Editorial note — August 2026: this article replaces a text published in October 2025, which presented as an “independent evaluation” a text generated by a conversational AI system, accompanied by unverifiable traffic and social-media follower figures. We have withdrawn it and replaced it with this reflection, because the journal must hold itself to the same rigor it asks of its authors.
Why a chatbot cannot “evaluate” a scientific journal
In autumn 2025 we published on this site the transcript of a conversation with a generative AI system, which had been asked to comment on the relevance and popularity of Ethica Societas. The text, written in an analytical tone and accompanied by precise figures on monthly visits, followers and social interactions, gave the impression of an independent report. It was not.
Conversational AI systems, when they lack direct and verified access to the traffic-analysis tools or social platforms being cited, do not measure: they compose a plausible text based on how the question was framed. A request phrased in favourable terms tends to produce a favourable answer, with numbers that sound credible but that no one has checked. That is not a judgment — it is a reflection of the prompt.
What actually counts as recognition
A scientific journal is not evaluated by asking a chatbot what it thinks. It is evaluated through verifiable, traceable processes: peer review, indexing in academic registries such as DOAJ or ERIH PLUS, formal recognition by national research evaluation agencies, citation in indexed venues. These processes are slower and less flattering than a conversation with an AI, but they are the only ones that matter to anyone deciding whether to cite a contribution, commission an article, or treat the journal as a serious interlocutor.
Ethica Societas holds real, verifiable credentials, which we prefer to highlight in place of an artificial judgment: a double ISSN (2785-597X print, 2785-602X online), registration with the Rome Court, listing with Italy’s communications regulator (ROC), and an editorial and scientific board of university academics and professionals. In recent months we have published our editorial policies — peer review process, code of ethics, usage license, author guidelines — precisely so that these standards can be verified by anyone, not merely stated.
A commitment, not a promotion
This article is not an announcement of results achieved: it is a statement of method. We will keep working toward indexing in recognized registries such as ERIH PLUS and DOAJ, toward assigning DOIs to our scientific contributions via Crossref, and toward an editorial process that is ever more transparent about its own criteria. We would rather be judged on that, however long it takes, than on a text generated by an algorithm.
Ethica Societas è una testata giornalistica gratuita e no profit edita da una cooperativa sociale onlus
Copyright Ethica Societas, Human&Social Science Review © 2025 by Ethica Societas UPLI onlus.
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