Abstracts
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the situation of pulmonology journals published in Latin America. METHODS: A survey was conducted in a meeting sponsored by the Latin American Thoracic Society. Each journal editor presented a report and answered a questionnaire. RESULTS: Improving information acquisition is the main motivation for pulmonology societies to edit their own journals, whereas disseminating medical knowledge and reporting experiences are the main motivations for authors to submit papers. The most common failing in the manuscripts submitted is poor compliance with the journal guidelines. Improving author-editor-reviewer relationships would be the best strategy for improving the quality of manuscripts. Suggestions for improving Latin American journals included the following: promoting professionalism in editorial tasks; encouraging manuscript reviewers to be more meticulous; and embracing international norms for editing medical journals. The following major problems were reported: a lack of regular, appropriate periodicity of issues; a shortage of original papers that are considered 'milestones' in the specialty; a low rejection rate for submitted papers; a high turnover of editors. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, we can make the following recommendations: although many journals are available in electronic form, they should also be maintained in print form; each journal should divulge its subscription fee, even if it is included in the annual society membership dues; although each Latin American country might decide to publish its own pulmonology journal, the feasibility of publishing a multinational Latin American pulmonology journal should be explored.
Periodicals; Manuscripts; Latin America; Respiratory tract diseases
OBJETIVO: Caracterizar la situación de las revistas de neumología publicadas en Latinoamérica. MÉTODOS: Fue realizada una encuesta en reunión organizada por la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Tórax. Cada editor presentó un reporte y respondió a un cuestionario. RESULTADOS: Mejora en la adquisición de informaciones es la principal motivación para las sociedades de neumología para la edición de sus propias revistas, considerando que la diseminación de conocimiento médico y el reporte de experiencias son los principales motivos para que los autores envíen sus trabajos. El error más común en los trabajos enviados es la poca conformidad con las directrices de la revista. Mejorar las relaciones entre autor, editor y revisor sería la mejor estrategia para perfeccionar la calidad de los textos. Algunas sugerencias para mejorar las revistas latinoamericanas: promover profesionales en tareas editoriales; encorajar a los revisores a que sean más meticulosos; y adoptar normas internacionales para la edición de revistas médicas. Fueron reportados los siguientes problemas: falta de periodicidad adecuada y regular de las ediciones; una disminución en la cantidad de trabajos originales que son considerados ejemplares en la especialidad; baja tasa de rechazo de trabajos enviados; alta rotación de editores. CONCLUSIÓN: Podemos hacer las siguientes recomendaciones: a pesar de varias revistas estar en formato electrónico, ellas también deben ser mantenidas en formato impreso; cada revista debe informar su tasa de suscripción, aunque esté incluida en los gastos de inscripción anual; a pesar de cada país de Latinoamérica poder optar por publicar su propia revista, la posibilidad de publicación de una revista multinacional de neumología latinoamericana debe ser explotada.
Publicaciones periódicas; Manuscritos; América Latina; Enfermedades respiratorias
SPECIAL ARTICLE
Situational study of seven Latin-American pulmonology journals*
Manuel Oyarzún GómezI; Alejandra Ramírez VenegasII; Adalberto Agüero FernándezIII; José Antônio Baddini MartínezIV; Mary Bermúdez GómezV; Jorge O. CánevaVI; Jaime E. Morales BlandirVII; Rogelio Pérez-PadillaVIII
IEditor of the Revista Chilena de Enfermedades Respiratorias (Chilean Journal of Respiratory Tract Diseases)
IISecretary of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax (ALAT, Latin American Thoracic Society)
IIIEditor of Enfermedades del Tórax (Thoracic Diseases)
IVEditor of the Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia (Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology)
VEditor of the Revista Colombiana de Neumología (Colombian Journal of Pulmonology)
VIEditor of the Revista Argentina de Medicina Respiratoria (Argentinean Journal of Respiratory Medicine)
VIIEditor of the Revista Mexicana de Neumología y Cirugía de Tórax (Mexican Journal of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery)
VIIIPresident of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax (ALAT, Latin American Thoracic Society)
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the situation of pulmonology journals published in Latin America.
METHODS: A survey was conducted in a meeting sponsored by the Latin American Thoracic Society. Each journal editor presented a report and answered a questionnaire.
RESULTS: Improving information acquisition is the main motivation for pulmonology societies to edit their own journals, whereas disseminating medical knowledge and reporting experiences are the main motivations for authors to submit papers. The most common failing in the manuscripts submitted is poor compliance with the journal guidelines. Improving author-editor-reviewer relationships would be the best strategy for improving the quality of manuscripts. Suggestions for improving Latin American journals included the following: promoting professionalism in editorial tasks; encouraging manuscript reviewers to be more meticulous; and embracing international norms for editing medical journals. The following major problems were reported: a lack of regular, appropriate periodicity of issues; a shortage of original papers that are considered 'milestones' in the specialty; a low rejection rate for submitted papers; a high turnover of editors.
CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, we can make the following recommendations: although many journals are available in electronic form, they should also be maintained in print form; each journal should divulge its subscription fee, even if it is included in the annual society membership dues; although each Latin American country might decide to publish its own pulmonology journal, the feasibility of publishing a multinational Latin American pulmonology journal should be explored.
Keywords: Periodicals; Manuscripts; Latin America; Respiratory tract diseases.
In order to analyze the current status of journals dealing with respiratory tract diseases and published in Latin America, the editors of seven such journals (Table 1) were summoned to a meeting organized by the Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax (ALAT, Latin American Thoracic Society) in Lima, Peru, on February 4, 2007. All of the journal editors presented reports on the editorial status of their respective journals (Table 2). The reports presented by the editors were complemented by the responses to a survey on how to increase the number and quality of the manuscripts published. According to the editors, improving information acquisition is the main motivation for national respiratory medicine societies to edit their own journals. In addition, they consider disseminating medical knowledge and reporting experiences to be the main motivations for authors to publish manuscripts. However, the most common failing in the manuscripts submitted is poor compliance with the journal guidelines and requirements. The strategy most commonly used by editors to improve the quality of manuscripts is improving author-editor-reviewer relationships. Of the seven editors, three reported a decrease in the number of original manuscripts submitted to their journals. This decrease was mainly attributed to increasing pressure to publish in journals with the highest impact factor. The suggestions for improving Latin American journals dealing with respiratory tract diseases can be summarized as follows: to increase the level of professionalism in the editorial aspects; to encourage manuscript reviewers to be more detail-oriented; and to strictly adhere to international norms for editing medical journals.(1)
Conclusions and recommendations
We believe that the seven journals evaluated constitute a highly representative sample in terms of the processes involved in the publishing of pulmonology journals, which are official organs of national and regional respiratory medicine societies in Latin America. In addition, according to an online (Internet) bibliographic search,(2) such journals account for 77.77% of the new pulmonology journals published in Latin America.
In this context, it is important to highlight that most of the Latin American journals dealing with respiratory tract diseases present the problems described herein. We take the liberty of making some recommendations to solve, or at least to prevent the spread and worsening of, such problems.
Principal problems:
Recommendations:
One proposal for achieving this aspiration is the creation of multinational medical journals in Latin America, which is an action that had already been delineated _ in 1995 _ for the Latin American scientific journals indexed for the ISI.(4) In the specific case of the field of respiratory tract diseases, the president of the ALAT analyzed, in a recent article, the advantages and disadvantages of developing a Latin American journal dealing with respiratory tract diseases.(2)
Despite the high prevalence of respiratory tract diseases worldwide, the journals related to respiratory health that are currently published in Latin America do not reflect the importance of respiratory tract diseases. A joint effort could result in a more effective means of communication.(6)
At the 2007 Editors' Meeting in Lima, it was agreed that a multinational committee comprising five editors or specialists would be created. This committee is currently composed of Drs. J. A. Baddini-Martínez; C. M. Luna, J. Olórtegui, M. Oyarzún, and R. Pérez-Padilla, who will prepare a preliminary plan for a Latin American journal. This plan will explore the feasibility of achieving this goal through the ALAT.
Note: In March of 2007, Dr. José Luis Olórtegui T. resigned his post as editor of Enfermedades del Tórax (Thoracic Diseases), the journal of the Peruvian Society of Pulmonology, and was replaced by Dr. Adalberto Agüero Fernández.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the kind hosts of the Editors' Meeting held in the city of Lima, represented by all of the members of the Peruvian Thoracic Society and presided over by Dr. Katherine Gutarra-Chuquin.
References
Submitted: 3 April 2007. Accepted, after review: 2 May 2007.
- 1. Oyarzún M. Situación editorial de las revistas latinoamericanas de enfermedades respiratorias Rev Chil Enferm Respir. In press 2007.
- 2. Pérez-Padilla R. La inevitable gestación de revistas médicas multinacionales en América Latina. Neumol Cir Torax. 2006;65(3):150-4.
- 3. Benítez-Bribiesca L. Las revistas científicas en medicina y el Instituto de Información Científica ISI. Conferencia inaugural reunión de Editores de Revistas Latinoamericanas ALAT con ULASTER; 2007 Feb 4; Lima, Peru.
- 4. Krauskopf M, Vera MI. Las revistas latinoamericanas de corriente principal: indicadores y estrategias para su consolidación. Interciencia. 1995;(20):144-8.
- 5. Oyarzún M. Ingreso de las revistas biomédicas nacionales a los índices bibliográficos internacionales: desafíos y oportunidades. Rev Chil Enferm Respir. 2003;19(1):5-7.
- 6. Pérez-Padilla R. Discurso introductorio a la reunión de editores latinoamericanos de revistas de enfermedades respiratorias; 2007 Feb 4; Lima, Peru.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
26 Sept 2007 -
Date of issue
June 2007
History
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Received
03 Apr 2007 -
Accepted
02 May 2007