Institutional Capacity and Editorial Autonomy in International Journal Indexing: Evidence from University Journals in Honduras

International indexing remains a significant challenge for university journals, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where editorial teams often operate with limited institutional support. This study investigated whether meeting international indexing standards depends solely on editorial performance or also on institutional capacity. A multidimensional assessment was conducted on 17 scientific journals published by the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), using the editorial criteria of Latindex, DOAJ, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science. Four dimensions were evaluated: General Characteristics (D1), Editorial Policies (D2), Content Quality (D3), and Digital Visibility (D4). Differences between dimensions were analyzed using the Friedman test with pairwise Wilcoxon signed-rank post hoc comparisons and Bonferroni correction, while hierarchical cluster analysis identified editorial development profiles. Content Quality showed significantly higher compliance than Editorial Policies and Digital Visibility (p < 0.05), with no significant differences between the latter two dimensions. Three editorial profiles (Advanced, Developing, and Critical) revealed marked differences in editorial maturity. Overall, the findings align with the Editorial Autonomy Hypothesis, suggesting that international indexing compliance may be associated not only with editorial competence but also with the institutional capacity required to sustain modern scientific publishing systems, though causal attribution requires future longitudinal and comparative research. This framework offers practical guidelines for strengthening university journals and enhancing their international visibility.