OBJECTIVE: To study trends in selected manuscript characteristics of articles published in the Brazilian Archives of Cardiology from March 1948, to February 1998, in the quarterly, bimonthly and monthly cycles of publication. METHODS: A random sample of 25% of all issues of the journal comprised the study sample: 13 issues (11.5%) from the quarterly, 27 (23,5%) from the bimonthly, and 58 (65%) from the monthly publication cycle. We studied the type of manuscript, number of authors, geographical distribution, language of publication and references. RESULTS: A total of 1204 articles were studied, 90 (7.5%) from the quarterly, 238 (19,8%) from the bimonthly, and 876 (72.8%) from the monthly publication cycle. The most frequent published articles were original contributions (353), reviews (350) and case reports (205). No significant difference occurred in the proportion of original articles, reviews and case reports; the number of authors was higher in the monthly period;a geographical concentration of the contributions occurred (72% from three Brazilian States); manuscripts in languages other than Portuguese decreased. The mean number of Brazilian references cited was less than 4.7 and the mean number of international references cited was greater than 16.7. CONCLUSION: The analysis of the trends over five decades of publication revealed the need for further steps to be taken by the Brazilian Archives of Cardiology, to meet international publication standards for biomedical journals as well as authors' and readers' demands.
Periodicals; Publishing
