Editorial quality, diffusion and bibliometric indicators of the Revista Espaãnola de Enfermedades Digestivas

To evaluate the editorial quality, diffusion, relevance of the scientific content, and the publication practices of the specialised journal Revista Española de Enfermedades Digestivas.

We checked 136 parameters based on ISO standards, the recommendations of scientific and editorial organisations, and studies of scientific editing and international publishing practices for biomedical journals. Diffusion was calculated using national and international databases, specialised libraries in Spain, and Internet sources. The analysis of the scientific content and publication practices was based on bibliometric indicators for the journal, authorship, and contributions. The sample for this study comprised six alternate issues of volume number 88 (1996), the last issue of this volume, and the first issue of volume 89 (1997). The samples used for the bibliometric analysis varied depending on the characteristics of specific indicators and the availability of information.

The overall mean value for compliance with standards was 46.1%, while the real mean was calculated at 72.21%. The editorial procedures at the journal are similar to those of analogous international journals. The Revista Española de Enfermedades Digestivas is included in international databases of biomedical journals, and in the interdisciplinary international database SCI. It was found to be present in 70% of the medical libraries of Spanish universities, and in 73% of the hospital libraries studied. Bibliometric indicators showed co-authorship to be 5.5%; the origin of the authors grouped by province and by type of institutional affiliations showed 27.8% of all authors to be from Madrid, and that more were affiliated with general hospitals than with university hospitals. The mean delay between initial receipt of a manuscript and its publication was 300 days. Cocitation analysis gave the journal a central position amongst the 38 Spanish biomedical journals considered representative of the field. The journal's impact factor for 1996 was 0.260.

The Revista Española de Enfermedades Digestivas is a high-quality vehicle of research results, and has acceptable internal editorial procedures. The journal is widely distributed, though its visibility on the Internet should be improved. Co-authorship is similar to that seen in other medical journals. Steps should be taken to make this journal better known within Spain, and to reduce the delay between the initial receipt and the final publication of manuscripts. Its impact factor is increasing steadily.