Governing Scientific Knowledge Through Editorial Transparency: An Exploratory Documentary Assessment of Open Science Practices in Food Science Journals from Peru and Mexico

Contemporary scientific publishing plays an increasingly important role in the accessibility, circulation, and governance of scientific knowledge within the context of open science and growing demands for editorial transparency. Despite the expansion of scientific production in emerging academic ecosystems, many journals continue to face structural challenges related to editorial professionalisation, technological infrastructure, international visibility, and implementation of international publishing standards. This study analyses the extent to which food science journals from Peru and Mexico comply with scholarly publishing standards promoted by EASE, COPE, and DOAJ. A qualitative and documentary comparative approach was adopted through the analysis of six scientific journals using an evaluation instrument composed of 23 criteria grouped into three dimensions: editorial ethics, peer review and equity, and transparency and communication of editorial information. The findings reveal important advances in editorial ethics and open access practices, alongside persistent limitations associated with peer review transparency, digital preservation policies, dissemination mechanisms, and governance visibility. Mexican journals demonstrated comparatively stronger transparency-related practices, while Peruvian journals showed greater internal heterogeneity. The study concludes that strengthening scientific communication in emerging publishing ecosystems requires broader commitments to transparency, open science, and equitable access to scientific knowledge.