsible, managers and scientific policy analysts. The Internet guarantees the global reach of this information. 
 
 Karina Silva Figueira
 Editor to BJIHS

Case Study as a Research Method for Analyzing MOOCs

Educational research is one of the many fields of knowledge that frequently use case studies as a research method, particularly when applying an interpretive approach. Based on literature reviews and a systematic analysis of current scientific literature, this paper examines the prevalence and characteristics of the case study as a methodology for research on MOOCs. Ninety-two documents were selected from the search results returned by two of the most prestigious scientific databases: Web of Science (WOS) and SCOPUS. Findings showed that (a) even when searching solely for case studies, quantitative research paradigms were more prevalent than interpretive approaches; (b) geographical distribution of these studies was partially biased; (c) case studies were less prevalent in these databases than other empirical investigations on MOOCs; (d) the data collection and data analysis methods most frequently used in the case studies were more aligned with a quantitative approach; and (e) there is still very little instructor-focused research using this methodology. In the light of these findings and their discussion, future directions for research using case study methodology are proposed, given the potential of this method to illustrate certain issues for which other approaches have proved inadequate or insufficient.

Editorial: FAREWELL AND WELCOME NEW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

<p>My seven years with Acta Polytechnica ended on June 30. The opportunity to lead this journal from a local list of reviewed periodicals to the prestigious databases – Web of Science, Scopus, Inspec, CAS and more – was a rewarding experience and privilege for me.</p><p>All this would have not been possible without the continual cooperation and understanding of many individuals, who contribute to putting the journal together.</p><p>In the first place there are authors of excellent submissions and reviewers who contributed their time, expertise, knowledge and experience to help the authors to improve their manuscripts and, through their comments and questions, gave them an inspiration for their further research. During my tenure I saw very satisfying trends in our submissions, mainly the increasing quality of the manuscripts submitted by young researchers.</p><p>I very appreciate the continual support of all the members of the editorial board. As experts in their field they contributed to the editorial process, provided invaluable advices and recommendations. In particular I would like to thank the internal board members, who collaborated with their colleagues from faculties and institutes. Without this motivating communication and cooperation across the university the AP would not be what it is.</p><p>A special thanks belongs to Tomáš Hejda. Seven years ago he created the image of the journal and set up typographic rules and standards. Last but not least, AP could not grow without the work of the language editors, especially Robin Healey.</p><p>And, of course, I would like to thank all the colleagues from the CTU Central Library for their support and intensive cooperation. Without them it would not be possible to set the necessary publishing standards and processes. Especially I would like to thank Lenka Němečková for being a source of energy and inspiration for the AP, and thank to the director of the CTU Central Library Marta Machytková for her support.</p><p>Finally, I would like to introduce and welcome an outstanding colleague and the new Editor-in-Chief Tereza Karlová. I very respect her professional skills, I am convinced that she has the right motivation for the successful management of Acta Polytechnica and I wish her all the best.</p><p>Iva Adlerová Outgoing Editor-in-Chief</p>