Product Overview: SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online)
Introduction
SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online) is an international program designed to support open access research communication through a decentralized network of national collections of peer-reviewed journals. Launched in March 1998, SciELO aims to advance scientific research by improving the quality, visibility, and impact of journals from various disciplines.
Key Objectives
The primary objectives of the SciELO Program are:
- To contribute to the advancement of scientific research.
- To increase the quality, visibility, usage, impact, and credibility of the indexed journals and the research they communicate in a sustainable manner.
Key Features
Open Access and Licensing
SciELO operates under the principles of open access, using gold open access and CC-BY licenses to ensure that all content is freely available on the web. This approach aligns with the concept that scientific knowledge is a public good and should be openly accessible.
Decentralized Network
The SciELO Network is a collaborative effort involving 16 countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, West Indies, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, and Uruguay. Each national collection is governed, maintained, managed, and operated autonomously, promoting national capacity building and sustainability.
Multilingual Publishing
SciELO supports multilingual publishing, allowing journals to publish articles in one or multiple languages, including the simultaneous publication of the same article in more than one language. This feature enhances the global reach and accessibility of the research.
Research Communication Objects
The SciELO Publishing Model includes various digital communication objects such as journals, articles, preprints, and data curation. Each of these objects is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and is made available online in formats like HTML, PDF, and XML JATS compatible with the SciELO Publishing Schema.
Interoperability and Dissemination
SciELO ensures the interoperability and dissemination of journals and articles through indexing with metadata, bibliographic references, and integration with bibliographic indexes and systems. This facilitates the discovery and use of research across different platforms.
Quality Control and Standards
Quality control is a critical aspect of the SciELO Program, with strict adherence to bibliographic and interoperability standards. The program emphasizes professionalization, internationalization, and operational and financial sustainability to maintain high-quality journals.
Coverage and Content
SciELO covers a wide range of disciplines, including agricultural sciences, applied social sciences, biological sciences, engineering, exact and earth sciences, health sciences, linguistics, letters and arts, mathematics, and physics. The network publishes over 1,000 journals and approximately 50,000 new articles annually, with a repository of over 700,000 open access articles.
Functionality
User Access
The SciELO Network provides a portal that offers easy access to national collections of journals and articles. Users can search, view, and download content freely, with the network serving a daily average of 1.2 million downloads.
Collaboration and Governance
The program operates through national coordination teams and Advisory Committees that meet periodically to ensure the operational functions and quality standards are maintained. The governance and management are collaborative, involving hundreds of institutions and thousands of people, including research authorities, information professionals, editors, and peer reviewers.
Technological and Methodological Platform
SciELO Brazil, supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation, acts as the secretariat and coordinates the maintenance of the methodological and technological platform for the network. This ensures continuous improvement and alignment with best practices in research communication.
In summary, SciELO is a robust platform that enhances the dissemination and impact of scientific research through open access, decentralized governance, multilingual publishing, and strict quality control. It serves as a vital resource for researchers, policymakers, and the general public by making high-quality research widely accessible.