Identification of biomedical journals in Spain and Latin America

Xavier Bonfill; Dimelza Osorio; Margarita Posso; Ivan Solà; Gabriel Rada; Ania Torres; Marcelo García Dieguez; Maricela Piña‐Pozas; Luisa Díaz‐García; Mario Tristán; Omar Gandarilla; David A. Rincón‐Valenzuela; MARTI CARVAJAL, ARTURO JOSE; HIDALGO OTTOLENGHI, JOSE RICARDO; SIMANCAS RACINES, DANIEL ALEJANDRO; Luis López; Ricardo Correa; Antonieta Rojas‐De‐Arias; César Loza; Óscar Gianneo

doi:10.1111/hir.12110

Identification of biomedical journals in Spain and Latin America

Journal

Health Information & Libraries Journal

ISSN

1471-1842

Date Issued

2015-07-20

Author(s)

Xavier Bonfill

Dimelza Osorio

Margarita Posso

Ivan Solà

Gabriel Rada

Ania Torres

Marcelo García Dieguez

Maricela Piña‐Pozas

Luisa Díaz‐García

Mario Tristán

Omar Gandarilla

David A. Rincón‐Valenzuela

MARTI CARVAJAL, ARTURO JOSE

Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo

HIDALGO OTTOLENGHI, JOSE RICARDO

Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo

SIMANCAS RACINES, DANIEL ALEJANDRO

Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Eugenio Espejo

Luis López

Ricardo Correa

Antonieta Rojas‐De‐Arias

César Loza

Óscar Gianneo

Hector Pardo

DOI

10.1111/hir.12110

URL

https://cris.ute.edu.ec/handle/123456789/1056

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesJournals in languages other than English that publish original clinical research are often not well covered in the main biomedical databases and therefore often not included in systematic reviews. This study aimed to identify Spanish language biomedical journals from Spain and Latin America and to describe their main features.MethodsJournals were identified in electronic databases, publishers' catalogues and local registries. Eligibility was determined by assessing data from these sources or the journals' websites, when available.FindingsA total of 2457 journals were initially identified; 1498 met inclusion criteria. Spain (27.3%), Mexico (16.0%), Argentina (15.1%) and Chile (11.9%) had the highest number of journals. Most (85.8%) are currently active; 87.8% have an ISSN. The median and mean length of publication were 22 and 29 years, respectively. A total of 66.0% were indexed in at least one database; 3.0% had an impact factor in 2012. A total of 845 journals had websites (56.4%), of which 700 (82.8%) were searchable and 681 (80.6%) free of charge.ConclusionsMost of the identified journals have no impact factor or are not indexed in any of the major databases. The list of identified biomedical journals can be a useful resource when conducting hand searching activities and identifying clinical trials that otherwise would not be retrieved.