Revista Brasileira de Saúde Materno Infantil
Brief Background
The Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health (BJMCH) / Revista Brasileira de Saúde Materno Infantil (RBSMI) is an open-access scientific journal published on a continuous flow. The journal publishes original manuscripts, systematic reviews, and other texts of scientific interest in the field of women’s and children’s health, including maternal health, reproductive health, and women’s health across all life stages, as well as children’s and adolescents’ health in its epidemiological, clinical, surgical, psychosocial, and public policy dimensions. BJMCH publishes articles in English and, following editorial approval, may make an additional version available in Portuguese or Spanish, depending on the original language of the study and the author(s)’ preference. For the purposes of peer review and editorial standardization, the manuscript must be submitted in English. If approved, authors will be asked to submit the Portuguese or Spanish version. Manuscript selection is based on editorial screening, peer review, and, when indicated, statistical evaluation. As a rule, at least two reviewers are assigned; the Associate Editor may request additional reviews when the nature of the topic, method, or analysis warrants further examination. Submission implies a declaration of originality: the manuscript must not have been previously published nor be under simultaneous review by another journal. The journal accepts submissions of manuscripts that have previously been made available as preprints, provided that this is disclosed at the time of submission and that the hosting platform is recognized for academic purposes. |
Open Access
BJMCH follows an Open Access model for all scientific articles published by the journal. The Journal adopts the CC-BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) from the Creative Commons System, under which authors retain copyright over articles published in BJMCH, and the Journal retains the right of first publication. |
Open Science Compliance
This Journal follows the Gold Open Access model. Under this model, articles are available online and free of charge.
BJMCH adopts methodological transparency and open science as editorial principles. All submitted manuscripts must include a section titled “Data Availability Statement,” clearly and specifically indicating where and how the data, instruments, and materials underlying the study can be accessed. Whenever there are no ethical, legal, or contractual impediments, BJMCH strongly encourages the availability of data collection tools (forms, protocols, analysis scripts, statistical data, computer codes, and supplementary tables) in reliable repositories with public or controlled access, preferably with a DOI assigned. This practice aims to enhance the reproducibility, auditability, and scientific utility of published manuscripts. BJMCH provides the SciELO Data BJMCH repository; alternatively, we recommend other online repositories as listed in the List of Repositories for research data deposit. Examples include, among others, Zenodo https://zenodo.org, Figshare, Open Science Framework (OSF), Dryad, Harvard Dataverse, Mendeley Data, SciELO Data, or other recognized institutional or thematic repositories. The manuscript should preferably be deposited prior to publication, and the manuscript must include the permanent link and the corresponding digital identifier. Where applicable, it is recommended that access be configured for double-blind review during the editorial process. In cases where full data availability is not possible - due to sensitive data, legal confidentiality, restrictions imposed by ethics committees, local data protection laws, or contractual agreements - the authors must:
The absence of a Data Availability Statement or an inadequate justification for not making data available may result in the manuscript being returned for revision before the peer review process begins. This policy applies to quantitative and qualitative studies, clinical trials, systematic reviews with extracted data, secondary analyses, and studies using administrative databases, while respecting the specific ethical considerations of each study design. Compliance with this guideline is considered an integral part of the authors’ methodological quality and scientific responsibility.
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Ethics in Publication
The 1975 Declaration of Helsinki, revised in 2024, must be adhered to, in addition to the specific guidelines of the ethics committees of each nation. Research involving human subjects must include a Statement of Approval from the Research Ethics Committee, identifying the responsible institution, the number of the formal approval, and a reference to the applicable regulatory system. The manuscript must clearly describe the procedures related to informed consent, when applicable, including situations involving written consent, verbal consent, or justifications for exemption, in accordance with the guidelines of the National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP). Studies that use secondary databases, medical records, administrative records, or institutional databases must specify the nature and origin of the data source, the procedures adopted to ensure confidentiality, anonymization, or de-identification, as well as the ethical and regulatory basis for the use of this information. When consent is waived, this must be explicitly justified in the manuscript, with reference to the corresponding ethical approval. Research involving animals must strictly comply with applicable institutional, national, and international standards, including a statement of approval by an animal ethics committee and a description of the measures taken to ensure animal welfare, minimize suffering, and use the fewest possible animals consistent with the scientific objectives. All authors must declare, individually and transparently, potential financial and non-financial conflicts of interest, including, but not limited to, institutional affiliations, consulting roles, funding sources, sponsorships, payments, relationships with manufacturers or interested parties, and any other circumstances that could influence the conduct of the study, the analysis of the data, or the interpretation of the results. The absence of conflicts of interest must be explicitly stated in the manuscript. A funding disclosure is mandatory, identifying sources and describing the funder’s role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and decision to publish. When there is no external funding, state: “No external funding.” Ethical violations, such as data fabrication, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, inappropriate fragmentation of results, and image manipulation, constitute conduct incompatible with the editorial policy; the Journal will address such cases in accordance with the resolutions of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The Journal may use similarity detection tools and, when necessary, request raw data, protocols, and supporting documentation for verification. The use of generative artificial intelligence tools must be transparently disclosed, describing their purpose and scope (e.g., support for writing, linguistic review, translation, image generation, or code generation), without attributing authorship to automated systems. Authors remain fully responsible for the final content, accuracy, and originality of the manuscript. The use of AI to provide reviews of manuscripts is prohibited. The BJMCH editorial board may use generative AI during the grammar-checking stage of the manuscript, under human supervision. |
