From the author to publication

What is it about?

In today’s fast-paced world, in which we are always running against the clock, the austerity and calm of observation are left behind. Medical journals have also experienced constant and accelerated changes, which are demands of the times we live in. Those who cannot adapt and react will lose ground, be left behind, and ultimately be forgotten. Part of this editorial is based on the 2015 report by the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Editors (STM), and refers to a wide variety of concepts, analyzing information related to publishing.

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Why is it important?

The number of articles published, as well as the number of journals themselves, has been growing constantly for more than two centuries, between 3 and 3.5% per year, respectively, as a result of the equally persistent growth in the number of researchers, presently between 7 and 9 million. Twenty-three percent of the articles published worldwide come out of the United States, but the important and accelerated growth of published articles from China and Eastern Asia is striking. The United Kingdom follows at 7%, and Germany at 6%.1 More than 28,100 refereed and peer-reviewed English-language journals were registered at the end of 2014, and another 6450 journals in other languages, collectively resulting in more than 2.5 million articles per year. In relation to citations, the United States is at the top of the list, with 36%, and China is in 11th place, with 6%.1 The interest in research and publication ethics continues to be sustained, constant, and supervised. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is one of the organizations that addresses the abuses of plagiarism and malpractice. The number of article retractions has increased importantly over the last decade, but it is thought to be the result of greater awareness in most cases, as opposed to an increase in misconduct.