Journal history

Journal History

The history of the journal "Em Questão" dates back to 1986 with the publication of the first issue of "Revista de Biblioteconomia & Comunicação." This journal was initially created as an experimental project by students of the Projeto Experimental em Jornalismo II course, under the coordination of professors Rosa Nívea Pedroso and Rubens Constantino Volpe Weine. According to Pedroso and Weine (1986), the inaugural issue aimed to stimulate discussion on theoretical trends in Communication and Library Science and to provide a platform for the dissemination of studies and research by students and professors of the Faculdade de Biblioteconomia e Comunicação of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (FABICO/UFRGS). Initially an experimental venture, there was no certainty about the journal’s permanency at the time of its creation.

Professor Rosa Nívea Pedroso, the editor of the journal until its seventh issue, noted that the first issue had such a significant impact that the then headmistress of FABICO, Professor Lourdes Gregol Fagundes da Silva, decided to adopt it as an official publication of the School, dissociating it from the Projeto Experimental em Jornalismo II course. By its third issue in 1988, the Editorial Board, initially comprising FABICO professors, expanded to include professors from other universities. The journal soon garnered scientific recognition and received an ISSN in its fourth issue in 1989, beginning to attract submissions from various national institutions (Pedroso, 2000).

From its sixth issue in 1994, the journal received sponsorship from the Programa de Apoio à Editoração de Periódicos of UFRGS. This issue emphasized the importance of maintaining regular publication intervals.

The seventh issue in 1996 marked the introduction of international texts and the creation of an International Editorial Board. However, the journal experienced publication discontinuations from 1991 to 1993, in 1995, and from 1997 to 1999.

In 2000, celebrating FABICO’s 30th anniversary, "Revista de Biblioteconomia & Comunicação" was revived under the coordination of editor Professor Jussara Pereira Santos. This issue, featuring contributions from FABICO’s professors and administrative staff, had a high volume of submissions, reinvigorating the journal’s publication efforts. Despite this, the journal struggled to maintain regular publication, reappearing only in 2003.

The year 2003 was pivotal for the journal, undergoing a significant transformation with a name change to "Em Questão" and a shift to biannual publication. Under the leadership of Professor Jussara Pereira Santos, the journal began focusing on disseminating studies in Information and Communication and related fields. Adopting electronic publishing enhanced its features, improving visibility and access to its contents.

Starting with its ninth issue in 2003, "Em Questão" began publishing abstracts of theses and dissertations defended at the Programa de Pós-graduação em Comunicação e Informação of UFRGS (PPGCOM/UFRGS) and by FABICO staff. The 2004 tenth issue initiated the publication of articles derived from undergraduate dissertations defended at FABICO, aiming to democratize access to scientific production for young professionals and to publish these academic works as pre-publications (Santos, 2004).

In 2005, Professor Cida Golin took over the coordination of the editorial staff, with the journal aspiring to rigorously follow the Qualis criteria of the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) to enhance its quality and relevance (Golin, 2005). The Scientific Board expanded in number and specialty scope.

Since 2006, "Em Questão" has utilized the Sistema Eletrônico de Editoração de Revistas (SEER), developed by the Public Knowledge Project of the University of British Columbia. From 2007, all issues since 2003 were included in the SEER 2.0 version, reflecting a commitment to technological advancements and the dissemination of scientific production. The adoption of the OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative – Protocol of Metadata Harvesting) facilitated metadata exchange, research support tools, and content preservation mechanisms.

The first special issue in 2010 celebrated FABICO’s 40th anniversary. Edited by Professor Valdir José Morigi, the “Porto Alegre Imaginada” issue featured scientific studies about Porto Alegre, the city hosting "Em Questão."

In 2012, under editor Professor Alexandre Rocha da Silva, the journal transitioned to exclusive electronic publication to align with international trends, optimize resources, and expedite content publication. That same year, the journal was classified as Qualis B1 in Applied Social Sciences.