Focus and Scope
BJMCH focuses on the field of women’s and children’s health, including maternal health, reproductive health, and women’s health across all stages of life, as well as children’s and adolescents’ health in their epidemiological, clinical, surgical, psychosocial, and public policy dimensions. |
Digital Preservation
BJMCH encourages authors to self-archive their accepted manuscripts by publishing them on personal blogs, institutional repositories, and academic social media, as well as by posting them on their personal social media accounts, provided that a complete citation to the version on the website of the journal is included. This journal follows the standards defined in the SciELO Digital Preservation Policy Program. |
Indexing Sources
Articles published in the Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health are indexed or abstracted by:
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Bibliographic Journal Information
Journal Title: Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health / Revista Brasileira de Saúde Materno Infantil Abbreviated Title: Rev. Bras. Saúde Mater. Infant. Published by: Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira Frequency: Annual Volume Publication Type: Continuous Publication Year the journal was founded: 2001 |
Websites and Social Media
Website: www.rbsmi.org.br Instagram: @imipensinoepesquisa #RBSMI |
BJMCH adopts an editorial model guided primarily by the scientific, methodological, and communicational functions of the text. The length of the manuscript is determined by the objective need for responsible description, analysis, and interpretation of the findings, rather than by limitations inherited from the print format or by arbitrary length conventions. In line with this model, the initial editorial screening seeks to identify, early on and with due care, methodological shortcomings, gaps in transparency, inconsistencies between objectives, methods, and conclusions, as well as redundancies, verbosity, and conceptual weaknesses that compromise the clarity and scientific utility of the manuscript. Editorial quality criteria emphasize reproducibility, traceability, and scientific integrity. A complete and verifiable presentation of methods, precise definition of outcomes and variables, adequate description of analytical strategies, and statistical analysis consistent with the study design and the nature of the data are expected. The interpretation of results must be proportionate to the strength of the evidence produced, with a clear explanation of limitations, potential biases, and uncertainties, as well as strict adherence to the international reporting guidelines relevant to each type of study. The Journal encourages consistent open science practices, including transparency regarding the availability of data, analytical codes, instruments, and research materials, whenever ethically, legally, and technically feasible. These practices must unconditionally respect the principles of confidentiality, privacy protection, information security, and the national and international regulatory requirements applicable to health research. |
Preprints
The Journal accepts submissions of manuscripts previously made available as preprints, provided that this is declared at the time of submission and that the hosting platform is recognized for academic purposes. The author must provide the hosting platform and the assigned DOI. Articles that have already been accepted should not be published on a preprint server. |
Peer Review Process
In accordance with Open Science and Data guidelines, we publish the name of the editor (Associate Editor) responsible for the review in the final article. Reviewers are also given the option to communicate directly with the corresponding author, with or without disclosing their identities. It is up to the authors to decide whether to publish the reviews approving articles without identifying the reviewers. All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a rigorous selection process, which follows the steps below:
Based on their reviews and the assessment of the associate editor, executive editor, and editor-in-chief, the manuscript receives one of the following classifications: 1) accepted; 2) recommended, but with minor revisions; 3) recommended, but with major revisions; 4) rejected. For classifications two and three, the reviews are sent to the author(s), who have the opportunity to revise and resubmit the manuscript to the journal, accompanied by a response letter detailing the items suggested by the reviewers and the changes made to the text in bold; for classification four, the manuscript is returned to the author(s). If accepted, the article is published on a continuous flow. Since the journal uses the ScholarOne system to manage the manuscript workflow, and given that authors are fully aware of the process, they can track all stages of the publication of the article. Internal Submissions In the case of manuscripts submitted by members of the editorial board, the scientific council, or the staff at the journal, additional measures are taken to ensure the independence and impartiality of the review process. The double-blind peer review process is strictly maintained, and the editorial system ensures that the author has no privileged access to internal information, acting exclusively in the capacity of an author. The manuscript is managed by an independent associate editor with no direct ties to the author. The journal staff member involved in the submission is automatically barred from participating in any stage of the review or editorial decision-making process. This policy aims to ensure transparency, fairness, and integrity at every stage of the editorial process, reinforcing the commitment of the journal to ethics, impartiality, and the scientific quality of its publications. Post Acceptance and Publication After acceptance, the editorial process of the article includes formatting in accordance with the guidelines of the journal, translation/language editing (fees are to be paid by the author), typesetting, proofreading, XML markup, and finally publication. Each article will be assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Steps following acceptance:
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Open Data
