Challenges of production and dissemination of the scientific knowledge of nursing

EDITORIAL

Challenges of production and dissemination of the scientific knowledge of nursing

Maria Helena Palucci Marziale

Full Professor of Nursing School of Ribeirão Preto - University of São Paulo Coordinator of the Journal Portal REV@ENF of the Nursing Virtual Health Library

In recent years, we find a significant increase in scientific production in the areas of health and nursing, by means of bibliometric indexes and rankings. However, the internationalization of knowledge production still appears to be somewhat timid in countries like Brazil, when compared to the production of Anglo-Saxon countries.

In nursing, as in other areas of knowledge, the increase in scientific production is attributed, predominantly, to the expansion of graduate programs. We are referring to more than 50 programs recognized by the Coordination of Improvement of Personnel of Superior Level (CAPES), which presents a production of about three thousand scientific articles/year. However, the original scientific production of the 535 research groups registered in the Directory of Research Groups in Brazil - National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) with the descriptor nursing, also deserves emphasis.

These indicators show the potential of the area, however, many authors have faced problems in disseminating the results of their research in international journals of high impact in the scientific community. This leads us to encourage everyone to reflect on the problem, since the internationalization of the results of studies allow for understanding about regional differences, the advancement of science, and application of research results enabling the improvement of quality of life and professional practice.

What is the problem?

According to some researchers and editors, the pattern that leads to the rejection of articles in international journals is the poor quality of the science and the presentation/style of science ⁽¹⁾.The problems range from the lack of scientific reproducibility to those associated with the quality of the written product. Among the former, we highlight the absence of hypotheses and/or clear research objectives; absent methods or those that are presented in a vague manner; vague or incorrect use of data analysis; and the use of a restricted and inadequate scientific literature review. Included among other reasons are: the lack of investment in the quality of text and writing, and, the lack of a clear signal regarding the contribution of the manuscript to the international literature ⁽²⁾.

We are calling attention to the supremacy of descriptive studies produced by Brazilian nurses to the detriment of other types of research. Considering the necessity of strong scientific evidence on the structure of clinical practice, it is necessary to expand the number of studies with bolder methodologies.

Another important aspect is the selection of the journal.

Where to publish?

Scientific journals of the highest editorial quality publish articles originating from original, unpublished research and have an explicit mission that allows the author to identify the theme of the publication and its audience. Thus, before submitting his/her article to a journal, the author must take into account: the language and the target audience for the article and the journal; the type of contribution to knowledge that your article provides; the generalizability of the data presented; additions to the citation index; the speed of publication; and, free access to the journal ⁽²⁾. Remember that inappropriate selection of a journal for the submission of the article can cause economic and emotional losses for the author. So, the challenge for researchers in the field of nursing is to pursue excellence by producing and publishing findings of their research in national and international journals recognized by the scientific community, by presenting theoretically based studies with robust methodologies, that are of high quality to allow the replication of the method, generalization of data and the advancement of science. The fact that many Brazilian nurse researchers are breaking the barrier of international publication shows that the obstacles are not insurmountable and the challenges presented here motivate us to design new individual and collective strategies.

References

• 1. Victora CG, Moreira CB. [North-South relations in scientific publications: editorial racism?]. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40(Spec no):36-42. Portuguese.
• 2. Albuquerque UP. [Quality of scientific puplications - considerations of an editor at the end of the mandate]. ActaBot Bras. 2009;23(1):292-6.Portuguese.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  12 July 2012
• Date of issue
  2012