In Latin America it is very difficult, if not impossible, to reach a quantitative determination of the importance or the reach of the diffusion of scientific journals. The existence in the so-called impact factor used by the Science Citation Index (SCI) produced by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) has been criticized and even objected by many scientists for diverse reasons, many of which are indeed valid. Notwithstanding, this index has not stopped being utilized by a clear majority of institutions as the principal guide for measuring the insertion of researchers in the so-called mainstream science. The dominance of the Anglo-Saxon world in this science is such that scientists from other latitudes, especially those who publish in a language other than English, have been unjustly ostracized.

The measurements performed by the ISI, being carried out on journals included in the SCI and the SSCI, let aside the consideration of very numerous quality journals, which certainly exist, produced in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our good researchers, which certainly also exist, obviously find themselves belittled. As a solution, research promotion organisms at both government and university levels have faced the need to establish lists of "acceptable" journals for the evaluation of scientific staff.

Thanks to the effort of all those who have produced it, Interciencia has been present in the SCI, without interruption, since 1978, two years after its appearance, as required. Its impact factor has been rather stable, oscillating around the historic average, but with exceptional years when it reached twice that average, or half of it, as in the mathematically obvious case of what happened when the journal went from bimonthly to monthly issues and the number of published papers (the denominator of the formula applied) doubled. Naturally, the impact factor could not be but very discreet, given the journal’s multidisciplinary character and the fact that the majority of the papers are published in Spanish, with a smaller number in English or Portuguese.

The follow-up of the influence or visibility of science journals produced in the region is restricted to two systems of filing and disseminating electronic versions of the journals recently established, which carry out citation measurements in one case and visits to the papers in the other one. The first of these systems, SciELO, keeps statistics at national level. Unfortunately, the measurement and statistics module of the Venezuelan version, which currently includes 35 certified journals, has been temporally discontinued.

The second system, RedALyC, includes 495 journals from the whole continent and has a very complete and amiable statistics module. There, Interciencia has always been among the ten journals with more papers downloaded from the system, of which only two are included in the ISS, and occupies the number eight at present. It receives 6.8 times the average total number of visits to the journals included in the system, with 70% of the discharges of the journal occupying the first place. However, among the group where it is classified, that of multidisciplinary journals, it is the most visited one, registering 4.7 times the average downloads of the group.

Although the current merit evaluation carried out by the official Venezuelan science promotion agency places Interciencia at a very low position, after having occupied a very high position in previous evaluations, it is interesting to note the apparent lack of congruency implicit in the fact that its visibility has been judged as low, although the electronic version seems to be visited in a relevant manner and the printed version is present in research institutions in 37 countries. This situation is more than enough of a reason to increase our efforts in the procurement of quality and visibility improvements.

Impact, as a factor determined by ISIS measurements might be low, but its influence and the service it provides to the scientific communities of countries in the region, which cannot be let down inasmuch as it can be quantified, gives Interciencia a clear option for improvement, and a great pride.

Miguel Laufer

Editor