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.


References


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.


This editorial is signed by

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 - 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