Innovations and Commitments of Revista CEFAC: Transparency, Open Science, and Editorial EthicsAnother year comes to an end, and Revista CEFAC continues to make significant contributions to the advancement of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, solidifying its role in the national landscape as an important channel for disseminating scientific production in the field. Recently, we implemented several updates, including a visual identity redesign, editorial policy adjustments, and the renewal of the editorial board. Among our commitments, we highlight the revision of the journal’s guidelines and the development of a dedicated website to facilitate access to content.
We are pleased to introduce the journal’s new website, available at https://revistacefac.org.br/, where readers can find up-to-date information about the editorial board, editorial policies, manuscript submission guidelines, and recent issues. The integration of our historical archive is underway, and we expect to make all volumes available on the site, soon.
We have also updated the layout of the articles, which now include detailed information on the location where the study has been conducted, sources of funding, conflict of interest declarations, even when non-existent, and the date of the first review by the authors. Additionally, copyright issues have been clarified.
Aligned with the principles of open science, Revista CEFAC adopts the Gold Open Access model, providing permanent, free online access to the final version of articles without any restrictions. We also encourage the sharing of data and supplementary materials in open repositories, following best practices in open science. Authors are required to include a data-sharing statement in their manuscripts, specifying what data will be made available, when, and under what conditions.
One of our priorities has been implementing the best practices in ethical research conduct. In this regard, Revista CEFAC now adopts the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form1 to ensure greater transparency in the reporting of potential conflicts of interest by authors, during submission. We have also revised our ethics policies, incorporating clear guidelines on errors, retractions, and misconduct, and we have defined the responsibilities of editors, reviewers, and authors in an accessible manner. To further promote transparency in author contributions, we have adopted the CRediT taxonomy, which details the roles of each contributor in producing the articles2.
As part of our future initiatives to increase transparency in the peer-review process, Revista CEFAC will offer authors and reviewers the option to make the review process public, with or without disclosing identities. During submission, authors will have the opportunity to select one of three review models, subject to mutual agreement between authors and reviewers: (1) disclosure of the responsible editor’s name, (2) publication of review reports with or without the reviewers’ identities, and (3) mutual disclosure of the identities of authors and reviewers, during the evaluation process. These changes aim to foster a more open and transparent review environment while respecting participants' confidentiality preferences.
Finally, recognizing the growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript preparation, we have implemented guidelines for the ethical use of these technologies, following the recommendations of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)3 and the Guide to Using AI Tools and Resources in Research Communication by SciELO4. AI-assisted technologies are welcome, provided that they are used transparently and responsibly. This includes a clear description of how AI was employed, strategies to prevent plagiarism, and acknowledgment that authorship responsibilities must remain exclusively human, as AI cannot be listed as an author5.
Our goal is to continue refining our editorial policies and publication processes, always prioritizing transparency and scientific integrity. We thank our authors, associate editors, reviewers, and readers for their trust and remain committed to maintaining the excellence of our publications.
Chief editors of Revista CEFAC
REFERENCES
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1 International Committee of Medical Journal Editors - Disclosure of Financial and Non-Financial Relationships and Activities, and Conflicts of Interest. Available at: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/author-responsibilities--conflicts-of-interest.html Accessed 2024 set 20.
» https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/author-responsibilities--conflicts-of-interest.html -
2 SciELO. Guia para marcação e publicação de contribuição de autores: Taxonomia CRediT [online]. SciELO. Available at: https://wp.scielo.org/wpcontent/uploads/credit.pdf Accessed 2024 set 20.
» https://wp.scielo.org/wpcontent/uploads/credit.pdf -
3 Zielinski C, Winker MA, Aggarwal R, Ferris LE, Heinemann M, Lapeña JF et al. WAME recommendations on chatbots and generative artificial intelligence in relation to scholarly publications. WAME. 2023. Available at: https://wame.org/page3.php?id=106 Accessed 2024 set 20.
» https://wame.org/page3.php?id=106 -
4 Scielo. Guia de uso de ferramentas e recursos de inteligência artificial na comunicação de pesquisas na Rede SciELO. Available at: https://wp.scielo.org/wp-content/uploads/Guia-de-uso-de-ferramentas-e-recursos-de-IA-20230914.pdf Accessed 2024 set 20.
» https://wp.scielo.org/wp-content/uploads/Guia-de-uso-de-ferramentas-e-recursos-de-IA-20230914.pdf -
5 International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors. Available at: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html Accessed 2024 set 20.
» http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html
