MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Luiz Felipe P. Moreira

São Paulo, SP

Journal qualification has been assessed by the extent of indexing in international search engines and the use of bibliometric indices such as the journal Impact Factor, which expresses the mean number of times published articles are cited within two years of its disclosure. The Brazilian Archives of Cardiology is present in all major international databases and this year was the fourth time its Impact Factor was published by Thompson-Reuters.

During this period, the disclosed impact factors ranged from 0.88 to 1.31 and this year the value obtained was 1.13, showing we have a consolidated situation at a level that puts us between the first and second quartile compared to 122 journals related to cardiology and cardiovascular system indexed in the "Web of Science" database. In parallel, this position places us among the ten Brazilian journals with best Impact Factor, similarly to other periodicals of great scientific tradition such as "Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz" and Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. Moreover, this bibliometric parameter guarantees our ranking in the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel- CAPES) of the Ministry of Education as a Qualis B2 journal, collaborating with the qualification of Brazilian Postgraduate Programs with lines of research in the field of Cardiology under government agencies.

The future evolution of this parameter and other bibliometric indices of the "Archives" depend on the consolidation of the journal's editorial quality and especially the level of scientific articles published by it. Another important aspect in this regard is the development of scientific debate in the area of cardiovascular diseases, through the publication of Editorials and Points of View, in addition to Letters to the Editor. Finally, the increase in the impact factor also depends on the support of all Brazilian researchers in order not to forget to cite the articles published by the journal in their new publications.

In its mission to be the main vehicle of Brazilian research in the field of cardiovascular disease, the Brazilian Archives of Cardiology currently publishes more than 25% of the Brazilian scientific articles in this area distributed in international indexed journals, with most articles originating from Postgraduate Programs in our country. However, with the increase in Brazilian scientific activity, we observe the existence of a large number of articles with considerable merit that are currently rejected by the Archives, which has an acceptance rate of only 25%, publishing around 10 original articles a month.

In this scenario, we must analyze the progressive evolution of our main publication, not forgetting that we also have to collaborate with the increased disclosure of growing research activity in the field of cardiovascular sciences in our country. Following the trend of the leading international journals in the field of cardiology, we must work for the expansion of the editorial activity of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, through the implementation of a family of specialized scientific journals.

This proposal's main justification is to facilitate the circulation and indexing of new journals when they are associated to consolidated scientific journals and with a qualified editorial process. In addition, we encourage interaction between the members of the family, facilitating the publication of editorials, correspondence and review articles. This situation provides the increase in the impact factors of all involved journals and broadens the qualification of articles published in the reference journal and associated journals by increasing the number of submissions and the sharing of the editorial process.

This entire process should lead to the effective creation of a virtuous circle for the Brazilian Archives of Cardiology and Brazilian cardiological science.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  31 July 2013
• Date of issue
  July 2013