All manuscripts submitted to BJMCH must include, explicitly and in an identifiable manner within the body of the text, a section dedicated to transparency statements. The inclusion of this section is mandatory and constitutes a requirement for the editorial process and for referral to peer review. This section must be presented at the end of the manuscript, immediately before the references, under the heading “Transparency Statements,” and must include, where applicable, the items described below. The absence of any mandatory statement, as well as the use of vague or generic wording, will be considered a failure of editorial transparency. Availability of data and materials. Authors must objectively state whether the data, analytical codes, instruments, protocols, and other materials used in the study are available for public access, controlled access, or cannot be shared. When data are made available, the repository used and the method of access must be indicated. When sharing is not possible, an explicit justification must be provided, based on ethical, legal, regulatory, or contractual reasons. At the time of manuscript submission, it is mandatory to complete the “Open Science Compliance” form. (https://wp.scielo.org/wp-content/uploads/Formulario-de-Conformidade-Ciencia-Aberta.docx) |
Fees
There are no fees charged to authors for the submission or publication of their work. However, once approved, the submitted article must undergo language editing. The journal will provide authors with the translator’s contact information so that the editing can be carried out, streamlining the process, facilitating the transfer of fees, and/or enabling the submission of receipts to funding agencies. BJMCH offers a fee waiver for article editing to authors based in low-income countries, promoting equity in open-access publishing (See list). |
Ethics and Misconduct, Correction and Retraction Policy
Ethical violations, such as data fabrication, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, inappropriate fragmentation of results, and image manipulation, constitute conduct incompatible with the editorial policy; the Journal will handle such cases in accordance with the resolutions of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The Journal may use similarity detection tools and, when necessary, request raw data, protocols, and supporting documentation for verification. BJMCH adopts the Guide to Good Practices for Strengthening Ethics in Scientific Publication to prevent misconduct. However, if misconduct is proven, the Journal will publish errata in accordance with the Guide for the Registration, Marking, and Publication of Errata and/or the Guide for the Registration, Marking, and Publication of Retractions in order to uphold ethical research conduct. |
Policy on Conflict of Interest
All authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest or explicitly state that no conflicts exist, as described in the specific section on ethics and scientific integrity. |
Adoption of Similarity Software
In order to ensure that the publication process complies with the ethical standards of scientific communication, the Journal uses the iThenticate system to detect plagiarism. Plagiarism checking is performed during the peer review stage, and the iThenticate report is forwarded to the authors along with the reviewers’ comments for revision. It is recommended that the final text have a similarity rate of less than 30% with other documents. |
Adoption of Software Using Artificial Intelligence Resources
A transparent disclosure regarding the use of artificial intelligence tools in the manuscript preparation process is mandatory. Authors must disclose whether such tools were used, what types of tools were employed, and for what purpose (e.g., writing support or linguistic editing). It must be clearly stated that intellectual, methodological, and scientific responsibility for the content of the manuscript rests entirely with the authors. Omission of this information will be treated as a breach of editorial integrity. |
Gender and Sex Issues
The editorial team adheres to the guidelines on Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER). The SAGER guidelines comprise a set of guidelines that provide guidance on reporting information related to sex and gender in study design, data analysis, and the presentation and interpretation of findings. In addition, BJMCH adheres to a gender equity policy in the composition of its editorial board. |
Ethics Committee
All manuscripts involving data collection from human subjects must be accompanied by a Statement of Approval from the Research Ethics Committee, identifying the responsible institution, the number of the formal approval, and a reference to the applicable regulatory framework. |
Copyright, Intellectual Property and Terms of Use
We adopt the CC-BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), and accepted manuscripts must be accompanied by a Publication License Agreement (Copyright) signed by the authors (template). The views expressed in the articles are the sole responsibility of the authors. BJMCH strongly encourages the availability of data collection tools (forms, protocols, analysis scripts, statistical data, computer codes, and supplementary tables) in reliable repositories with public or controlled access, preferably with a DOI assigned. |
Sponsors and Promotion Agencies
This publication is funded by:
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Editor-in-Chief
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Executive Editors
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Editorial Board
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Associate Editors
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Assistant Editor
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Special Topics Consultant
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Biostatistics Consultant
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Secretariat
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Types of Documents Accepted and Guideline Length
BJMCH publishes manuscripts in various editorial categories, each with a specific purpose, structure, and length. Authors are responsible for selecting the appropriate category, which should reflect the nature of the study, the type of evidence produced, and the communicative objective of the work. Regarding Length Limits The length limits presented in this section are guidelines and refer exclusively to the main body of the manuscript. The following are included in the page count:
The following are excluded from the page count:
Editorial Flexibility The Editorial Board reserves the right to: (a) Request the removal of redundant, overly descriptive, or tangential passages, even if the total word count falls within the recommended range. Concise, objective, and well-structured texts are preferred over lengthy texts with diluted information. (b) Accept longer manuscripts when the level of detail is necessary to ensure:
This flexibility applies especially to complex, multicenter studies with multiple outcomes or those of strategic interest to the field of maternal and child health. In such cases, authors are advised to justify the length in a letter to the editorial board. Types of Accepted Manuscripts When submitting a manuscript, authors must select the category that best represents the nature of the work:
The Editorial Board may suggest reclassifying the manuscript if the selected category does not correspond to the submitted content. The following table presents the manuscript categories accepted by BJMCH, with the respective guidelines for length, abstract, references, and graphic elements. Details for each category, including the required structure and applicable checklists, can be found in the following sections.
