How to reduce the processing time of submitted articles: the experience of Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais

While the position of a scientific journal editor is interesting and rewarding, since it puts us in touch with the pulse of academic output, it also poses many challenges. It is necessary to give the journal a face, to guarantee the publication quality, to find reviewers willing to work anonymously and for free and to ensure the journal’s financial sustainability. This post deals with just one of the challenges: ensuring a quick response to the authors about the submitted manuscripts. Read More →

The path to reproducibility tests is through Registered Reports

The need to reproduce research results for the sake of science transparency and credibility goes through numerous challenges. An article published in Nature indicates that, in order to obtain better results from reproducibility tests, it is important to establish protocols in agreement with the authors of the original study and to align expectations. Registered Reports, submitted to peer review before the experimental stage of the study, present themselves as a promising solution for successful reproducibility tests. Read More →

SciELO network and accessibility: emphasis on policies, products and services

Open science and open access are not synonymous with accessibility. Thus, the policies and guidelines of the SciELO Network Publication Model, with the cooperation of journal editors and persons with disabilities, will be gradually reviewed regarding submission criteria, structures, and content of scientific articles. Read More →

JCR, Kafka, and MAI!

For the second time, the Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências was surprised to find out that about one quarter of the papers of an issue were gone missing from the Jornal Citation Reports platform, a problem that should come to the attention of the publishing and evaluation industry. Some objective ways to appraise the performance of specific volumes or areas of a journal are presented. Read More →

Notice to mariners – times have changed

Open access… and everything. Finally, what happened 20 years ago and felt like a utopia of copyright pirates is becoming irreversible, like a tsunami. Publishers and scientific information cannot ignore the theme of open access, so that they can compete and don’t stay out of this market. Things are changing and there’s no going back. Read More →

Bibliodiversity – What it is and why it is essential to creating situated knowledge [Originally published in the LSE Impact blog in December/2019]

Vibrant scholarly communities are sustained by publishing outlets that allow researchers to address diverse audiences. Whereas, attention is often focused on international publication, much of this work is supported by publications that address national and regional audiences in their own languages. In this post, Elea Giménez Toledo, Emanuel Kulczycki, Janne Pölönen and Gunnar Sivertsen explain the importance of bibliodiversity to sustaining knowledge ecosystems and argue that bibliodiversity is essential to ensuring that the transition to an open book future continues to support the creation of situated knowledge. Read More →

Interview and Tribute to Charles Pessanha [Originally published in DADOS’ blog in January/2020]

Charles Pessanha is not only a key name in the history of DADOS, a journal he edited for more than three decades and still helps editing, but also from every one of the Brazilian scientific publishing body. In 2019, our former Editor-in-Chief and active Editor Emeritus was doubly honored, first with the “Prêmio da ANPOCS de Excelência Acadêmica em Ciência Política” and, second, with an interview for the organizing team in charge of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the graduate program of IESP-UERJ, where Charles has worked and obtained his master’s degree. Next, there is a video of the interview in which he talks about his personal history, his life as a journal editor, the inception of SciELO and the current challenges of Brazil’s Social Sciences. Read More →

The re-use of qualitative data is an under-appreciated field for innovation and the creation of new knowledge in the social sciences [Originally published in the LSE Impact blog in June/2020]

The value and potential of data re-use and the associated methodology of qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) is often overlooked. Dr Anna Tarrant and Dr Kahryn Hughes propose, that as COVID-19 limits opportunities for qualitative research for the foreseeable future, now, more than ever the social sciences need to address the under-use of existing qualitative data. Read More →

COVID-19 publications on SciELO Preprints and SciELO Network journals

We prepared a list that includes the latest preprints available in SciELO Preprints and the most recent documents published by the SciELO Network journals about COVID-19. Access via SciELO Search. Read More →

Homemade cloth face masks as a barrier against respiratory droplets – systematic review [Originally published in Acta paul. enferm. vol.33]

Using cloth face masks provides a barrier against droplets when compared with not using any face masks. The face mask is an additional preventive mesuare and must be used along with respiratory etiquette, hand hygiene, social distancing, and isolation of cases. Image: Vera Davidova. Read More →

COVID-19 and pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: How to manage it? [Originally published in Clinics, vol. 75]

Pediatric gastroenterologists, family members, and caregivers of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are on alert; they are all focused on implementing prophylactic measures to prevent infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, evaluating the risks in each patient, guiding them in their treatment, and keeping IBD in remission. Image: Vanessa Bucceri. Read More →

COVID-19 in solid organ transplantation patients: A systematic review [Originally published in Clinics, vol. 75]

We performed a systematic review of SOT patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The MEDLINE and PubMed databases were electronically searched and updated until April 20, 2020. The MeSH terms used were “COVID-19” AND “Transplant”. Image: Piron Guillaume. Read More →

How Institutions Can Protect the Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-Being of Their Healthcare Workers in the Current COVID-19 Pandemic [Originally published in Clinics, vol. 75]

Specialists estimate that the world will endure a long battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. To ensure success, it is essential to keep our healthcare workers active, motivated, and healthy. Thus, we hereby recommend that all health institutions pay special attention to the mental health and psychosocial well-being of their workers. Image: Luke Jones. Read More →

Was postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games a correct decision? [Originally published in Rev Bras Med Esporte, vol.26 no.3]

Moreover, during the period planned for the games in 2020 the pandemic may be subsiding in some countries and increasing in others, and this was also taken into consideration as a risk factor. Hence, the decision taken to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games until 2021 due to the 2019-nCoV was the correct one, and was extremely important to protect the health of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as spectators. Image: Erik Eastman. Read More →

COVID-19: challenges for a new epoch [Originally published in Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop., vol. 53]

Preparedness is crucial to reduce the health, economic, and social impacts of a future epidemic, it is also the only way to avoid the spread of other diseases. Pandemics are not aleatory events but are the consequence of human interactions with the environment and could be avoided or reduced through science and investments in health, education and transportation and improved through better conditions of living. Image: Lizzie Mayorga. Read More →