Who Edits Reality? The Politics and Pragmatics of Scholarly Infrastructure

Maciej Maryl

doi:10.7557/5.8292

Authors

Maciej Maryl Institute of Literary Research https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2639-041X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/5.8292

Keywords:

bibliographic databases, corpora, Digital Humanities, representation, infrastructure, governance

Abstract

This paper argues that digital scholarly infrastructures, such as bibliographic databases and text corpora, are not neutral representations of reality but constructed models shaped by pragmatic, methodological choices. This is particularly critical in the "closing world" of proprietary platforms like Scopus and Web of Science, which present biased commercial products as objective scholarly tools. Through a critical discussion, this paper unpacks how unexamined decisions regarding operationalisation, standardisation, representativeness, and balance can distort our understanding of a scholarly field. In contrast, the paper highlights collaborative, open data ecosystems that leverage standardisation and interoperability. Ultimately, we argue that fostering a multiplicity of open, auditable models is essential to challenge the monolithic power of commercial actors, democratize research, and achieve genuine data sovereignty.

Author Biography

Maciej Maryl, Institute of Literary Research

Maciej Maryl, Ph.D., assistant professor and the founding Director of the Digital Humanities Centre at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CHC IBL PAN). He cooperates with OPERAS as Executive Assembly member and the leader of OPERAS Innovation Lab. He chairs ALLEA E-humanities Working Group, and co-chairs DARIAH Digital Methods and Practices Observatory. He participates in committees important for digital humanities infrastructures as a member of SSH Open Cluster Governing Board, DARIAH-PL Steering Board, Polish Science Contact Agency (PolSCA) Advisory Board, and Digital Repository Ireland Advisory Board.

Maryl graduated from the University of Warsaw in Polish Philology and Applied Social Sciences. He completed the “Artes Liberales” Academy program and attended doctoral studies at the Graduate School for Social Research (GSSR). He was awarded scholarships of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Foundation for Polish Science and Fulbright Junior Advanced Research Grant (2010) and Fulbright Senior Award (2017). He published articles and translations in Teksty Drugie, CLCWeb, DHQ, JLTOnline, F1000Research, and Pamiętnik Literacki.

Maryl focuses on developing digital research infrastructure for social sciences and humanities in Polish and European contexts. His interest include data science applied to cultural data, innovation in scholarly communication and meta-research on digital practices in the humanities. He participated in numerous research and infrastructural projects in these areas as PI or Work Package leader.

References

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