Recently, we had the opportunity to participate in the SciELO 15 Years Conference, and we would like to share some ideas following our four-day involvement in this fabulous event.
We would like to highlight the capacity of publishers with vast technological resources to systematize and disseminate scientific knowledge as well as assess the various indicators for impact factor. Even when subject to scrutiny, these prove to be objective and useful measures that indicate, by means of product consumption, the quality of what is produced.
Open access, adopted by SciELO from the outset, was established as a relevant path toward the dissemination of knowledge, for it enables accessibility, visibility, and socialization with regard to scientific production in various fields of knowledge.
We would also like to highlight the initiative of the editors of Mega Journals such as Nature , BioMedCentral , and Public Library of Science (PLoS) for categorizing knowledge according to specific fields: Nature Cancer , Nature Infectious Diseases , BMC Medicine , BMC Nursing , PLoS Biology , PLoS Medicine aiming the search logic by intrisec interest for area. Even though it might seem far-fetched, it is in fact a pertinent initiative that the nursing field should consider as a possible measure to improve the impact of journals in the field.
During the event, the significance of the role of editors responsible for the journal’s editorial policy was highlighted. Journal editors should establish quality indicators for the dissemination of research, providing the diffusion of scientific information relevant to various professions and to promoting the population’s health. The editorial board and the highly qualified reviewers should promote the improvement of the quality of published articles with regard to scientific merit, originality, timeliness, relevance, and scope. These measures can ensure the journal’s visibility and credibility, thus increasing its scientific qualification.
A journal’s commitment to adopting a disclosure prior to publication ( ahead of print ) favors a faster dissemination of knowledge, and the press release increases interaction with the general public. In addition, providing access to journals through digital media and social networking is very important to ensure that the knowledge produced by the academy and funded by public grants returns to society and benefits the population. These initiatives on dynamic and interactive websites add value to electronic publications and contribute to increase the journal’s impact and visibility in the national and international scientific community.
Open access offers greater visibility to articles published in journals; however, the journal needs to implement interactivity and dialogue with the authors to inform them when their articles are quoted and provide them with links to journals in which the citation can be found. Another interesting initiative involves informing the authors of the ranking of their articles when they are among the 20 most-cited articles in a specific subject area. These initiatives, along with the marketing resources of journals, encourage submissions to be of the highest quality, resulting in great prestige for both journals and authors, the great protagonists in this history.
However, if the submitted articles are not of the desired quality, this enormous effort by journals to internationalize the knowledge being produced will not provide substantial results. Therefore, to achieve the internationalization of journals in the field of nursing, postgraduate nursing programs in the country need to improve the quality of articles being produced.
With regard to the articles, authors must realize that research questions are significantly more important than the answers. While creating an article, one should start with the results and tables, which enrich the discussion.
Researchers will begin by reading the abstract, which should be constructed as attractively as possible in order to persuade the researcher to read the entire manuscript. The introduction should be short, with a comprehensive explanation of the theme, and should emphasize the relevance of the study. The methodology should be well described and capable of reproduction to ensure the credibility of the findings.
In quantitative studies, results should be presented in tables with brief comments on statistical significance. The discussion should engage with the literature, and anticipating the limitations of the study in this section adds credibility to the authors. In qualitative studies, theoretical and methodological thoroughness as well as the analytical techniques used collaborate to verify the study.
The use of the Letters to the Editor section should be encouraged by journals with the aim of promoting among readers the habit of engaging in academic debates and contemplating the scientific productions presented in journals.
So many challenges! It is important to conceive alternative ways of producing and disseminating knowledge. In addition, it is necessary to improve the diffusion of scientific articles in digital media and categorize the articles by field and according to quality and impact, thus aiming to increase the ascending curve of the bibliometric indicators of national nursing journals. The time has come for journals to adopt digital formats and open access. Furthermore, production should be grouped by field in Mega Journals . Collaborations between postgraduate programs and authors are necessary to achieve the desired quality of articles, which will contribute to a greater impact for the journal, increasing its dissemination, visibility, speed of diffusion, and free universal availability. This will influence the bibliometric indicators of national nursing journals.
There is a lot that needs to be done!
Upon concluding the year, we would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of the Journal of the School of Nursing of the University of São Paulo in 2013 and wish Happy Holidays to the global nursing community. Wishing all a very fruitful, healthy, and HAPPY 2014.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
01 Dec 2013
