rev bras ortop.2015;50(3):243–244
w w w . r b o . o r g . b r
Editorial
RBO
or
eletronic?
RBO
impressa
ou
eletrônica?
Theadvanceofnewtechnologieshastakenplaceveryfast, andinmostcasesithasnotbeenaccompaniedbyscreening throughtheanalysisandcontainmentmechanismsthatare available.Thesemechanisms,whicharebasedonethical, eco-nomicandsocialconsiderationsandavarietyofotherfactors specifictoeachtopicinquestion,havenotadvancedatthe speedofinformationtechnology,sincetheydependonother, non-electroniccontrolsystems.
Today,someonecanpostamessageontheinternet,which mightbecompletelyuntrueinformation,anddisseminateit atthe speed oflight without any possibility that blocking mechanismsmight be applied.There is notime for selec-tion,qualificationordefensedevicestobegeneratedagainst communicationmediathataresorapidandpenetrative.
There is no way toinstantaneously develop ethics and responsibility.
Anothermatterthathasbeenoverwhelmedbythespeed ofevolution ofthecommunication mediaisplayactivities. Youngpeopledonottalkanymore:theysendmessagesand thus,funnyfacialexpressions,flushedfacesdueto embarr-assingsituations andeye-to-eyecontactoftrustdisappear. Today,acodedmessagecanstartandendarelationshipor openorcloseadeal.
Inoursetting,notlongago,agreatquandaryarose:should wekeeptheprintedRBOorshouldweleaveittogoforan elec-tronicformat?Manyjournalsonlyexistinelectronicformat: weneverseetheircoversanddonotknowwhoisontheir editorialboards,sinceweonlyaccessthestudiespublished ortheirabstracts,whichwelocatethroughsearchwebsites. These journals are less expensive, do away with postage, donotoccupyspace,usehigh-definitionimages,are acces-siblefromanywherearoundtheworld,rapidlydisseminate ideas(nopublicationqueueisrequired)andenablefast bib-liographicsurveys.
Itseemsobviousthatthisistheonlywayforwardfor sci-entificjournals.However...
Theprintedjournal issomethingthatyou canholdand touch.Itcanbefiledandtransportedwithoutneedingapower
socket.Moreover,itisunquestionablysomethingthatyoucan playwith.
Another importantpointinchoosingthe path tofollow isthesponsorship,whichishardtoobtainintheelectronic format.Forjournalstosurvive,theychargeauthorsfortheir studiestobepublished.
Wewereingreatdoubtregardingthepathtofollowandwe contactedtheeditorsofsomeimportantpublicationsinorder toexchangeexperiences.
TheRevistaArgentinadeOrtopedia(ArgentineJournalof Orthopedics), which is editedby Dr. Ernesto Bersusky, our colleague in the journal of the Latin American Society of OrthopedicsandTraumatology(SLAOT),hasbeenpublished since1936.Twoyearsago,theArgentinejournalmovedtoan exclusivelyelectronicpublicationformat.Atthelastcongress oftheArgentineAssociationofOrthopedicsand Traumatol-ogy (AAOT), in December 2014, the association’s members wereaskedfortheiropinionsregardingthis“advance”.The responsewasoverwhelming:75%proposedthattheprinted formatshouldbebroughtback.
AttheRevistaBrasileiradeOrtopedia(BrazilianJournalof Orthopedics),wehavebeenanalyzingthepossibilityofhaving anexclusivelyelectronicRBO,giventhatwealreadyhavean electronicformat,inwhichtheentirejournalispublished.In thisformat,oncestudieshavebeenapprovedbytheeditorial board,theyarethenpublishedquickly.Accesstotheelectronic journal is available through ScienceDirect, on the website http://www.sciencedirect.com/Science/journal/aip/01023616.
Rightnow,webelievethatwehavetwodistinctformsof havingascientificjournalthatarenotmutuallyexclusive.
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rev bras ortop.2015;50(3):243–244We take the view that these formats should coexist, becausetheyare accessedfordifferent reasonsand at dif-ferent times during our professional lives: as readers and researchers.
As readers, we receive the printed journal every two months,wesitdowncomfortably,consultthecontentlistand readthetopicsthatinterestusatamomentofrelaxation:we getourupdatesatthe pacethatwedesire.Asresearchers, wegotosearch websiteslookingforatopicorsubjectthat mightbychancehavebeenpublishedintheRBO.Wereadit, extractwhatinterestsusfromthestudyorabstract,andthen continueoursearchinotherjournals.
Clearly,readersalsohavethepossibility ofdownloading theentireRBOtotheircomputers, browsethroughitinits electronicformatandselectwhattheydeemtobeofinterest. Thisisthedifferencebetweengoingtoagoodrestaurant, sittingdowningoodcompanyandselectingameal,versus orderingadishviatheinternetandeatingitathome;or watch-ingasoccermatch atthe stadium,withthe reverberations fromthefans,versusseeingthegoalsviaawebsite.
Idonotbelievethatthischoiceisanythingrelatingtoage orhowup-to-datetheconceptsare.Theseareinfactoptions thattechnologicaladvancesbringtous,withoutnecessarily
annullingtheoldmethods.Themobilephonehasnotdone awaywiththefixed(landline)telephone:ithasjustimproved communication.
The electronicformat for consultationsand searchesis fundamental,necessary and up-to-date,but thetraditional journalisasymboloftheBrazilianAssociationofOrthopedics and Traumatology(SBOT), whichrenewsits presenceevery twomonths.
AtthelastmeetingoftheeditorialboardoftheRBO,atthe timeofthe46thBrazilianCongressofOrthopedicsand Trau-matology(CBOT),itwasdecidedtocontinuewiththeprinted formatandtoseekfurtherimprovementstoitselectronic for-matforconsultationsandsearches.
GilbertoLuisCamanho
RevistaBrasileiradeOrtopedia