Tables, figures, and references should be proportionate to the study design and scientific argument. As a general guideline, original articles typically include up to five tables/figures and about 30 references, but the editorial board may make this recommendation more flexible when there is a methodological justification. Editorial The editorial serves as a tool for scientific curation and editorial positioning. As part of the ongoing flow of the Journal, it does not fulfill a ceremonial function: it serves to contextualize emerging topics, discuss the methodological and ethical implications of published work, clarify editorial policies, and foster dialogue with readers, authors, reviewers, and indexers. Editorials are, as a rule, commissioned by the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Editors, or Associate Editors; unsolicited proposals may be considered in exceptional circumstances, when its relevance and editorial timeliness are unequivocal. Original Article The Journal publishes original articles based on robust methodological designs, including randomized clinical trials, cohort and case-control studies, analytical cross-sectional studies, diagnostic accuracy studies, time-series analyses, and studies using large databases. The manuscript must present an explicit research question, a method described in sufficient detail to ensure reproducibility, operational definitions of variables and outcomes, a coherent statistical analysis plan, and an interpretation consistent with the limitations of the study design. The introduction should concisely frame the problem, justify gaps in knowledge, and define the objective(s) and hypothesis(es). The methods section should include eligibility criteria, data sources, data collection and quality control procedures, handling of missing data, procedures for minimizing bias and, when applicable, calculation of the sample size. The results section must present figures in an auditable and consistent manner (denominators, totals, percentages, and confidence intervals). The discussion should prioritize interpretation, plausibility, and implications, without extrapolations not supported by the findings. BJMCH strongly encourages the registration of all protocols for original articles, including observational studies, on platforms such as the Open Science Framework (OSF). In this initial phase of the journal, registration is optional and may be done retrospectively; however, registration is expected to become mandatory in the future. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis BJMCH accepts systematic reviews and meta-analyses conducted with methodological rigor, a predefined protocol, and adherence to international reporting guidelines. These manuscripts play a central role in synthesizing the evidence and require full transparency regarding the search strategy, selection criteria, data extraction, assessment of risk of bias, and sensitivity analyses. Extensive supplementary materials are expected and encouraged, including complete search strategies, lists of excluded studies with justifications, risk-of-bias tables, and additional analyses. Narrative reviews are published by invitation. Scoping reviews and integrative reviews are not considered for publication. For systematic reviews, registration of the protocol in an appropriate database, such as PROSPERO or the Open Science Framework (OSF), is required, with the registration identifier cited in the manuscript. Qualitative Studies Qualitative studies are accepted when they demonstrate analytical depth and coherence between the research question, theoretical framework, and data collection and analysis procedures. Authors are expected to clearly describe the theoretical framework, sampling strategy, context, data collection procedures (e.g., interviews, focus groups, observation), and method of analysis (e.g., thematic analysis, content analysis, grounded theory), as well as reflexivity and strategies for credibility and triangulation when relevant. It is acceptable to present the results and discussion in a single section when this supports the analytical argument; in this case, it is recommended to include a final section with concluding remarks or implications, while maintaining a distinction between findings and interpretation. It is also recommended to register the qualitative study protocol, although this will be optional during this initial editorial phase. Special Article and Methodological Article Special and methodological articles include conceptual, methodological, or strategic texts with the potential for a broad impact on research, clinical practice, or public policy formulation. They must be grounded in evidence or a consistent conceptual framework, demonstrating internal coherence, substantive argumentation, and a clear editorial objective. Texts that are purely opinion-based, without methodological or conceptual support, will not be considered. To expand its capacity to accommodate contemporary editorial formats—without multiplying administrative sections in the indexing system—BJMCH organizes, within the Special Article and Methodological Article category, a set of specific sub-formats, each with its own purpose, structure, and editorial criteria, detailed in subsections 10.4.5.1 through 10.4.5.5. All sub-formats share the same standards for editorial screening, peer review, and requirements for methodological transparency, scientific integrity, and adherence to international reporting guidelines applicable to the study design, when relevant. Currently recognized sub-formats:
Special Articles and Methodological Articles (classic format) This category includes special and methodological articles in the strict sense, comprising conceptual, methodological, or strategic texts with a cross-cutting impact on research, clinical practice, or the formulation of public health policies related to women’s and children’s health. They must be grounded in evidence or a consistent conceptual framework, demonstrating internal coherence, substantive argumentation, and a clear editorial objective. Recommended length: up to 7,000 words in the main text, with an unstructured abstract (as a rule) and references proportional to the scope of the argument. When the manuscript is based on an empirical study (e.g., secondary data analysis, methodological study with simulations, development and validation of instruments or models), it must adhere to the relevant reporting guidelines and transparency requirements applicable to original studies. Study Protocols The Journal may publish study protocols, including clinical trial protocols and systematic review protocols, provided they demonstrate scientific relevance, adequate prospective registration, and potential for impact. The publication of protocols contributes to transparency, reduces publication bias, and strengthens open science practices. The protocol must describe in detail the research question, rationale, design, population and setting, eligibility criteria, interventions, and comparators (where applicable), primary and secondary endpoints, data collection procedures, quality control, statistical analysis plan, and ethical