Dear community,
After several months of development, we are excited to present a new plugin for OJS 3.3/3.4+ called IssueSpotlight AI. This tool integrates the Google Gemini API (Free Tier!!) directly into the platform to transform static metadata into analytical and visual layers.
You can find more information and the download link here: 
GitHub Repository: IssueSpotlight AI
Why IssueSpotlight AI?
The goal is to take an issue’s metadata (titles, abstracts, and affiliations) and generate four types of automated AI analysis that provide high editorial and analytical value:
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Intelligent Editorial Synthesis: Acts as an Editor-in-Chief, drafting a thematic narrative of the issue.
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Innovation Radar: Identifies emerging topics and trends through a visual “Packed Bubble Chart”.
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SDG Impact (Agenda 2030): Evaluates how the research aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Global Institutional Map: Advanced geolocation of authors with AI-powered normalization of university names.
Efficiency and Zero Cost (Free Tier)
We have designed the plugin to be sustainable and cost-effective:
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Built for the Free Tier: It runs on the Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite free tier (approx. 20 requests/day).
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One-Time Analysis: The analysis is triggered once by the editor. All LLM responses are stored in a custom OJS database table, so subsequent access by readers does not consume additional requests or API quota.
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Privacy: Only public metadata (titles/abstracts) is sent to the API. No personal or unpublished data is ever shared.
Live Examples
See the plugin in action in our OJS, Revistes UPC:
- Example 1: JIDA: The Workshop on Educational Innovation in Architecture
- Example 2: ACE: Architecture, City and Environment
Installation
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Download the
issueSpotlight.tar.gzfrom the GitHub Releases (compatible with OJS 3.3 and 3.4+). -
Install via Website Settings > Plugins > Upload A New Plugin.
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Add your Free Google Gemini API Key in the plugin settings.
Any feedback or suggestions are more than welcome!
Credits
Developed by Fran Máñez – Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC).
