From 2026 onward, the Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health (Revista Brasileira de Saúde Materno Infantil – RBSMI) enters a new editorial phase. I assume the role of Editor-in-Chief with a clearly defined institutional mandate: to strengthen the journal’s scientific rigor, editorial consistency, and governance, while preserving its historical commitment to the production and dissemination of knowledge in maternal and child health in Brazil and Latin America.

Throughout its trajectory, RBSMI has consolidated itself as a regional reference journal, playing a relevant role in the dissemination of studies addressing clinical practice, public health, health service organization, and policy formulation. The challenge currently faced is neither thematic relevance nor the lack of qualified scientific production. Rather, it lies in achieving editorial consolidation within an increasingly demanding international landscape, in which scientific quality, transparency, and institutional sustainability constitute central criteria of credibility.^1,2

Contemporary scientific publishing requires explicit, consistent, and verifiable standards. Publishing good papers sporadically is not sufficient; it is necessary to reduce variability in average quality, ensure methodological coherence, apply editorial criteria uniformly, and safeguard peer review as a qualified scientific instrument.¹ In this context, the editorial restructuring currently underway at RBSMI is grounded in a realistic technical diagnosis and deliberate alignment with international best practices in scientific publishing.²

The central axis of this process is not an increase in publication volume, but a consistent elevation of the scientific standard of what is published. This entails more robust editorial screening, clear definition of methodological priorities, appreciation of study designs with greater capacity to inform clinical decision-making and health policy formulation, and the deliberate restriction of formats that offer limited scientific return for the journal’s editorial project. The institutionalization of objective criteria, the formal establishment of statistical editorship, and the systematic requirement of international reporting guidelines are integral components of this effort.^1,2

As part of this editorial qualification strategy, RBSMI will adopt, from 2026 onward, periodic scientific curation editorials, in accordance with the continuous publication model. These editorials will aim to critically comment on the most relevant articles published in each period, highlight methodological and scientific contributions of greater impact, and offer readers an integrated interpretation of the journal’s recent output, reinforcing the journal’s role as an active agent in the interpretation and mediation of scientific knowledge.

During the finalization of this editorial, RBSMI received the news of the passing of its first Editor-in-Chief, Professor José Eulálio Cabral Filho. Although this editorial leadership does not directly succeed his tenure, his inaugural role was decisive in shaping the journal’s editorial project. In this issue, RBSMI also publishes Professor Eulálio’s obituary, as an institutional record of his trajectory and of his contribution to maternal and child health and academic training in Brazil. For his former students and teaching colleagues, “Professor Eulálio” remains an enduring ethical, intellectual, and human reference—an example and a source of inspiration. Between the joy of a new cycle and the sorrow of loss, the commitment to follow the path he helped to initiate is reaffirmed, grounded in seriousness, rigor, and respect for science.

The ethical dimension remains a central axis of RBSMI’s editorial practice. The journal reaffirms that research involving human participants or human data—including secondary databases and reanalyses—must be submitted to review by a competent ethics committee, in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles³. The explicit incorporation of the Principle of Universal Ethical Review into the journal’s editorial policies consolidates practices already in place, reinforcing participant protection, scientific integrity, and the journal’s institutional responsibility.^1,3

This restructuring is also oriented toward strengthening the journal’s international positioning. Internationalization is understood as a natural consequence of scientific quality and editorial consistency, rather than as a superficial or merely formal objective. The use of English as the language of scientific communication, the qualified expansion of the editorial board and international reviewer pool, and the organization of thematically focused issues of global relevance constitute a strategy aimed at increasing the visibility and impact of published articles, while preserving RBSMI’s commitment to its regional mission.²

The editorial transition does not represent a rupture with the journal’s history. On the contrary, it builds upon that history and projects it toward a new level of institutional maturity. The objective is not to alter RBSMI’s identity, but to strengthen it as a journal committed to methodological rigor, ethical responsibility, editorial transparency, and the impact of the science it publishes.^1,2

The success of this new phase will depend on collective effort. It will depend on authors committed to methodological quality and interpretative consistency; on reviewers willing to engage in peer review as a responsible and constructive scientific activity; on editors aligned with shared criteria; and on institutions that recognize editorial excellence as a public good and a strategic investment.

The Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health thus reaffirms its commitment to scientific integrity, ethics, professionalized editorial practice, and the social relevance of the knowledge it produces. A new chapter begins—marked by clarity of purpose, institutional strengthening, and confidence in high-quality science as the foundation for advancing maternal and child health.

References

1. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of a Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Updated April 2025. [access in 2026 Jan 5]. Disponível em: https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf

2. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE); Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA); World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing. Version 4.0; 2022. [Internet]. [access in 2026 Jan 5]. Disponível em: https://wame.org/principles-of-transparency-and-best-practice-in-scholarly-publishing

3. World Medical Association (WMA). WMA Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research involving Human Participants. By 75^th WMA General Assembly, Helsinki, Finland; October 2024. [Internet]. [access in 2026 Jan 5]. Disponível em: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki/

Editor-in-Chief: Melania Amorim

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Received on January 3, 2026
Approved on January 6, 2026

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