Endeavoring to improve its Qualis rating and achieve indexing in national and international databases, the Editorial Board implemented significant changes by late 2013. A new visual identity was created, the graphic design adapted for electronic media, and a specific digital publishing template was provided for authors (Passos; Passos; Vanz, 2014). The journal was also indexed in the ProQuest Library Science database.

2014 marked a pivotal year, as "Em Questão" aligned with the Programa de Pós-graduação em Comunicação e Informação (PPGCOM) and began publishing exclusively in the Information Science field. Led by Professor Samile Andrea de Souza Vanz, the Editorial Board focused on enhancing the journal's usability, visual identity, and efficiency in processing submissions.

In 2015, the "Online First" section was introduced for publishing approved texts awaiting issue release, expediting scientific communication within the Information Science community. The journal also became quarterly and incorporated Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) for its papers.

2016 saw increased visibility and access to "Em Questão's" papers with its inclusion in the Redalyc collection and the adoption of XML markup in line with indexing database standards. By the year's end, it achieved an A2 Qualis rating in the Communication and Information area.

In August 2017, the journal was indexed by Google Scholar and Dialnet, a Spanish Social Sciences and Humanities database. This period also saw the incorporation of a professional librarian into the team and the launch of a marketing plan, including a Facebook page for "Em Questão."

In 2018, "Em Questão" incorporated Ethical Guidelines for Authors based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) flows and conflict resolution. By December, it was indexed in the Emerging Sources Citation Index by Clarivate Analytics. In response to high submission volumes, the number of manuscripts published per edition increased from about 15 to 18 in 2019. This change expedited the definitive publication of peer-reviewed texts, which began appearing in the "Online First" section upon review and formatting. In 2020, the editorial team decided against adopting continuous publication (Vanz; Silveira, 2020).

2020 also saw the introduction of the Declaration of Authorship and Responsibility, a requisite document for manuscript submission in SEER. Papers received their own reference in a “How to cite” section for easier referencing by readers.

2021 was a significant year, marking "Em Questão's" 35th anniversary with contributions from guest authors. The frequency increased to four issues annually, and new social media channels were launched, along with an updated visual identity. Publication responsibilities transitioned to the Graduate Program in Information Science at FABICO/UFRGS.

Anticipating its indexing by SciELO, "Em Questão" planned several changes for 2023, including adopting continuous publication from volume 29 onwards, expanding the use of the CC BY 4.0 license, and adhering more closely to the open science movement, potentially publishing open reviews with the consent of authors and referees. Subsequently, the selection of reviews by the editor in charge was adopted, in order to avoid the publication of reviews that did not provide significant contributions to the research discussion. The year also saw funding granted through the CNPq Editorial Program.

References

GOLIN, Cida. Apresentação. Em Questão, Porto Alegre, v. 11, n. 1, 2005.

OLIVEIRA, Caroline; SANTIN, Dirce Maria; VANZ, Samile Andrea de Souza. Revista Em Questão: uma análise da sua trajetória a partir dos critérios Qualis (2003-2012). Em Questão, Porto Alegre, v. 21, n. 1, p. 8-25, jan/abr. 2015.

PASSOS, Jaire Ederson; PASSOS, Paula Caroline Schifino Jardim; VANZ, Samile Andréa de Souza. Projeto de identidade visual para a revista Em Questão. Em Questão, Porto Alegre, v. 20, n. 2, p. 8-27, jul/dez. 2014.

PEDROSO, Rosa Nívea. Um projeto pedagógico se transforma em um projeto científico internacional: uma pequena história da Revista de Biblioteconomia & Comunicação. Revista de Biblioteconomia & Comunicação, Porto Alegre, v. 8, p. 291-292, jan./dez. 2000.

SANTOS, Jussara Pereira. Editorial. Em Questão, Porto Alegre, v. 10, n. 1, 2004.

VANZ, Samile Andréa de Souza; SILVEIRA, Lúcia da. Publicação continuada: algumas reflexões. Em Questão, Porto Alegre, v. 26, n. 1, p. 12-16, jan/abr. 2020.