Over the last few years, the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology has undergone a series of transformations that have given it international visibility. The onset of these changes can be traced back to the year 2002, when the journal, then still known as the Journal of Pulmonology, was indexed for the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). That was the first step in the process to guarantee that interested readers from around the globe would have access to the published material. However, initially, only the abstracts of the manuscripts were published in English. Making the full-text versions in English available online, in January of 2003, was certainly the second major step towards the internationalization of our publication.

In 2004, an exclusive homepage was created for the journal, and the process of online submission and analysis of articles was initiated. This step was central to guaranteeing the promptness and quality of the peer review process. However, the event that was key to making the contents of the journal widely accessible occurred in November of 2006, when the journal was indexed for PubMed/Medline, sponsored by the United States National Library of Medicine. Since then, Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology articles have been included in the search engine that is the most popular with readers in the area of biomedicine. Immediately, articles published in the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology began to be cited by foreign authors in various international journals. A good example of this is the article authored by Lundgren et al.,(1) which was cited in the meta-analysis authored by Jing et al.(2) In addition, foreign lecturers at international conferences have mentioned articles published in the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology. In 2009, for instance, the articles authored by Saad Jr. et al.(3) and de Moritz et al.(4) were cited at the American Thoracic Society Conference and the European Respiratory Society Conference, respectively. It is also highly relevant that the 23rd international edition of the classical internal medicine textbook "Cecil Medicine",(5) published in 2007, cites, in chapter 98 ("Lung Abscess"), an extensive series of cases published in our journal by Moreira et al.(6)

In 2009, our journal reached another significant milestone: it became indexed for the ISI Web of Knowledge. From volume 35 onward, all material published in the journal will be included in the Science Citation Index Expanded, and the first impact factor calculated for the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology will be published in the 2011 Journal Citation Reports. The relevance of this accomplishment cannot be contested. Although vigorously pursued by countless publications of Brazilian national scientific associations, this goal has been achieved by very few. To belong to the elite group of Brazilian medical journals indexed for this database has long been a dream of the BTA members.

It is notable exactly how few Brazilian biomedical journals are indexed for international databases. Of the 5,398 journals that are currently indexed for PubMed/Medline, only 40 (0.7%) are from Brazil. The ISI Web of Knowledge currently includes 11,261 titles, only 123 (1.1%) of which are published in Brazil. However, only 42 of those 123 journals (0.4% of the total) are related to the field of biomedicine. When we cross-reference the titles included in these two systems, we find that only 29 Brazilian journals are currently indexed for both databases.

There is no doubt that the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology has arrived at a stage reached by few other publications of its type. However, we must be permanently on the alert, because what has been achieved can be easily lost if our work lacks focus or attention. It is worrisome that only 40 of the 309 Brazilian journals that have been indexed for PubMed/Medline have maintained their indexing. The reasons for the journals being removed from the system are most likely related to interruptions in publication, irregularities in periodicity, poor quality of the work published, etc.

A historian who one day aims to describe the trajectory of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology-and of its antecessor, the Journal of Pulmonology-can, in my opinion, divide it into three phases: the initial phase, the maturation phase and the consolidation phase. The initial phase would cover the period from the creation of the publication to the indexing of the journal for SciELO. During this phase, the journal was created and managed, albeit with difficulty, by a group of idealists and dreamers. The material published reflected the stage of development of pulmonology research in Brazil at that time, which had not reached the significant volume or level of sophistication currently observed. The impact of what was published during that phase was limited to readers who were members of the BTA. The second phase would be defined as that which began when the journal became indexed for SciELO and ended with the indexing for the ISI Web of Knowledge. This was a period of numerous, major changes that began to lead our publication into the international spotlight. It is my belief that we are at the threshold of the third phase, the consolidation phase.

The consolidation of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology might actually begin with the publication of its first impact factor in 2012 (relative to the year 2011). The principal objective of this phase will be to elevate the impact factor of the journal to greater than 1 within two or three years. Ideally, we also expect this index to progressively increase in the subsequent years. This will certainly be a difficult task that will not depend solely on the efforts of the Editor-in-Chief or of the Editorial Board. This will be a herculean task to be carried out by all of the researchers who work in areas related to respiratory medicine in Brazil. In fact, all Brazilian pulmonologists, particularly those in academia, can participate in this process, simply by citing, whenever possible, articles published in our journal. In addition to citing journal articles, many internationally renowned authors can and should suggest the preparation and submission to the journal of review articles within their areas of knowledge. In order for the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology to gain more prominence and earn a higher impact factor, it is also essential that quality original articles be submitted from the major pulmonology research centers in Brazil.

I now make a strong plea to the heads of postgraduate programs at Brazilian universities and to the advisors associated with those programs. Please consider sending to our journal, each year, one or two of the many excellent quality original articles written by your groups. Although the organs evaluating Brazilian graduate programs encourage the publication of the articles in higher-impact international journals, we must show them that we can think for ourselves, decide what is best for ourselves and stand on our own two feet! The field of pulmonology in Brazil deserves its own vehicle for publication, a vehicle that matches the unquestionable quality of the current scientific production. It is of utmost importance to bear in mind the words of Professor Maurício Rocha e Silva,(7) according to whom ". . . a good collection of autochthonous journals is increasingly imperative for national sovereignty. Nations that do not have such journals will depend on the good will of developed countries in order to publish."

It is equally important to recognize that, with the progress made in less than a decade, the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology is no longer limited to being a publication by and for the BTA members; its has now become a national scientific treasure. Although some of the paths taken in the past have temporarily led us astray, the overall outcome has proven quite positive. In addition, experience has taught us that we should be humble enough to take new paths when necessary.

Now, at the end of this current phase, I would sincerely like to thank all of those who have consistently contributed to the advancement of our publication, working as reviewers or submitting articles for publication. I am also grateful to the BTA staff, as well as to the employees of the companies that provide us with their services, for their excellent work. I hope I can continue to count on your indispensable support during the upcoming year.

As my term as Editor-in-Chief of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology comes to a close, I urge all Brazilian pulmonologists to embrace our publication. Let us sail, full steam ahead, all of us together in this ship, to horizons never before imagined!

José Antônio Baddini Martinez
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine,
University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Editor-in-Chief of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology



References

1. Lundgren FL, Cabral MM, Clímaco DC, de Macedo LG, Coelho Mde A, Dias AL. Determination of the efficacy of FEV6 as a surrogate for FVC in the diagnostic screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through the comparison of FEV1/FVC and FEV1/FEV6 ratios. J Bras Pneumol. 2007;33(2):148-51.

2. Jing JY, Huang TC, Cui W, Xu F, Shen HH. Should FEV1/FEV6 replace FEV1/FVC ratio to detect airway obstruction? A metaanalysis. Chest. 2009;135(4):991-8.

3. Saad Junior R, Dorgan Neto V, Botter M, Stirbulov R, Rivaben JH, Gonçalves R. Therapeutic application of collateral ventilation with pulmonary drainage in the treatment of diffuse emphysema: report of the first three cases. J Bras Pneumol. 2009;35(1):14-9.

4. Moritz P, Steidle LJ, Felisbino MB, Kleveston T, Pizzichini MM, Pizzichini E. Determination of the inflammatory component of airway diseases by induced sputum cell counts: use in clinical practice. J Bras Pneumol. 2008;34(11):913-21.

5. Goldman L, Ausiello D (editors). Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.

6. Moreira Jda S, Camargo Jde J, Felicetti JC, Goldenfun PR, Moreira AL, Porto Nda S. Lung abscess: analysis of 252 consecutive cases diagnosed between 1968 and 2004. J Bras Pneumol. 2006;32(2):136-43.

7. Rocha-e-Silva M. The new Qualis, or the announced tragedy. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2009;64(1):1-4.