About the Journal

Introduction

RBPS publishes scientific manuscripts on a continuous basis, including editorials, original articles, review articles, case reports, and experience reports, addressing technical and scientific topics within the Health Sciences. RBPS offers immediate open access to its content. The availability of published articles through open access strengthens research networks and fosters the generation of new scientific knowledge. Furthermore, no payment is required for submission, publication, or downloading of published articles.

The journal was founded in 1998 under the title Revista de Odontologia (1516-6228) and was renamed Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Saúde in 2009. Initially, it was published biannually until volume 4, issue 2 (2002). It then transitioned to a four-monthly frequency until volume 9, issue 3 (2007), and became quarterly starting with volume 10, issue 1 (2008). As of volume 26 (2024), the journal has adopted a continuous publication model.

Mission and Scope

RBPS is an open-access journal maintained by the Health Sciences Center (CCS) of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes). Its mission is to promote the dissemination of scientific knowledge in the Health Sciences, fostering research and scientific practice and contributing to the development of public policies and health practices.

The journal publishes articles on a continuous basis, covering various topics including public health, epidemiology, nutrition, nursing, dentistry, biomedicine, and other fields related to Health Sciences.

Types of Manuscripts Accepted

RBPS accepts submissions in the following formats:

  • Original Articles: Reports of original research providing new information and significant contributions to the field of health.
  • Review Articles: Papers synthesizing evidence on relevant topics in public health and related areas, highlighting research gaps and future perspectives.
  • Case Reports and Experience Reports: Detailed documentation and analysis of specific cases, offering educational value and practical insights.
  • Editorials: Concise and objective texts, written by Editorial Board members or invited authors, addressing relevant topics in health and reflections on the journal's content.

All submitted articles must comply with ethical standards for publication and research, following international guidelines such as the Declaration of Helsinki and approval by ethics committees, when applicable.

Publication Frequency

Currently, RBPS operates under a continuous publication model, allowing approved and revised articles to be made available online immediately. Since its founding in 1998 as Revista de Odontologia (ISSN 1516-6228), the journal has undergone several adjustments to its publication frequency to align with best practices in scientific dissemination.

  • Biannual until volume 4, issue 2 (2002).
  • Four-monthly until volume 9, issue 3 (2007).
  • Quarterly starting with volume 10, issue 1 (2008).
  • Continuous publication as of volume 26 (2024).

This model ensures that newly approved and reviewed manuscripts are promptly made available online, reducing the time between submission and publication and maximizing the dissemination and impact of research findings.

Peer Review Process

RBPS applies rigorous evaluation criteria to ensure the quality, relevance, and integrity of its published articles. The process is guided by transparency, confidentiality, and impartiality, following international best practices.

Evaluation Criteria
Submitted manuscripts are assessed based on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the journal’s focus and scope;
  • Compliance with technical (Vancouver), grammatical, and formal standards;
  • Scientific relevance and originality;
  • Textual coherence and theoretical-methodological consistency.

Steps of the Process

  1. Desk Review and Preliminary Evaluation: Upon submission, manuscripts undergo an initial check by the assigned editor to evaluate formal and legal aspects, such as scope alignment, originality, and compliance with editorial guidelines.
  2. Reviewer Assignment: Manuscripts passing the preliminary evaluation are subjected to a double-blind peer review process, where at least two expert reviewers assess the content. The identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the process.
  3. Review Criteria: Reviewers evaluate manuscripts using a standardized form to ensure impartiality and scientific rigor. In cases of significant disagreement between reviewers, a third reviewer is assigned without revealing previous evaluations.
  4. Reviewer Training: RBPS provides continuous training to reviewers, promoting objective and constructive evaluations aligned with the journal's ethical guidelines.
  5. Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the editor, who will assign another qualified reviewer to maintain impartiality.
  6. Editorial Decision and Author Feedback: Following the review, anonymous feedback containing suggestions and/or critiques is shared with the authors. If revisions are requested, authors have up to 30 days to submit the revised version along with a detailed document addressing each comment.
  7. System Tracking: Revised manuscripts and author comments are visible to editors within the OJS system, allowing for seamless editorial follow-up.

RBPS reaffirms its commitment to an ethical, transparent, and constructive editorial process, ensuring that every published article meets the highest standards of scientific quality and relevance.

Open Access Policy

RBPS adopts an open-access policy, making all published content freely and immediately available to everyone. Authors submitting manuscripts agree to grant the journal a license for distribution, ensuring that third parties can share, adapt, and use the articles for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution is given to the original author and source, in accordance with the CC-BY-NC 4.0 license. This open-access definition aligns with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI).

Publication Ethics and Integrity

RBPS adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ensuring the integrity of its editorial and publication processes. Manuscripts suspected of plagiarism, data manipulation, or any other research misconduct are rejected.

The journal also prioritizes originality in submissions, using plagiarism detection tools to ensure authenticity. Articles with more than 10% similarity without proper attribution will not be published. Additionally, editors will take further measures to identify and prevent the publication of articles involving research misconduct.

If misconduct is identified, the case will be reviewed by the Editorial Board, which may result in corrections, clarifications, or formal retractions. RBPS has clear submission and evaluation guidelines that must be followed by all authors and reviewers. Failure to adhere to these rules may result in corrections or exclusion of manuscripts from publication.

Social and Academic Impact

RBPS aims to maximize the social and academic impact of the research it publishes by:

  • Policy Connections: Encouraging studies with direct applications to public health policies and practices.
  • Collaboration Promotion: Publishing collaborative works involving different regions, sectors, and disciplines.
  • Public Engagement: Disseminating articles through accessible channels, enhancing public understanding of science.

