Scientific journals with discontinued indexing: the SciELO Brazil Collection

Abstract

The objective of this work was to identify scientific journals that were discontinued in the Scientific Electronic Library Online Brazil Collection and to analyze the motivations expressed in the editorials. The methodology involved identifying the characteristics of the 75 journal titles, and the editorials of the year of discontinuation and the subsequent one were analyzed using the content analysis technique. The results show 75 journals from all areas of knowledge, 52 published editorials on the subject, from which 156 texts were identified. Scientific Electronic Library Online uses two categories of generic reasons: finished (40 titles), the titles have been changed, with 38 remaining at the base, and interrupted indexing (35 titles) that were taken off the base, but the volumes already indexed were maintained. In the finished category, five main motivations were identified: internationalization and / or international visibility (62.5%), modernization (5.0%), change of publishing entity (5.0%), change of publishing entity and internationalization (2.5%), absorbed by another journal (2.5%), unidentified motivations (22.5%). In the interrupted indexing category, we identified three main motivations: internationalization and or international visibility, partnership with an international commercial publisher (34.0%), delay in launching new issues (14.4%), against Scientific Electronic Library Online internationalization policy (2,9%), unidentified motivations (48.7%). The large number of reasons not identified in editorials shows the need to increase transparency in the management of journals. Internationalization, the main motivation found, promoted by Scientific Electronic Library Online criteria and seems to have been understood in several ways in the editorials. While the majority remained at the base, 12 titles that entered into partnerships with international commercial publishers were identified and left Scientific Electronic Library Online.

Keywords
Databases; Scientific research; Indexing; Journal