EDITORIAL
Publication of the Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica (Brazilian Journal of Plastic Surgery) in english and the expansion of scientific horizons
Publicação da Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica em inglês e a ampliação dos horizontes científicos
The Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Plástica (Brazilian Journal of Plastic Surgery - BJPS) begins a new era after 25 years of publication in Portuguese. Starting with the present issue, the journal will be published in English to enable our colleagues from other countries to evaluate our contributions. Conversely, Brazilian authors who publish in international journals may also use our journal as a mode of communication with the international scientific community.
These issues are also available in Portuguese on the BJPS website (www.rbcp.org.br). Although it is difficult to predict when books and journals of any kind will no longer be printed, English is now our official language for publication. A complex, but comprehensive and coherent, program was organized to make this project a reality. The process from the moment manuscripts are received and registered by our office at the Brazilian Society for Plastic Surgery (BSPS) until they are ready to be printed involves ten steps. A large network of several people, each playing a specific role, is required. We have been trying to publish our journal in English for two decades; a prior trial of bilingual editing was not successful. We have lost count of the number of times our proposal to publish in English was rejected by the board of the BSPS in the last 10 years. Despite much discussion and controversy, a majority of the members of the BJPS Executive Board recently approved our proposal to publish BJPS in English, which is expected to be very beneficial and will allow our Brazilian colleagues to become more acquainted with the English language.
Another positive aspect is the affiliation of the BJPS to the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Journal. These relationships open new channels for publication, access to sites, and information exchange, with the conviction that additional partnerships will be formed.
In addition, we will now be on par with the Swedish, Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, and European Societies for Plastic Surgery among others, who for years have published in English. We frequently noted the small number of citations of the works of Brazilian plastic surgeons in plastic surgery journals published in English despite the level of excellence of plastic surgery in Brazil. Two main factors have contributed to this fact: the language barrier and the smaller number of plastic surgeons who are able to write and publish in English. Hopefully, this problem will be overcome in the medium term or, being more optimistic, in the short term.
It is important to bear in mind that by publishing in English, the range of new opportunities for researchers to import and export knowledge in the field of plastic surgery is greater. Until a few decades ago, our specialty had very limited options for publications. Moreover, the level of training of plastic surgeons could determine and guide activities in the areas of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Super-specialization occurred in a continuous, decisive, and natural process as a result of known activities similar to those in clinical and surgical medicine. Super-specialists have become more focused and are submitting their papers to journals more closely related to their areas of expertise. As in the case of other scientific journals, it is difficult to estimate for how long articles will be published in the traditional printed format and when they will be completely replaced by online versions. At present, we will continue printing our journal until a decision is taken by the BSPS Executive Board.
Our 5000 members will now be part of the scientific community that publishes in English. Our hope is that scientific advancements and new opportunities will come up as a result of the English publications of BJPS.
Dov Goldenberg
Associate Editor
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
09 Dec 2011 -
Date of issue
Sept 2011