considerations. The registration number (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials, PROSPERO, OSF) must be provided. Recommended length: 4,000 to 5,000 words in the main text, with a structured abstract. Adherence to the appropriate reporting guidelines (SPIRIT for clinical trials, PRISMA-P for systematic reviews, among others) is mandatory, and the corresponding checklist must be submitted at the time of submission. Registered Reports The Registered Report model is a publication format that shifts the focus of scientific evaluation from the results to the research question and the methodological soundness of the study. In this model, the peer-review process takes place before data collection or before access to the results, focusing on the scientific relevance of the research question, the theoretical rationale, the clarity of the hypotheses, the appropriateness of the study design, the definition of outcomes, the statistical analysis plan, and strategies for controlling bias. In the first stage (Stage 1), authors submit a manuscript containing an introduction, rationale, objectives, hypotheses, detailed methods, and a complete analytical plan, including inclusion and exclusion criteria, operational definitions of variables, sample size calculations where applicable, and strategies for handling missing data, deviations from the protocol, and exploratory analyses. This stage is peer-reviewed with full methodological rigor. Approval at this stage results in a conditional editorial commitment to publish (in-principle acceptance), provided that the study is conducted in accordance with the approved protocol. Registration of the study protocol is mandatory; platforms such as OSF are recommended. In the second stage (Stage 2), after the study is completed, the authors submit the final manuscript with results and discussion. The editorial review focuses on adherence to the previously approved protocol, on the integrity and in the execution of the study, in the transparency of any justified deviations, and in the consistency between methods, results, and interpretation. The editorial decision does not depend on the direction, magnitude, or statistical significance of the findings, but rather on adherence to the protocol and the quality of the conduct of the study. BJMCH may consider submissions in this format on a pilot basis, following a specific call for papers or an editorial invitation. The adoption of Registered Reports is aligned with contemporary strategies to strengthen scientific credibility, reduce publication bias, mitigate questionable research practices, and promote more robust and reliable inferences in the field of maternal and child health. Science Workshop (Special Articles on Scientific Methodology, Biostatistics, Scientific Editing, Scientific Writing, Scientific Communication, and others) The Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health (BJMCH) has established the Science Workshop sub-format, within the Special Article category, as an editorial space dedicated to in-depth, critical, and applied discussion of the methodological, statistical, editorial, and communicational foundations of scientific research in women’s and children’s health. The Science Workshop is intended for the publication of manuscripts that address the “behind-the-scenes” aspects—or the engineering—of science, understood as the set of conceptual, methodological, analytical, editorial, and narrative decisions that underpin high-quality scientific production. This is a sub-format guided by an explicit educational purpose, aimed at training researchers, authors, reviewers, and editors, and at strengthening responsible, transparent, and reproducible practices in health research. Texts that discuss, in an analytical and well-reasoned manner, research methods, study designs, and their inferential implications; applied biostatistics, including the selection and interpretation of effect measures, uncertainty, biases, and common errors in analysis; scientific writing and manuscript structure, with an emphasis on consistency between objectives, methods, results, and conclusions; as well as key aspects of the editorial process and peer review, including decision-making criteria, ethical responsibilities, and the roles of authors, reviewers, and editors. The Science Workshop also welcomes manuscripts dedicated to the presentation, critical discussion, or applied commentary on international guidelines for reporting studies, such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, SPIRIT, TRIPOD, COREQ, among others, including their specific extensions, appropriate uses, limitations, and common pitfalls. Texts addressing open science practices, prospective protocol registration, methodological transparency, data sharing, scientific integrity, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence tools in research and scientific communication are also encouraged. Manuscripts submitted to the Science Workshopmust have a clear educational objective—even when aimed at a specialized audience—and a consistent conceptual, methodological, or empirical foundation. Texts that are purely opinion-based, prescriptive, or descriptive, without structured critical analysis, do not fall within the scope of this subformat. Science Workshop is not intended for the publication of original primary research results; manuscripts should be classified as special articles, methodological articles, or methodological commentaries, with the potential for a broad impact on research, editorial practice, and scientific training. The recommended length for manuscripts in this sub-format is 3,500 to 6,000 words. For more structured and analytical articles; shorter texts of up to 2,500 to 3,000 words may be accepted when the methodological commentary format warrants a more focused approach. The abstract, when requested, should be unstructured and proportional to the length of the text. Manuscripts submitted to Science Workshop, like all other types of articles, are subject to rigorous editorial screening and peer review. Whenever relevant, the editorial board may request a specific methodological or statistical review, regardless of the manuscript’s format. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Women’s and Children’s Health The Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health (BJMCH) has established, within the Special Article category, the sub-format Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Women’s and Children’s Health as an editorial space dedicated to manuscripts that address, in a scientific, analytical, and methodologically rigorous manner, how structural inequalities and various axes of vulnerability impact women’s health, maternal health, reproductive health, and children’s health—including their clinical, epidemiological, and psychosocial outcomes, as well as public health policies. This sub-format aims to expand the capacityof the Journal to publish research and analyses relevant to understanding and reducing health inequities, without compromising the editorial and scientific criteria that govern all BJMCH publications. The thematic focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion does not constitute a methodological exception, nor does it replace the core requirements for scientific quality; on the contrary, it demands even greater conceptual precision, methodological transparency, and interpretive responsibility, given the complexity and sensitivity of the topics addressed. Manuscripts of a propagandistic, purely opinion-based, declarative, or rhetorical nature—lacking an explicit method, analytical depth, or a clear demonstration of internal consistency between objectives, methods, results, and conclusions—are not intended for this sub-format. Generic, or normative texts based exclusively on ideological positions, without empirical or analytical support consistent with the proposed design, will not be considered for publication. The themes of equity, diversity, and inclusion may also form the basis for submissions in other editorial categories covered by the Journal (quantitative or qualitative original articles, systematic reviews, research notes, opinion pieces, commentaries, and, in exceptional and justified cases, case reports), provided they fully comply with the Instructions for Authors and the requirements for editorial screening, peer review, and, when indicated, statistical evaluation, while adhering to the structure, scope, and formal criteria required for each type of manuscript. The editorial process for this sub-format follows exactly the same standards applied to the other sections of BJMCH. Manuscripts must present an adequate theoretical foundation, a methodological description compatible with reproducibility or auditability, a clear operational definition of variables and outcomes when relevant, an analytical plan consistent with the study design, and an interpretation commensurate with the strength of the evidence produced, with explicit mention of limitations, potential biases, and uncertainties. The Journal may reject, even during the initial screening, manuscripts that exhibit methodological weaknesses, lack of transparency, internal inconsistencies, extrapolations not supported by the data, or a mismatch between objectives, methods, and conclusions. Adherence to international reporting guidelines appropriate to the type of study remains mandatory; authors must submit the corresponding checklists, duly completed and with precise indications of the sections of the manuscript where each item has been addressed. The absence, incompleteness, or improper completion of these instruments constitutes grounds for pre-publication rejection. Requirements regarding study registration, transparency, disclosure of funding, conflicts of interest, authorship contributions, and the use of artificial intelligence tools apply in full to manuscripts submitted to this sub-format. The creation of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Women’s and Children’s Health sub-format reaffirms BJMCH commitment to the production of high-quality, socially relevant, and methodologically sound scientific knowledge. TheJjournal seeks to promote informed debate and broaden its thematic scope, without compromising the criteria of rigor, scientific integrity, traceability, and editorial responsibility that characterize its editorial policy. Point of View and Comments Point of view and comments are intended to promote informed scientific debate. They must explicitly define the scope of the argument, support claims with evidence or conceptual reasoning, and use responsible language, clearly distinguishing between facts, inferences, and value judgments. Submissions are generally accepted by invitation; proposals may be considered if the topic is of immediate editorial interest. Other Categories In addition to the main categories dedicated to the publication of original research, evidence syntheses, and methodological analyses, BJMCH welcomes supplementary editorial contributions that enrich scientific debate, preserve the institutional memory of the field, and promote dialogue between authors and readers. These contributions may be solicited by the Editorial Board or submitted spontaneously, and are subject to evaluation regarding relevance, quality, and editorial timeliness. Letter to the Editor: Intended to present comments, constructive criticism, methodological questions, or supplementary data regarding articles published in BJMCH within the last 12 months. It may also include brief observations on topics of interest to the field that do not warrant a full-length article. Recommended length: 600–1,000 words; up to 10 references; exceptionally, up to 1 table or figure. Format: continuous text, without division into sections, clearly identifying the article being commented on (when applicable) in the first paragraph. The Editorial Board will forward the letter to the authors of the original article, who will have the right to a reply published in the same issue or the next one. Letters containing allegations of scientific misconduct will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines. Authors’ Response: The authors’ reply to a Letter to the Editor commenting on their article. Recommended length: 400–800 words; up to 5 references in addition to those in the original article. Format: continuous text, addressing point by point, the issues raised. The response will be published immediately after the corresponding letter. Commentary: A critical analysis and contextualization of a particularly relevant article published in the same issue of BJMCH. Unlike a Letter to the Editor, a Commentary is typically commissioned by the editorial board and written by an expert outside the group of authors of the article being commented on. Recommended length: 1,000–1,500 words; up to 15 references. Structure: continuous text that contextualizes the importance of the study, highlights its strengths and limitations, and indicates implications for clinical practice or future research. Book Review: A critical analysis of a recently published work (preferably within the last 2 years) relevant to maternal and child health, including textbooks, manuals, anthologies, and reference works. Recommended length: 800–1,500 words; up to 5 references in addition to the work being reviewed. Structure: complete bibliographic reference of the work (title, authors/editors, publisher, year, number of pages, ISBN), contextualization of the work and its authors, summary of the content and organization, critical analysis (strengths, limitations, target audience, comparison with similar works), and final recommendation. Reviews may be submitted unsolicited or requested by the Editorial Board. The reviewer must declare the absence of any conflict of interest with the authors or publisher of the work. In Memoriam (Obituary): A tribute to researchers, faculty members, health professionals, or institutional figures in the field of maternal and child health who have recently passed away, highlighting their career paths and scientific contributions and legacy to the field. Recommended length: 800–1,500 words; up to 10 references (including the honoree’s major publications); up to 1 photograph (with proper authorization). Structure: a narrative text containing essential biographical