During recent years the journal “Clínica e Investigación en Arteriosclerosis” has continued to make progress in terms of quality, number of articles received and number of citations. This puts us in a better position to achieve the necessary impact factor. Thus, data from the CiteScore (https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/7200153133), an index measuring the average number of citations received in one particular year, divided by all articles published in the journal in the last three years, are clearly favourable. This index increased from 2014 to 2018 from .18 to .84 and in December 2020 it was already 1.8. This favourable trend continues to grow, with the 2021 CiteScore reaching 2 points. However, the criteria of the companies that established the conditions for assigning an impact factor based on the number of citations have been tightened in recent years. A new parameter has recently been defined, the journal citation indicator (JCI), which makes it possible to compare journals that do not have an impact factor with those that do, and provides information on the journal’s position with regard to the average number of citations in the specialty over the last 3 years. The JCI of our journal went from .22 in 2018 to .31 in 2020, a notable improvement but still insufficient. We must, therefore, promote the scientific level, originality and overall quality of the articles, which are key to increasing citations and improving this position. We must also consider other qualitative criteria that are also taken into account when assigning the impact factor. These include the journal's specialisation in specific topics or geographic areas and the contribution of new perspectives on more common topics. In the light of the above, we have proposed a series of actions as follows.
1. Promote geographic specialisation.
With this aim in mind, this issue of the journal has a new secondary title:” la revista iberoamericana de lipidología y riesgo vascular”, (The Iberoamerican journal of lipidology, vascular risk). There are many human, historical, social, cultural, linguistic ties that link us to Ibero-American countries. We wish to extend these ties in the scientific area, by promoting the publication of articles from Ibero-America, thus providing added value as, a vehicle of expression by the authors of this community with original, scientific information, thus differentiating ourselves from other journals in the field of cardiovascular medicine. In addition, two new associate authors have been incorporated for the Iberoamerican area, Dr., Carlos Ignacio Ponte Negretti, Dr., Raul Santos. Both doctors, like Dr., Iván Darío Sierra, have thorough, extensive scientific experience originating in this geographical area. Likewise, new members of the Iberoamerican community have joined the editorial board, we will promote the approach to the scientific societies, working groups related to atherosclerosis in that community, in accordance with the editorial line of the journal. In addition, the secondary title includes the term “lipidology”, clearly an outstanding area in the journal publications.
2. Monographic issues.
To encourage specialisation in certain current issues, we are promoting the publication of monographic issues that contribute to highlighting the journal's own topics in order to give character to its editorial line. These monographs will have two formats, the classic independent volume and a more dynamic format in the form of a section in which the journal will temporarily include works on a specific theme. In them, authors of recognised prestige and high impact will be selected, with the idea of increasing the number of citations. The first two are already underway, one on vascular ageing and the other on nutrition.
3. Expansion of the group of associate editors
To enhance the scientific level, originality and overall quality of the articles, new associate editors from different areas related to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors have been added to the editorial board. Thus, the group of associate editors covers primary care, secondary prevention, lipid metabolism, vascular biology, nutrition and lifestyle, diabetes, arterial hypertension, thrombosis and haemostasis, epidemiology and genetics. Also, the Editorial Board and Editorial Committee have been renewed, in keeping with essential evaluation criteria by the agencies, such as scientific quality and parity.
4. Publication of open access articles
In order to facilitate access to the journal's articles and increase their citation, it has been established that two open access articles will be published in each issue. This measure is in addition to the existing measure of publishing all articles also in English.
5. Publication of consensus documents between different specialities and experts papers
During recent years these documents have generated a large number of citations and have contributed to increasing the acceptance and prestige of the Spanish Society of Atherosclerosis among members of other societies. As a result, new papers and the updating of those previously published is being promoted.
Coinciding with this new phase, the cover of the journal has been redesigned to give it a more modern and functional image. Looking at data from the last decade, the journal “Clínica e Investigación en Arteriosclerosis” has made enormous progress. Our journal has been included in the Medline database, it is now published in English as well as Spanish, the number of manuscripts received has progressively increased in number and scientific quality, and the bibliometric indexes have improved considerably. We must thank all those who have contributed to these achievements for their efforts and perseverance. We still have some way to go, but in view of this trajectory it is reasonable to foresee that in the near future the journal “Clínica e Investigación en Arteriosclerosis” will have the expected impact factor.
Please cite this article as: Lahoz C, Pintó X, Ribalta J, Clínica e Investigación en Arteriosclerosis, la revista Iberoamericana de lipidologia y riesgo vascular, Clin Investig Arterioscler. 2022;34:142–143.