v. 22 n. 1 (2002): Revista HCPA

Revista HCPA: This is our journal

In the years that I have served as Editor at Revista HCPA I have witnessed the great effort made by a considerable group of people to ensure the viability of our journal. Maintaining a journal like Revista HCPA is not an easy task, and this is not only because of financial reasons; there is also much ambiguity on the part of our investigators in terms of submitting their papers to Revista HCPA. Although this is understandable, taking into account the current policies of funding agencies, which have adopted a series of requirements concerning the journals in which research results should be published, on the other hand this situation leads to a paradoxical vicious circle: because it receives few submissions, the quality of Revista HCPA tends to decrease; and because of the decreasing quality, Revista HCPA receives fewer and fewer submissions. It is not uncommon to hear colleagues say that “this article is too good to be published in Revista HCPA.”

I believe it is time for us to face this reality and define the true vocation of our Journal. Should we try to emulate international journals? Should  we focus on a more regional public? Should we favor a teaching profile, with the publication of more articles geared towards practitioners?

Regardless of the answer, I believe that the debate concerning our Journal has to take into account an important point: Revista HCPA is our Journal. It is in our hands to make it become a powerful vehicle – for that, all we have to do is to seriously engage in submitting some of our research results, take part in Editorial Board meetings, meet the deadlines for reviewing articles, etc. If we fulfill simple goals, and if we dedicate some of our best papers to Revista HCPA, we could, in a relatively short period of time, increase its quality to a level acceptable also to funding agencies, in addition to making it become a significant forum of scientific debate.

Thus, until the end of 2002, I invite all colleagues to engage in this debate and to reflect on the possibility of having a Journal that truly represents the scientific production of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, a journal that circulates true knowledge and continued education and meets the demands of funding agencies. This is the time for us to look at the future of Revista HCPA and develop the strategic plan that will ensure to Revista HCPA the longevity it deserves.

Eduardo P. Passos
Editor

Publicado: 2022-07-22

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