information, educational background and professional career, major scientific, institutional, or service-related contributions, legacy and impact on the field, and a personal note from the author (when appropriate). Preferably written by a colleague, former student, or close collaborator. The Editorial Board may request or accept unsolicited submissions. Errata: Correction of errors identified after publication that affect the understanding or integrity of the article but do not compromise its main conclusions. Format: complete identification of the corrected article (title, authors, volume, issue, pages, DOI), precise description of the error and the correction, indicating the exact location (page, paragraph, table, figure). The errata will be permanently linked to the original article in the databases. Requests must be submitted to the Editorial Board with justification. The Journal will publish errata in accordance with the Guidelines for the Registration, Marking, and Publication of Errata. Retraction: Retraction of a published article when serious flaws are identified that invalidate the results or conclusions, including uncorrectable honest errors, reproducibility issues, or proven scientific misconduct. The retraction must follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines, including identification of the article, the reason for the retraction, an indication of which authors agree or disagree (when applicable), and whether the retraction was requested by the authors or determined by the Editorial Board. The retraction is permanently linked to the original article, which remains accessible with an indicative watermark. The Journal will publish retractions in accordance with the Guidelines for the Registration, Marking, and Publication of Retractions. Interview: A conversation with a prominent researcher, administrator, or professional on a topic of current relevance to maternal and child health. Recommended length: 1,500–3,000 words; references optional; up to one photograph of the interviewee (with permission). Structure: a brief introduction of the interviewee, followed by a question-and-answer format; may include editorial context. Generally conducted by a member of the Editorial Board or a guest. The interviewee must review and approve the final version prior to publication. Official Document and Position Statement: Publication of guidelines, consensus statements, recommendations, or official position statements from scientific societies, working groups, or leading institutions in the field of maternal and child health. Length varies depending on the nature of the document; references as needed. It is recommended to follow the AGREE II standards for clinical guidelines. The document must clearly indicate the responsible institution, the development process (including the consensus method used), the participants, and any conflicts of interest. The publication is subject to editorial review regarding methodological quality and relevance. A limit of up to 7,000 words, 4–5 figures, and six tables is accepted. |
Reporting, Registration, and Methodological Transparency Guidelines
Reporting Guidelines The Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health (BJMCH) requires, as a mandatory and non-negotiable condition, that all original manuscripts submitted adhere to international reporting guidelines compatible with the study design. Authors must explicitly state in the manuscript that the study was conducted and reported in accordance with the corresponding guideline and submit the checklist whenever the guideline provides one. The checklist must be submitted at the time of submission, duly completed and accompanied by precise references to the page and paragraph in the manuscript where each item on the checklist was addressed. Failure to submit the checklist, submission of an incomplete checklist, or submission of a checklist without specifying the exact location in the text constitutes grounds for pre-publication rejection, regardless of the thematic relevance of the manuscript. When there are specific extensions to the guidelines applicable to the study design—for example, cluster trials, pragmatic studies, complex interventions, the use of routine health data, large administrative databases, predictive models, or studies involving machine learning—the relevant extension must be included in the submission, along with the main checklist. Examples of reporting guidelines frequently required, depending on the type of manuscript
Other guidelines may be required depending on the study’s topic, method, or design. RBSMI strongly recommends consulting the EQUATOR Network repository (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/) to identify the most appropriate guideline. Narrative Reviews For narrative reviews—which are not systematic reviews—submission of a SANRA-based checklist is mandatory; this checklist must be fully completed and accompanied by references to the page and paragraph in the manuscript where each item was addressed. Failure to submit the SANRA checklist or its incomplete or improper completion constitutes grounds for pre-publication rejection. Registrations The Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health (BJMCH) recommends the prospective registration of studies, in accordance with the methodological design, as a key requirement for transparency, traceability, and scientific integrity. Clinical trials require prospective registration of the protocol in an internationally or nationally recognized public registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov, the Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos (ReBEC) (Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials), or the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), prior to the recruitment of the first participant. The registration number must be explicitly stated in the abstract and in the methods section of the manuscript. Systematic reviews require prior registration of the protocol on an appropriate platform, such as PROSPERO or the Open Science Framework (OSF). The registration identifier, including the respective number or permanent web address, must be clearly, verifiably, and consistently stated in the manuscript. Observational studies, including cohort studies, case-control studies, analytical cross-sectional studies, secondary database analyses, and other non-interventional designs, should ideally declare whether the study is prospective or retrospective on a platform appropriate to the study design or subject area. In this initial phase, retrospective registrations will be accepted; however, starting in 2029, registration will be mandatory for all study designs on platforms such as the Open Science Framework (OSF), as previously mentioned. Until December of 2028, observational studies may be accepted without registration, provided that the authors present an explicit and well-reasoned justification in the manuscript, indicating the scientific, ethical, or operational reasons that made registration unfeasible. Beginning in January of 2029, prospective registration will become a mandatory requirement for the editorial review of these