REVISTA DIREITO GV IN NUMBERS: 2023 BALANCE SHEET AND OUTLOOK FOR 2024

Abstract

This editorial provides an overview of the year 2023 at Revista Direito GV, offering general data on the flow of manuscripts submitted to the journal over the course of the year. It also presents the editorial outlook for 2024, considering that the process of adapting to the new Editorial Policy has been finalized. Since 2017, we have presented through quantitative data, the various aspects of editorial work, such as the number of submissions received, the geographical distribution of authors and the number of reviews issued. More recently, we have sought to incorporate the gender-related data into our analysis. The overall aim is to provide information to the journal community, keep a record of its main milestones and offer broad transparency of our editorial processes, always with a view to improving editorial work as a whole and raising the quality of the articles published.

Keywords
Law; scientific publishing; article submission; peer review; gender

Resumo

Este editorial oferece um balanço de 2023 da Revista Direito GV, com dados gerais relativos ao fluxo de manuscritos submetidos à revista durante o ano. Expõe também as perspectivas editoriais para 2024, concluído o processo de adaptação à nova Política Editorial. Desde 2017, temos apresentado, por meio de dados quantitativos, as várias dimensões do trabalho editorial, como número de submissões recebidas, distribuição geográfica dos autores e das autoras e quantidade de pareceres emitidos. Mais recentemente, buscamos incorporar a dimensão de gênero nos dados. O objetivo geral é prestar informações à comunidade da revista, manter um histórico de seus principais marcos e assegurar ampla transparência dos nossos processos editoriais, sempre com vistas ao aperfeiçoamento do trabalho editorial como um todo e à elevação da qualidade dos artigos publicados.

Palavras-chave
Direito; editoração científica; submissão de artigos; avaliação por pares; gênero

Resumen

Este editorial ofrece una retrospectiva del año 2023 de Revista Direito GV, con datos generales relativos al flujo de manuscritos enviados al periódico durante el año. También presenta las perspectivas editoriales para 2024, una vez finalizado el proceso de adaptación a la nueva Política Editorial. Desde 2017, presentamos, a través de datos cuantitativos, las diversas dimensiones del trabajo editorial, como el número de envíos recibidos, la distribución geográfica de los autores y el número de opiniones emitidas. Más recientemente, buscamos incorporar la dimensión de género en los datos. El objetivo general es proporcionar información a la comunidad del periódico, mantener un historial de sus principales hitos y ofrecer una amplia transparencia de nuestros procesos editoriales, siempre con la vista de mejorar el trabajo editorial en su conjunto y aumentar la calidad de los artículos publicados.

Palabras clave
Derecho; publicación científica; envío de artículos; revisión por pares; género

Introduction

Revista Direito GV takes stock of its activities throughout 2023 and presents its editorial outlook for 2024. As in previous editorials, we have set out to provide objective information to the community of authors, evaluators and readers regarding the functioning of the journal, giving ample transparency to our editorial processes. Among other details, not only do we provide statistics on the number of submissions received, but also on the geographical distribution and gender of the authors, as well as on the number of opinions issued and the average evaluation time. With these annual editorials, we also aim to maintain a record of the main changes and projects implemented.

In 2023, Revista Direito GV began implementing its new Editorial Policy (Revista Direito GV, 2023), which restricted its editorial scope and incorporated some of the good practices of Open Science. The changes required adaptation of the editorial process, reflecting on some indicators. Another important change in the journal’s governance was the departure of the then editor-in-chief, Catarina Helena Cortada Barbieri, who had been in charge of the journal since September 2014, and the arrival of the new editor-in-chief Pedro Salomon Bezerra Mouallem. The Chair position of the Editorial Board was also created, and Luciana Gross Cunha assumed it. The transition to the new Editorial Policy and to new team, however, comes to an end in 2024, with the consolidation of new practices and team. The outlook is promising, and the journal plans to continue on the path of excellence it has built over the years and to expand its academic impact.

1. Submissions

Graph 1 below illustrates the number of new articles submitted to Revista Direito GV since 2016. These submissions represent all new articles each year, covering both original articles (submitted for the first time) and resubmissions (articles that received a “reject and resubmit” decision and came back amended).

Graph 1 -
NEW SUBMISSIONS

As evidenced above, after three consecutive years with a number of new submissions exceeding 500 articles per year (2019, 2020 and 2021), there was a drop in those numbers in 2022 and 2023. This is not exclusive to Revista Direito GV: according to SciELO, the scientific production reported by journals in the SciELO Brazil collection fell systematically, following the pandemic. Between 2022 and 2023, according to SciELO, there was an average annual drop of 13% in the total number of articles. This is a trend not only observed in Brazil, but also affecting several countries (Elsevier-Bori, 2023).

Nevertheless, the decrease in the number of submissions was anticipated: as of 2023, the new Editorial Policy came into force (Revista Direito GV, 2023), which instituted stricter criteria for article submissions, such as the narrowing of the journal’s editorial scope and the requirement of a minimum level of qualification for authors (Master’s Degree for single-author articles and, in the case of co-authored ones, at least one co-author with a doctorate) (Barbieri; Noya; Buzolin, 2023).

The reduction in the number of submissions was not only expected, but also desired: as stated in the previous Editorial, the changes in scope and title were intended to “attempt to circumvent the immense number of articles submitted without publication potential, concentrating energy and resources on the appreciation of cutting-edge research and more experienced researchers” (Barbieri; Noya; Buzolin, 2023). As evidenced below, we consider that these objectives were satisfactorily achieved.

It is important to note that not all new submissions undergo desk review. This is because there are a large number of manuscripts which, after analysis of the minimum formal requirements, returned to the authors for adjustments and are not resubmitted. Graph 2 below shows the number of submissions that proceeded to the evaluation process.

Graph 2 -
SUBMISSIONS THAT PROCEEDED TO EVALUATION

These figures, however, do not yet reflect the total number of submissions received each year, since, in addition to new submissions, we also receive a considerable number of revisions after peer review. Graph 3 below shows the number of total submissions (new articles plus revisions), representing the journal’s total annual workload.

Graph 3 -
TOTAL SUBMISSIONS

As previously stated, the decrease in submissions, potentially influenced by both the stricter criteria of the new Editorial Policy and exogenous factors, was positively received by the journal. Such reduction aligns with our commitment to maintaining optimal levels of quality and responsiveness in editorial work. In addition, these changes (such as the narrowing of the scope and the minimum level of qualification requirement) have had a positive influence on the quality of the articles submitted. One piece of data that confirms this assessment is shown in Graph 4 below, illustrating the number of articles sent to reviewers.

Graph 4 -
NUMBER OF ARTICLES SENT TO REVIEWERS

The goal of concentrating efforts and resources on submissions with the greatest potential for publication has been satisfactorily achieved: although the number of total submissions has decreased, the number of articles that have proven suitable for further peer review has increased in 2023. This is also evident in Graph 5, illustrating the relationship between the number of total submissions (Graph 3) and the total number of articles sent to peer reviewers (Graph 4).

Graph 5 -
TOTAL SUBMISSIONS VERSUS NUMBER OF ARTICLES SENT TO REVIEWERS

It remains true that a significant number of submissions do not progress beyond the initial stages of analysis, either because they don’t comply with the formal requirements or because the content is unsuitable for the new Editorial Policy. In these cases, the evaluation is closed before the peer review stage (desk review rejection). Authors should be aware of the high initial rejection rate. Careful preparation of the submission and careful reading of the journal’s editorial policy are essential for a successful evaluation.

Strictly speaking, it is not possible to accurately calculate the proportion of articles received and published per year, given that the evaluation period for an article can, not infrequently, exceed the period of one year. It remains a reliable estimate that the percentage of published articles, in relation to those received, does not exceed a threshold of 10%.

As for the geographic origins of the authors who submitted articles for evaluation in 2023, the data is as follows: São Paulo remained the state with the highest number of submissions (accounting for 24% of the total), followed by the Federal District (12%), Minas Gerais (9%), Rio Grande do Sul (8%) and Paraná (6%) - the top five Brazilian states with the highest number of submissions. The Southeast region was responsible for 43.1% of the submissions received. In second place was the South (19%), followed by the Midwest (16.9%), Northeast (15.5%) and North (5.3%).

