Editorial

Change the Qualis Criteria!

Since CAPES published its revised QUALIS criteria, the Brazilian Medical Association (AMB - Associação Médica Brasileira) has been organizing a series of meetings, held at its headquarters in São Paulo, Brazil, starting in August of 2009, in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Scientific Editors (ABEC - Associação Brasileira de Editores Científicos). These meetings led to the publication of an editorial entitled Classification of journals in the QUALIS System of CAPES - URGENT need of changing the criteria! The editorial was signed by 62 editors of scientific journals and published in full in all of them, and in countless others, primarily in the health sciences, demonstrating that Brazil's periodicals are more and more committed to discussing the problems they share in common.1

The scientific community remains concerned with the future prospects and direction of Brazilian periodicals.2,3 The editors present at the meeting of the 18 of March were therefore in a position to evaluate the repercussions of the first Editorial, which had been discussed at scientific events and meetings all over Brazil. The meeting was attended by Dr. Lilian Caló, who is scientific communication and assessment coordinator for SciELO, and who presented a comparative study of the Brazilian periodicals indexed by SciELO according to two different criteria: the first criterion was the ISI/JCR impact factor, which only uses journals indexed by Thomson Reuters, and the second was an index composed by simple addition of the ISI/JCR and SciELO impact factors. The SciELO impact factor, which includes all the periodicals it indexes, significantly modifies the number of citations and, consequently, raises the Brazilian periodicals' impact factors. Dr. Caló's presentation illustrated this fact more clearly, showing the percentages gained by adopting the composite index. It is clear that combining indexes, or creating equivalencies or several alternatives can promote improved quality among Brazilian journals, raising their visibility and making international indexation more likely. It is also of concern that Brazilian researchers now prefer to publish their work in foreign journals rather than choosing domestic publications. They choose to do this because it improves the ratings of their postgraduate departments, earns them greater impact factors and increases their H index; all entirely and exclusively a result of the revised criteria adopted by CAPES. Achievement in increasing the visibility and quality of Brazilian scientific production should not be assessed on the basis of articles alone, but should also focus on improving our periodicals to the point at which they are recognized internationally.

Considering that the criteria have already been set for CAPES' current triennial assessment, the assembled editors decided to draft a second editorial containing a list of suggestions for the next assessment, to be sent to the administration at CAPES. The list of suggestions, which supplement those in the first editorial, is as follows:

- that the criteria used by CAPES to classify periodicals be revised, adopting the composite impact factor calculated by summing the ISI/JCR and SciELO impact factors;

- that a seat on the CAPES Scientific Committee be created for ABEC (the Brazilian Association of Scientific Editors) so that editor can be heard within the process;

- that CNPq be requested to create an "Editor's Scholarship" program to support scientific publishing and to be awarded to the editors of journals funded by CNPq. The objective of this project is to improve the quality of these journals by providing their editors with more time to dedicate to their editorial activities.

Additionally, the assembled editors decided to seek support for their criticisms and suggestions from the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (Academia Brasileira de Ciências), from FINEP and from Federal Deputy Eleuses Vieira de Paiva. At a later date the editors will request a detailed breakdown from CNPq of the criteria adopted for, and the results of, the distribution of the resources allocated through the Publishing Support Grants (Editais para Auxílio à Editoração ). The editors intend to use these data to construct a database on the annual budgets of Brazilian periodicals, which will be useful for comparative analysis and mutual cooperation. Publication of these two editorials and promotion of discussion is one of our goals in seeking the recognition that Brazilian periodicals both need and deserve.


REFERÊNCIAS

1. Classificação dos Periódicos no sistema QUALIS da CAPES - A mudança dos critérios é urgente! Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2010; 56(2):127-43.

2. de Lucena AF, Tibúrcio RV. Qualis periódicos: visão do acadêmico na graduação médica. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2009; 55(3):247-248.