studies. Registration with the Open Science Framework (OSF) The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a free, public, and widely recognized platform for registering protocols, pre-registrations, and analysis plans for various types of studies, including observational and qualitative research, secondary data analyses, and methodological studies. BJMCH strongly recommends using OSF as the standard registration platform for studies that do not fall under specific mandatory registration requirements, such as clinical trials or systematic reviews registered with PROSPERO. https://osf.io/registries/ The OSF platform allows for the registration of all study designs involving research on human subjects, not limited to clinical trials and systematic reviews. Registration with OSF must be completed before data collection begins or, in the case of secondary analyses, before analytical access to the data. The permanent registration identifier must be explicitly stated in the manuscript, preferably in the methods section. Failure to register, when required, constitutes grounds for pre-publication rejection, except in exceptional situations that are duly justified and evaluated at the discretion of the Editorial Board, with no guarantee of acceptance. Authorship and Contributions (CRediT) BJMCH uses the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) taxonomy to describe individual contributions. In manuscripts with more than one author, it is mandatory to specify, in the submission system and in the manuscript, the contributions of each participant, in accordance with the taxonomy available at https://credit.niso.org/. Authorship must reflect a relevant intellectual contribution. Activities that are exclusively administrative, logistical support, fundraising without intellectual participation, or general supervision without direct scientific involvement should be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section, not as authorship. The recommended limit for the number of authors is ten. In multicenter studies and consortia, the editorial board may consider a higher number, provided that the justification is explicit and that each author’s contribution is clearly described. |
Manuscript Preparation and Formatting
Manuscripts must be typed in Microsoft Word, using Times New Roman font, size 12, 1.5 line spacing, and sequentially numbered pages. Clear, precise, and consistent writing is recommended, with attention to terminological consistency throughout the text. Abbreviations and acronyms must be defined upon first use and used sparingly, avoiding excessive use that compromises readability. The structure of the text must be consistent with the type of manuscript submitted. Original articles and research notes should, as a rule, follow the conventional structure consisting of Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, and may include a Conclusions section when relevant. Systematic reviews must have a structure that explicitly addresses the research question, the methods for searching for and selecting studies, the data extraction procedures, the assessment of risk of bias or methodological quality, the synthesis of results, and the discussion of limitations. Research protocols must describe in detail the study design, methodological procedures, and the analysis plan. When the manuscript title contains twelve or more terms, an abbreviated title of up to nine words must be included for use in the page headers. The word count of the main text must be reported at the time of submission. The cover letter is required and must clearly state: the originality of the manuscript and its relevance to the scope of the Journal; confirmation that the text is not currently under review by another journal; a description of the authors’ contributions; the name of the corresponding author; sources of funding or a statement indicating the absence of funding; a declaration of potential conflicts of interest; information regarding prior deposit on a preprint server, when applicable; and information regarding the use of artificial intelligence tools in the manuscript preparation process, when relevant. |
Article Submission Format
Required Elements and Order of Items in the Submission The following elements must be included in the submission:
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Digital Assets
Tables and figures should complement the text, avoiding duplication of information. They should be inserted after the references section, on separate pages, with self-explanatory titles and captions. When referring to tables and figures in the results section, use consistent notation for denominators and units of measurement. Figures (graphs, drawings, maps, and photographs) must be of digital quality with a minimum resolution of 300dpi. Graphs must be two-dimensional. We do not publish hatched or three-dimensional figures. Supplementary materials may include additional tables, complete search strategies, lists of excluded studies, checklists, data collection instruments, analysis scripts, de-identified databases, or versions with controlled access, when permitted. The editorial board may request submission as a supplementary file, with a clear indication in the main text. |
Citations and References
BJMCH follows the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), known as the Vancouver style, with adaptations for Brazilian regulatory and government documents. References must be numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text. Whenever available, include the DOI. For online materials, provide the date of access. Examples of References:
For additional guidance, see: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html |
Supplementary Documents
At the time of submission, you must attach the forms and documents requested by the system. In particular, the Journal requires:
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Disclosures
Funding. The existence of funding sources must be disclosed, identifying the funding institutions, or an explicit statement must be made indicating the absence of funding. Authors’ Contributions. A description of each author’s individual contributions to the study and to the preparation of the manuscript must be provided. This information is part of BJMCH commitment to transparency, scientific integrity, and adherence to the best editorial practices required by national and international indexing databases, including SciELO. |
Additional Information
Metrics and Indicators Scopus CiteScore 2024 1.1 https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/4700152203 H-Index Scimago 25 https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=4700152203&tip=sid&exact=no Qualis Periódicos A4 |
Executive Office / Contact:
Submissions are accepted exclusively online through the manuscript management system: http://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/rbsmi-scielo. Before finalizing your submission, please review whether your manuscript complies with the guidelines on this page, including manuscript type, structure, reporting checklists, and supplementary documents.
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