EDITORIAL

Taking stock

José Antônio Baddini Martinez

Professor Associado da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo Editor-Chefe do Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia

For many of us, the end of the year is a nostalgic time. For most people, the pace of work slows during Christmas and New Year's, and this slower rhythm favors introspection. The festive and cozy atmosphere of family reunions brings, among other things, childhood recollections and memories of lost loved ones, leading us to reflect on our lives:

Can I consider myself an accomplished person? Am I ever going to achieve all that I have dreamed of? Wouldn't it be better if I dedicated more time to my family?

Similarly, many companies interrupt their public activities during the final days of December to take inventory and calculate annual profits and losses. The last days of the year are truly propitious for meditation and taking stock.

In this spirit, it is worthwhile to analyze the course of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology and of its predecessor, the Journal of Pulmonology, in recent times. In previous editorials, we analyzed the qualitative aspects that we should pursue.^(1-3) Here, we address some quantitative aspects of the Journal.

The parameters listed in Tables 1 and 2 correspond to important measures of the general quality of a publication. This table reveals the enormous growth of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology in recent years.

The total number of articles submitted, regardless of their classification, has increased year after year, which naturally translates to a greater number of manuscripts accepted and published. The growth of the number of published pages per issue has occurred despite the establishment of maximum word limits for a variety of articles. Certainly, the submission of more articles to the Journal tends to overload the staff, the editorial board and the reviewers. Despite the increased workload for all those involved in the publication of the Journal, the mean time between the submission of a manuscript and the final decision regarding its acceptance is comparable to that of the best international journals.

The increasing number of submissions has had other consequences, including an increased rejection rate and a longer interval between acceptance and publication of the manuscript. A scientific journal cannot possibly publish all the material it receives. That would not be economically or operationally feasible, nor would it be desirable in terms of achieving the desired level of quality. Today, the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology, through a system of blind analysis by pairs of reviewers, is able to select papers with better methodology and more significant sample sizes (or of greater epidemiological importance), without jeopardizing the continuity or periodicity of its publication. Although this method of analysis is open to criticism, we believe it is still the best system, and we have made a concerted effort to minimize the potential for error.

In this era of electronic communication, we should not overlook some aspects related to the journal homepage. In January of 2007, the mean number of visitors to the site (www.jornaldepneumologia.com.br) was 688/day, in March it doubled to 1328/day, and in September it was over 2000/day. In the month of October, the mean number of daily hits was 2094. It has come to our attention that researchers from abroad have contacted Brazilian authors regarding articles published in the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology accessed via Internet. We have begun to receive submissions of scientific articles written by authors working in Portugal, Uruguay, India and Turkey. Therefore, providing electronic access is a key element in the dissemination of our Journal.

The data shown here indicate that the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology is in a phase of pronounced growth, which leads us to pursue new targets. In this context, a truly significant milestone is about to be achieved:

As of January of 2008, our Journal will be a monthly publication!

Initially, the number of articles published in each issue will be reduced by half, in order to facilitate this transition for those who provide services to us. However, midway through the year, the monthly Journal will likely have re-acquired its current characteristics. We believe that this measure will reduce the average time between the acceptance of a manuscript and its effective publication in the Journal.

The advent of monthly publication will allow our readers even greater access to the Journal and will allow the creation of new sections within the publication. We intend to begin publishing Pictorial Essays as a way of updating our readership regarding radiological findings. A section on Continuing Education will offer series of articles on clinically relevant issues. The Guidelines of the Brazilian Thoracic Society will now be incorporated into regular issues, rather than being published in special supplements, and will consist of texts that are more succinct and objective.

Another significant change planned for 2008 is the definitive transfer of the administration of the entire production process of the Journal to Brasília, where it will be headquartered together with the Brazilian Thoracic Society. The idea is to create an optimal professional working structure that is stable and permanent, as well as to reduce costs. In collaboration with professionals who have been specifically hired to work for the Journal and are fully familiarized with its production, the editors-in-chief will be able to work from any region in Brazil. In addition, nearly all tasks can now be performed over the Internet, and decisions can be made within this virtual space.

At this turning point, we cannot forget to publicly thank Ms. Priscilla de Cássia Bovolenta for her hard work and dedication to the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology over the past eight years. Ms. Bovolenta has always played a central role and has been extremely active amidst the whirlwind of changes the Journal has gone through during this time. Without her, we certainly would not be where we are now. Although she will not be joining us in Brasília, her name will always be intimately linked to the history of this publication.

Once more, we take the opportunity to ask the Brazilian community of pulmonologists to continue to submit their best scientific studies to our Journal. In addition, please be so kind as to cite our publication whenever possible in the manuscripts you submit to other international journals. Only by doing this will our publication become more widely known and be selected by the more renowned scientific indexing systems.

In conclusion, the team of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology would like to wish our readers and collaborators a 2008 full of happiness and accomplishments similar to those we have seen in this Journal in recent years.

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Publication Dates