The Integration of the methodology with a journal scope

Although this is no news, it is always good to reiterate an issue of relationship between the method(s) and the content of a research article because these two aspects are the heart of scientific communication. In fact, one of the most difficult goals to achieve in a research and its consequent disclosure as an article, represents the extent to which the author employes with precision in the methods of the research so that his data are analyzed with ownership in order to express faithfully the object at study. Moreover, from the publication, the problem is to introduce the manuscript by observing very well how the two aspects, method of analysis and content or material of the text can ajust. This adjustment is a sore point at any research, certainly it will be required by the reviewers and editors because they get to the point of any article: the methodological adequacy as demanded by the journal scope.

This adequacy becomes serious and more difficult in those journals whose scopes are a wide spectrum and even very conprehensive as is our case, even though with the leitmotiv title of “Saude Materno-Infantil” / “Mother and Child Health” has as a mission and a scope coverage of different aspects and even different areas on woman's health in general, also contemplating with their epidemiological, social and cultural aspects. In addition, being of a widen theme, the analytical approach of the articles, in our case, requires the employment of the relevant methods in each area requiring a variety of types, such as the analysis on quantitative researches, on qualitative researches or on evaluative researches depending on the course of nature of the study. It is not easy to face the problem. Fortunately our professionals, such as editors, reviewers and consultants, have gained success to meet the expectations. Of course this is not a simple task, because, as we have said before, we must look at the results in a research, in such a way that it becomes the closest to the fact studied ever.

The methodological issue is not simple. For about a year ago, we wrote about the issue on scientific methodology research¹ in commenting on the limitations and the serious problems that occurred in an inadequate use of the methods, especially in statistics, leading to non replicability of many results.² Now, if the results of investigations which are designed to bring new information, capable of being applied for better life conditions (human or in a more general term, ecological), if these results are not reliable they become spurious to imply obvious ethical problems and damages to the community.

Therefore it is incumbent upon all of us to take care of ourselves and make every effort count in doing the right thing! However, if we deepen, we can see that our issue is one of the central themes of our own philosophy, which is to encounter the Real thing. This, apparently of course, is not easy, and the encounter of the Real thing is probably not possible. But nothing hinders us to seek for it, as the great thinkers did, such as Hume and Kant, even the modern thinkers as the French, Bernard D’Espagnat³ in “A La Recherche Du Reel” and the Ar-gentinan Mario Bunge⁴ in “Hunting for the Reality” although not achieving as Popper⁵ defends.

As researchers and scientists, we would like to achieve the real fact, the specific object of our investigation and if possible, apply it. But we need to do it well!

Referências

• ¹
  Cabral Filho JE. A importância da qualidade da Metodologia na Pesquisa. Rev Bras Saúde Matern Infant. 2014; 14 (4): 315-8.
• ²
  Ioannides JPA. Why most published research findings are false. PlosOne. 2005; 2 (8): 696-701.
• ³
  D' Espagnat B. A La Recherche Du Réel. Paris: Gauthier-Villars; 1981.
• ⁴
  Bunge M. Caçando a Realidade. São Paulo: Perspectiva S.A.; 2006.
• ⁵
  Popper K. Conhecimento Objetivo. São Paulo: Edusp; 1975.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  Jul-Sep 2015