Authors from 19 different countries submitted manuscripts to Revista Direito GV in 2023. Brazil led with the number of submissions, followed by Portugal (10 submissions), Chile (5 submissions), the United States (4 submissions) and South Africa (3 submissions). Other entries included: Germany, Australia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Spain, Russia, Italy, Macau, the Netherlands, Peru and Ukraine.

2. Average Times

Table 1 below illustrates a downward trend in the average time (in days) taken to evaluate all manuscripts, from submission to final decision, since the commencement of this data measurement. However, for the year of 2023, the average increased. This was expected, as we pointed out earlier, due to the need to adapt to the changes in the new Editorial Policy, which have resulted in a more detailed and complex editorial process. Nevertheless, the average evaluation time remains close to the six months period recommended by SciELO (SciELO, 2022).

Table 1 -
AVERAGE MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION TIME (IN DAYS) FROM SUBMISSION TO FINAL DECISION (2016-2023)

	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
AVERAGE TIME (DAYS)	200	177	170	131	141	136	122	206

• Source: In-house, based on the archives of Revista Direito GV and ScholarOne Manuscripts/Revista Direito GV.

The average time taken to process manuscripts from submission to publication in 2023 was approximately 23 months, as can be seen in Table 2 below. The journal’s goal, following SciELO’s best practice recommendations (SciELO, 2022), is to reduce the average processing time to 12 months. By consolidating the new editorial practices and improving its internal processes, the journal intends to reverse the upward trend in averages over the next few years.

Table 2 -
AVERAGE MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION TIME (IN DAYS) FROM SUBMISSION TO PUBLICATION (2018-2023)

	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
AVERAGE TIME (DAYS)	480	416	453	465	576	691

• Source: In-house, based on the archives of Revista Direito GV and ScholarOne Manuscripts/Revista Direito GV.

3. Peer Review

The number of invitations issued at the double blind peer review stage in 2023 was of 450, resulting in 150 opinions being issued. Despite the lower number of invitations issued in 2023 compared to 2021 and 2022 - when 511 and 506 invitations were made, respectively -, there was an increase in the average number of invitations necessary to produce a single opinion.

As shown in Graph 6 below, the bottleneck in the editorial process persisted and worsened in 2023. While an average of 2.5 invitations were needed to generate an opinion in both 2021 and 2022, this number leapt to 3 invitations per opinion issued in 2023, with certain extreme cases requiring upwards of 10 invitations.

Graph 6 -
NUMBER OF REVIEWER INVITATIONS VERSUS NUMBER OF OPINIONS ISSUED (2020-2023)

4. Distribution by Gender

Gender inequality in submissions to the journal, when analyzing the authors of submitted manuscripts, continues to be a reality and has been the subject of past editorials.

However, for the first time since 2019, there has been a decrease in the disparity between the percentage of articles submitted by male-only authors and those submitted by female-only authors. This decrease is attributed to both the reduction in the number of male-only authored articles submitted and the slight increase in articles submitted by female authors. In 2022, the proportion of submitted articles written by female-only authors rose to 29% - returning to the level recorded since 2019 - while the percentage of articles submitted by exclusively male authors fell from 43% in 2022 to 35% in 2023. Graph 7 below illustrates this scenario.

Graph 7 -
PERCENTAGE OF SUBMISSIONS BY AUTHOR GENDER (2019 to 2023)

The disparity in the proportion of male and female reviewers closely followed the pattern of recent years, but it showed a slight increase compared to 2022, as shown in Table 3 below. The bottleneck in securing reviewer acceptance is one of the explanations for this persistent difference. The journal will continue its gender equality policy, working to reduce the gap.

Table 3 -
REVIEWERS, BY GENDER

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
MEN	57%	62%	56%	58%	62%
WOMEN	43%	38%	44%	42%	38%

• Source: In-house, based on the archives of Revista Direito GV.

5. Outlook for 2024

The Revista Direito GV is undergoing changes in its governance as of 2024. Pedro Mouallem has taken over as editor-in-chief, replacing Catarina Barbieri, who was in charge of the journal from September 2014 to December 2023, and professor and researcher Luciana Gross Cunha has taken over as Chair of the journal’s Editorial Board. The new management’s mission is to continue the legacy of rigor and excellence built over recent years, and to deepen the changes signaled by the current Editorial Policy. To this end, the journal will promote two main agendas for change.

Firstly, it will consolidate the editorial changes begun in 2023. As far as anonymous peer review is concerned, the journal will seek to strengthen and improve its relationship with reviewers in order to facilitate obtaining suitable opinions and reduce the average time needed for editorial decisions. The journal is in the process of modifying the system of invitations to expand its pool of experts, with the aim of promoting greater parity between men and women reviewers and ensuring excellence in the reviews. As for the editorial process, Revista Direito GV will complete its adaptation to the requirements of the new Editorial Policy, especially in terms of greater transparency and detailed information in each issue. By next year, this will substantially reduce the average time between final decision and publication. Also seeking to speed up scientific communication, the new management is considering implementing the practice of depositing approved manuscripts on preprint servers, such as SciELO Preprints. All in all, the changes are aimed at speeding up the editorial process at Revista Direito GV.

Secondly, the journal will seek to refine its dialogue with the fields of knowledge defined by its Editorial Policy, i.e., “law and development”, “law and society”, and “law and economy”. This will involve improving its scientific communication through the official channels of the São Paulo Law School of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV DIREITO SP) and partner platforms, as well as promoting and participating in academic events that debate its publications and/or communicate research with potential for future publication. In addition, Revista Direito GV will seek to stimulate projects that adhere to its editorial scope, such as dossiers and interviews. It is worth stating that this agenda will require the journal to work more closely with national and international research networks. In short, all the ongoing changes are part of an ongoing effort to improve our work, with the aim of preserving and strengthening the journal’s editorial coherence, and increasing its scientific impact.

Conclusion

We would like to express our deep gratitude for the invaluable contributions of the community responsible for the continuous maintenance and improvement of Revista Direito GV: authors, reviewers, readers. We recognize that, without their commitment and dedication, the work of this journal would not be possible.

The balance sheet for 2023 suggests that, in a year of transition to the new Editorial Policy, Revista Direito GV has begun to reap positive results in terms of the quality of the articles submitted and published, as well as greater transparency in our editorial process.

The journal was able to consolidate important changes while maintaining its standard of excellence on an upward trajectory. Fortunately, our reader base continues to grow and remain engaged. For all these reasons, we share an optimistic outlook for 2024.

REFERÊNCIAS

• BARBIERI, Catarina Helena Cortada; NOYA, Henrique Cruz; BUZOLIN, Lívia Gonçalves. Revista Direito GV em números: balanço de 2022 e perspectivas para 2023. Revista Direito GV, São Paulo, v. 19, e2300, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-6172202300
  » https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-6172202300
• ELSEVIER-BORI. Análise da produção científica de 1996-2022: queda inédita no número de artigos científicos do Brasil. Relatório técnico. 2023. Disponível em: Disponível em: https://abori.com.br/publicacoes/ Acesso em: 24 abr. 2024.
  » https://abori.com.br/publicacoes/
• REVISTA DIREITO GV. Política Editorial São Paulo: FGV DIREITO SP, 2023. Disponível em: Disponível em: https://periodicos.fgv.br/revdireitogv/politicaeditorial Acesso em: 24 abr. 2024.
  » https://periodicos.fgv.br/revdireitogv/politicaeditorial
• SCIENTIFIC ELECTRONIC LIBRARY ONLINE (SCIELO). Critérios, política e procedimentos para a admissão e a permanência de periódicos na Coleção SciELO Brasil São Paulo, set. 2022. Disponível em: Disponível em: https://www.scielo.br/media/files/20220900-criterios-scielo-brasil.pdf Acesso em: 24 jun. 2024.
  » https://www.scielo.br/media/files/20220900-criterios-scielo-brasil.pdf

• How to quote this editorial:

  MOUALLEM, Pedro Salomon Bezerra et al. Revista Direito GV in Numbers: 2023 Balance Sheet and Outlook for 2024. Revista Direito GV, São Paulo, v. 20, e2401, 2024. https://doi.org/-10.1590/2317-6172202401

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  22 July 2024
• Date of issue
  2024