3. Rocha-e-Silva Mauricio. O novo Qualis, ou a tragédia anunciada. Clinics. 2009 Jan; 64(1):1-4.



Assinam este editorial:



Adagmar Andriolo
Jornal Brasileiro de Patologia e Medicina Laboratorial

Alfredo José Afonso Barbosa
Jornal Brasileiro de Patologia e Medicina Laboratorial

Arnaldo José Hernandez
Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte

Aroldo F. Camargos
Revista Femina

Benedito Barraviera
Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases

Bogdana Victoria Kadunc
Surgical & Cosmetic Dermatology da Soc.
Brasileira de Dermatologia

Bruno Caramelli
Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira

Carlos Brites
Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases

Dejair Caitano do Nascimento
Hansenologia Internationalis

Domingo M. Braile
Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Cardiovascular

Dov Charles Goldenberg
Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica

Edmund Chada Baracat
Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira

Edson Marchiori
Revista Radiologia Brasileira

Eduardo de Paula Vieira
Revista Brasileira de Coloproctologia

Eros Antônio de Almeida
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Clínica Médica

Flávia Machado
Revista Brasileira de Terapia Intensiva

Geraldo Pereira Jotz
Arquivos Internacionais de Otorrinolaringologia
Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Cabeça e Pescoço

Gianna Mastroianni Kirsztajn
Jornal Brasileiro de Nefrologia

Gilberto Camanho
Revista Brasileira de Ortopedia

Gustavo Gusso
Medicina Família e Comunidade

Ivomar Gomes Duarte
Revista de Administração em Saúde

Izelda Maria Carvalho Costa
Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia

João Ferreira de Mello Júnior
Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology

Joel Faintuch
Revista Brasileira de Nutrição Clínica

José Antônio Baddini Martinez
Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia

José Eduardo Ferreira Manso
Revista do Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões

José Eulálio Cabral Filho
Revista Brasileira de Saúde Materno Infantil

José Heverardo da Costa Montal
Revista da Associação Brasileira de Medicina de Tráfego

José Luiz Gomes do Amaral
Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira

José Luiz Martins
Archives of Pediatric Surgery

Jurandyr Moreira de Andrade
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Leonardo Savassi
Revista Brasileira de Medicina de Família e Comunidade

Luiz Augusto Casulari
Brasilia Médica

Luiz Eugenio Garcez Leme
Geriatria & Gerontologia

Luiz Felipe P. Moreira
Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia

Luiz Henrique Gebrim
Revista Brasileira de Mastologia

Marcelo Madeira
Revista Brasileira de Mastologia

Marcelo Riberto
Revista Acta Fisiátrica

Marcus Bastos
Jornal Brasileiro de Nefrologia

Mário Cícero Falcão
Revista Brasileira de Nutrição Clínica

Mario J. da Conceição
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia

Mauricio Rocha e Silva
Revista Clinics

Milton Artur Ruiz
Revista Brasileira de Hematologia e Hemoterapia

Milton K. Shibata
Arquivos Brasileiros de Neurocirurgia

Mittermayer Barreto Santiago
Revista Brasileira de Reumatologia

Nelson Adami Andreollo
Arquivos Brasileiros de Cirurgia Digestiva

Nivaldo Alonso
Brazilian Journal of Craniomaxilofacial Surgery

Osvaldo Malafaia
Arquivos Brasileiros de Cirurgia Digestiva

Olavo Pires de Camargo
Acta Ortopedica Brasileira

Paulo Manuel Pêgo Fernandes
São Paulo Medical Journal

Regina Helena Garcia Martins
Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology

Renato Soibelmann Procianoy
Jornal de Pediatria

Ricardo César Pinto Antunes
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Cancerologia

Ricardo Fuller
Revista Brasileira de Reumatologia

Ricardo Guilherme Viebig
Arquivos de Gastroenterologia

Ricardo Nitrini
Dementia & Neuropsychologia

Rogério Dedivitis
Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Cabeça e Pescoço

Ronaldo Damião
Urologia Contemporânea

Rosângela Monteiro
Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Cardiovascular

Sergio Lianza
Revista Medicina de Reabilitação

Sigmar de Mello Rode
Brazilian Oral Research

Tarcisio E.P. Barros Filho
Acta Ortopedica Brasileira

Wallace Chamon
Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia

Winston Bonetti Yoshida
Jornal Vascular Brasileiro

Zuher Handar
Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Trabalho