A scientific journal is like a convoy that travels through time, following its moments and its trends. On this supposedly endless road, there are good and bad stretches.
The members of the convoy are temporary, being very present at some moments and absent in others, but always participating in its direction, composing its structure and its style.
The people in charge set the direction and pace, without a final destination. The target is changeable and can be redirected according to several factors, but the main goal is always to ensure continuity.
In 2009, president Romeu Krause entrusted me with the role of directing RBO and giving it all the features of renowned journal, as SBOT deserves.
We were in a transitional situation, as the former publishing house was closing and we had a small number of articles to be assessed.
The convoy had slowed down.
With no other option, we decided to completely change RBO's structure and to hire a new publisher; a new cover was designed and we asked close colleagues to submit articles for the first edition under my direction. The principles had been established by those that preceded me: seriousness, honesty, and the search for quality. I just followed the path.
The convoy had direction and principles, so following them was sufficient.
I made a presentation on how to publish a scientific paper in several Brazilian regions, at the invitation of the presidents of the time; this was an important motivating factor, and the understanding of the reviewers was also paramount to accelerate the pace of publication.
The scientific production has been increasing, based on the main principle of education: teaching by example. National authors, seeing quality works published on RBO, have greatly increased the demand for our journal. This has resulted in a great increase of articles; our local publisher, excellent in its performance, became too small for the demand of the authors.
The convoy was growing and needed more support for its structure and navigation.
We moved to an international publisher with a vast structure that could support RBO's growth and demand.
It was then up to us to venture beyond our limits and seek to enter the difficult international market of scientific production.
International indexers are very demanding and the competition is fierce. Presenting RBO and Brazilian orthopedics to the world was a doubt, as we had grown significantly and a negative response to this exposure could lead to great disappointment. In our environment, we wondered: “what will the comparison with international magazines be like?”
This was the path, and the convoy needed to follow.
Indexing in PubMed was a milestone in our history, and we owe this to the quality of the work and the actions of our publisher.
RBO timidly became known to the world. Soon our citation level, which represents the number of times studies published in RBO are cited, began a steady rise. This increase was so significant that we are awaiting inclusion in ISI (International Scientific Indexing), which will provide us with impact factor.
We are already at an international standard and we receive works from all over the world, which creates a problem of space for publications.
Over the course of these nine years, we have processed over 2200 articles, with a varying rejection index that now reaches 35%, placing us among the best orthopedic journals.
Accepted and rejected works are our heritage; those accepted added value to the journal, whereas the rejected ones were very important instruments of learning for the authors and the reviewers.
Special thanks are due to our reviewers, be them the members of the editorial board, whose names are published in each RBO edition, or the anonymous members of the body of consultants and area editors appointed by the specialty societies or invited by me, who demonstrate their love and respect for medical publication when analyzing studies and approving, rejecting, or guiding authors’ reviews. They have been responsible for giving RBO direction and meaning.
With the help of many people and the competence SBOT's presidents and directors, I have lead the convoy until now.
In my name and on behalf of all the readers, I would like to thank all members of this structure, and I bid farewell to the next editor.
I am sure the convoy will continue on its path.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
Nov-Dec 2017
