This is the first issue of the Journal in a new era in the publishing history of Portuguese cardiology. After several years, we have finally concluded an agreement with an international publisher, Elsevier, which has long been an ambition of various individuals within the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (SPC). The importance of this step, and the effects that it could have not only on the publication itself but also in wider terms on the image of Portuguese cardiology, merit some brief comments.
Over the years the Journal has been the forum par excellence of all that is best in Portugal in the area of cardiovascular disease. The various national groups have regularly used the Journal to publicize their results and thereby improve knowledge of what is done in Portugal. The fact that the Journal has been published in English as well as Portuguese for over ten years has helped to spread this knowledge beyond our borders and thus give Portuguese cardiology international exposure. It is indeed highly gratifying to see that the Journal is frequently read abroad, as shown by conversations with foreign colleagues and the growing number of visitors to the Journal's website from outside Portugal. Several factors have contributed to this increasing exposure, an important one being the direct link to our articles through PubMed, which has raised our visibility significantly and facilitated access to and awareness of our publications.
Notwithstanding this success, several of us were well aware that a further step was needed to strengthen the image and international visibility of the Journal and hence of Portuguese cardiology. To this end, efforts have been made to have the Journal published by a large international publisher, as is the case in other countries, notably our Spanish neighbors, who have made the Revista Española de Cardiología (Spanish Journal of Cardiology) an international reference among scientific publications in the area of cardiovascular medicine. We therefore take considerable pride in the appearance of the first issue of our Journal published by Elsevier, in what we hope will be the beginning — or rather the continuation — of a path that will give a new impetus to cardiology in Portugal. We owe this to the clearsighted vision of the previous Board of the SPC, headed by Professor Manuel Antunes, who welcomed the idea with great enthusiasm from the outset, demonstrating a strong sense of how modern medicine should be practiced, with particular regard to the publication of a medical journal.
The move to publication by Elsevier represents a significant step forward in the internationalization of Portuguese cardiology, one that we hope will soon give us an impact factor that will put us on a par with other international journals. This will enable us to raise the level of the publication, as well as making it a more attractive prospect for international groups to publish in, which will attract a greater number of submissions and thereby improve the quality of the Journal. We should also note that access to the range of possibilities afforded by the association with Elsevier will enable us to use means of publication that will enrich readers’ experience of the Journal, such as electronic publication of images, video clips, and others.
However, I would emphasize that our work is not done, and now more than ever a strong commitment will be needed by all those involved in the Journal and the SPC — from the Board and members of the SPC to those directly responsible for producing the Journal. Only by working together can we achieve the results for which we strive.
I hope my enthusiasm will be infectious at the beginning of this new cycle of life for the Journal, which will help to enhance the visibility of Portuguese cardiology, and I count on the support and hard work of all my colleagues in order to attain this goal.