The journal evaluates its impact not only through citations but also through practical relevance to public health and well-being.

Impact Metrics

RBPS monitors impact metrics to evaluate its academic and social influence, including:

  • Impact Factor: Average number of citations for published articles.
  • Altmetrics: Alternative metrics analyzing mentions in social media, news outlets, and other media.
  • Digital Engagement: Data on article views, downloads, and shares.

These metrics help identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement within the journal.

Altmetrics Policy

RBPS adopts Altmetrics to measure the impact of its articles beyond traditional citations. This includes:

  • Monitoring Mentions: Tracking articles mentioned in social media, academic blogs, news outlets, and databases.
  • Regular Reporting: Publishing reports that combine traditional and alternative metrics.
  • Social Impact Recognition: Highlighting articles with significant social or public policy impact.

These metrics reflect the broader influence of the journal in academic and societal contexts.

Editorial Development Strategy and Plan

The Editorial Development Plan for RBPS reflects a systematic process of critical analysis of the journal’s history, assessment of current conditions and challenges, and the establishment of future goals. This plan aims to consolidate RBPS as an excellent publication in both national and international contexts.

Short- and Medium-Term Goals (2024-2026)

General Principles and Objectives

  • Enhance the speed and visibility of scientific production in Health Sciences.
  • Maintain adherence to best editorial practices and ethical principles in scientific publishing.
  • Professionalize editorial management and publication processes.
  • Recognize and value the contributions of authors, reviewers, and editors.
  • Broaden and diversify the dissemination channels for published scientific production.
  • Align the journal with Open Science practices, promoting greater transparency and accessibility.

Publications

  • Strengthen the continuous publication model implemented in 2024, ensuring agility in knowledge dissemination.
  • Provide published articles in multiple formats (PDF, HTML, XML), ensuring accessibility and interoperability.
  • Require and encourage the deposition of research data in public repositories or article appendices, promoting scientific reproducibility.
  • Adopt national and international criteria to maintain an ethical, transparent, and high-quality editorial process.
  • Implement policies to enhance diversity and equity in gender, race, and geography among published authors.
  • Expand the publication of content resulting from collaborations with institutions in the Global South.
  • Ensure continuous updates to the Open Journal Systems (OJS) software, in collaboration with the technology department.

Open Science and Transparency

  • Gradually adopt Open Science practices, enhancing transparency in the editorial workflow.
  • Publicly share editorial workflow tools, such as peer-review policies and guidelines.
  • Annually review the Editorial Development Plan to keep it current.
  • Adapt editorial guidelines to accept submissions originating from preprints.
  • Plan and implement data sharing and research management policies.
  • Publish individual author contributions to enhance transparency in authorship.

Indexing and Impact

  • Expand RBPS indexing in national and international databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO Brasil.
  • Update compliance for maintaining existing indexations, such as Redalyc.
  • Maintain and improve RBPS's classification in CAPES's Qualis Periódicos system for Health Sciences.
  • Actively participate in scientific communication events and networks, such as those organized by ABEC and IBICT, strengthening dialogue on scientific publishing.

Academic Community

  • Ensure journal compliance with the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) - Law No. 13,709/2018.
  • Continuously invite leading institutions and researchers to join the ad hoc reviewer pool.
  • Value and improve recognition processes for contributors, reviewers, and editors, ensuring continuous engagement.
  • Maintain active Editorial Boards and Advisory Councils, promoting regular dialogue and consultations.

Internationalization

  • Implement an internationalization strategy aligned with the Internationalization Plan of the Health Sciences Center at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Ufes).
  • Ensure participation of international editors on the Editorial Board, strengthening the journal's global presence.
  • Increase submissions from international researchers and foreign researchers based in Brazil.
  • Publish titles, abstracts, and articles in English, in addition to the manuscript's original language.
  • Translate and maintain the RBPS website in English and Spanish.
  • Promote the participation of editors and Editorial Board members in international events related to Health Sciences.

This plan reflects RBPS’s commitment to editorial excellence, internationalization, and democratization of access to scientific knowledge. With clear goals and practices aligned with global trends, RBPS positions itself as a reference publication in the academic arena.

Editorial Workflow

The editorial process and review flow of RBPS begins with submission and initial screening, where the Secretariat verifies the manuscript's compliance with the Guidelines for Authors and the submission of the required documentation. If compliant, the manuscript is forwarded to the Scientific Editors; otherwise, it is returned for adjustments. In the focus and scope analysis stage, editors assess whether the manuscript fits within the journal's scope, which may result in rejection or a request for adjustments. Next, a double-blind peer review is conducted, with the manuscript being evaluated by two ad hoc reviewers — one from a national institution and another from an institution outside the state or from another country. Reviewers issue one of three possible decisions: accepted (proceeds to minor editorial corrections), accepted with revisions (returned for adjustments and resubmission), or rejected (returned with justification). The Scientific Editor issues the final decision based on the reviewers' evaluations, and for accepted manuscripts, minor editorial corrections may be requested before publication.

Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted online through the Open Journal System (OJS) at https://periodicos.ufes.br/RBPS/about/submissions. The corresponding author must provide an ORCID ID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID, http://orcid.org/) during submission by entering it into their user profile in the submission system. Co-authors are also encouraged to do the same.

During submission, authors must upload:

  • (a) The manuscript prepared using the provided template.
  • (b) A title page containing all required information.

[Download the Manuscript Template] and [Download the Title Page Template].