Characteristics of letters to the editor published in biomedical journals indexed in Scielo-Peru

Aragón-Ayala C.J.; Mamani-García C.S.; Ccami-Bernal F.; Quispe-Juli C.U. · Revista Cubana de Informacion en Ciencias de la Salud (2020)

Resumen

The purpose of the present study was to describe the characteristics of letters to the editor published in the period 2014-2018 in biomedical journals indexed in SciELO-Peru in the year 2020. A descriptive study was conducted of publications included in the section Letters to the editor of each one of the biomedical journals indexed in SciELO-Peru in the period 2014-2018. The variables studied were yearly frequency, academic collaboration, academic degree, institutional affiliation, number of citations and authors, and general and specific purpose. Frequency analysis was based on Google Sheets and STATA 14. Of the total publications, 12.40% were letters to the editor (9.95% in the year 2014 and 12.18% in 2018). Contributions by individual students accounted for 9.47%, whereas publications developed in collaboration with professionals represented 18.68%. A predominance was found of general comments letters (38.68%), followed by personal findings (34.74%) and comments on a previous paper (26.58%). An increase was observed in personal findings publications, which were the most commonly cited (mean: 3.15). Critiques about methodological questions were 9.21%, of which only 60% received a reply from the authors. Letters denouncing ethical breaches were only 1.05% and none commented on the journal's editorial policy. Publication of letters to the editor has increased in recent years. However, their use as a critical and ethical post-publication review is low, and the presentation of personal findings was one of their main uses.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa