EDITORIAL
Evaluation of 2006-2007 management
Carmem Keidann; Flávio Shansis
Editors of Rev Psiquiatr RS, 2006-2007 administration.
When we took over, in 2006, we called our administration "the challenge of growth." Two years ago, we perceived that significant changes should be implemented in our journal. Such changes were needed due to a significant increase in number of submitted articles - a result of successful previous administrations. During the swearing-in ceremony of the new board of Sociedade de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do Sul (SPRS), we presented our change proposals for Revista de Psiquiatria do Rio Grande do Sul (RPRS) regarding 2006-2007. Next, we list some of the modifications that were implemented:
- Increase in number of local editorial board members (we doubled the number of participants).
- Increase and renewal of national and international editorial councils.
- Creation of subeditors according to area.
- Increase in percentage of article refusal after judicious evaluation (today it is around 60%).
- Acceleration in terms of submission and evaluation of articles, as well as journal management. To do so, an operational system was acquired, allowing complete online management of RPRS and of submitted and evaluated articles. Nowadays, mean time between submission and first evaluation by two independent reviewers is 15 days, and 60 days between a complete submission process and approval or refusal of an article.
- As to the editorial line, we started prioritizing original articles, without, however, stop accepting some review articles which we consider important.
We believe these changes have substantially made our journal different. Now we can claim that RPRS is adapted to our new times. Times of exponential growth in number of articles that require our management.
Nevertheless, it is worth stressing once again that, along with these changes, we were concerned about maintaining the editorial line that has always guided our journal. That line was maintained throughout our administration. RPRS conserved its plural view, including articles coming both from clinical psychiatry and psychotherapy. We maintained the conviction that every article submitted to our editors' initial filter should be evaluated by at least two independent and blind reviewers as to article authorship. Also, we maintained local editorial board meetings every 2 weeks to discuss articles with conflicting reviews, as well as to make important decisions guiding our editorial line.
Finally, we would like to state that, as RPRS editors, we are fully satisfied with the work done. We accomplished the task of evaluating each of the 290 articles submitted over these 2 years with much responsibility and ethics, secrecy, respect and rigorously scientific criteria. It seems to us that this has been confirmed by the increasingly higher number of new articles to our journal, as well as by the positive opinion of many readers across Brazil. Such an effort to face what we called "the challenge of growth" could only be successful thanks to the huge enthusiasm of our colleagues in the local editorial board, now called area subeditors. To them, as well as to the APRS board (represented by its president, Laís Knijnik), we only have words of deep gratitude. To the authors of all articles, who trusted in our journal by sending us their papers, our acknowledgement, since they are those who, after all, have encouraged the growth of RPRS. Lastly, our acknowledgement to the readers of our journal, who are the primary objective of its existence.
Our 2-year administration ends with the present issue. We believe that we have met our challenge. Modestly, we feel that we leave a better journal, prepared for this new moment we are living. We wish every success to the new editors, who will take over in the 30th consecutive year of RPRS.
To everyone, a good reading and thank you very much!
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
31 Mar 2008 -
Date of issue
Dec 2007
