Although this edition is entirely dedicated to the conjoined issues of Nutrition and Health, in this editorial we wish to make a brief assessment of Ciência & Saúde Coletiva in 2016. As editors, we understand that this evaluation needs to be addressed from two perspectives: one relative to its development and role within the health field; and the other from the standpoint of metrics.

Editing 12 issues annually since 1996, Ciência & Saúde Coletiva reached the end of 2016 with volume 21 right on schedule. It has published 30 articles in each edition and has been indexed in 22 international and regional databases, among them: SciELO, ISI/Thompson, MedLine/PubMed, Scopus and Google Metrics. It received more than 3500 originals in 2016, 80% of which were rejected, which is clear proof of the rigor of the evaluations. It has made great progress in the dissemination of articles in English as well in the online edition, having increased from 39 translated texts in 2014 to 270 in 2016, which corresponds to 75% of the total.

With a thematic focus aligned with the philosophical and political principles of Abrasco, Ciência & Saúde Coletiva has spearheaded the debate about the implementation of the Unified Health System (SUS) and the promotion of health in the country. In the SciELO/Public Health library in November 2016, it was ranked in first place in the dissemination of articles on the SUS (51% of the total). It was in second place in the publication of articles on “Planning and Health” (33%) and “Politics and Health” (30%).

Over the course of its 21-year trajectory, the Journal has been making a significant contribution to the discussion of national and international public/collective health, and it has traversed the frontiers of the academic world, since it is also consulted by managers, service professionals, social movements and opinion makers. For example, it has featured editions compiled to promote the 11th World Congress on Public Health, staged in Rio de Janeiro in 2006; the National Health Conferences; the II and III National Conferences on Worker Safety and Health; the commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of Brazilian Public Health; the 10th Anniversary of the Global Conference on the Environment; the 20-year anniversary of SUS; the Hundred Years of the Flexner Report and the Rio+20 Conference. The titles of 2016 are clear evidence of its relevance to the sector, among namely: Evaluation of the Mais Médicos Program; Assessment of the 10 years of Health Promotion Policy; Health in Prisons; Analysis of Information from the IBGE/MS National Health Survey; The Impact of Traffic Violence on Health; The Role of Physical Education in the Health Area; and Disability, Family and Society – the last two accompanying the hosting of the Olympics and Paralympics.

Today the Journal is ranked in first place in relation to all Brazilian journals in Google Metrics and it is in second place in terms of the impact factor measured by JCR among the top 10 national journals in the area. In the last three years measured by SciELO, its impact factor has risen from 0.7556 in 2013 to 0.9642 in 2015. Its performance can be compared to the two other magazines of similar size: Cadernos de Saúde Pública with an impact factor of 0.9931 in the last three years and Revista de Saúde Pública with 1.0525.

As we come to the end of a year in which so many hands, hearts and minds helped to give life to this important journal in the area of health and for Brazilian science, as editors-in-chief we would like to thank the Editorial Policy Board, the Associate Editors, Editorial Board, Ad-hoc Peer Reviewers and Editors of thematic issues. However, our most heartfelt gratitude goes to the executive team of the magazine that with courage, persistence, discipline and dedication guarantees the reader a new edition every month, transcending the crises and difficulties known to all who work in scientific dissemination in Brazil.

Maria Cecília de Souza Minayo and Romeu Gomes
Editors-in-Chief

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