International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology: 20 Years of Excellence!

International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology (IAO) celebrates the 20 anniversary of continued publication. Founded in 1997,1 the journal has been supported by the Otorhinolaryngology Foundation for the publication of experimental and clinical scientific articles in the fields of otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery, speech therapy, audiology, and related sciences. Founded at the beginning of the Internet age, it was the world’sfirst electronic journal to be published in both printed and online versions.2,3 Because it seemed like a Science Fiction project at the time, many thought it would not succeed! The journal was originally conceived by Dr. Claudio Lazzarini, an otorhinolaryngologist at Hospital das Clínicas, FMUSP. Since he was an enthusiast and pioneer in the field of computers, software, and this new means of communication “the Internet,” the journal was named @rquivos da Fundação Otorrinolaringologia. The “@” symbol replaced the letter “A” since it was available online. The journal originated in academia at the Universidade de São Paulo, thus, it was rooted in the scientific spirit. The publication is not intended to be used for commercial purposes, and publishing has always been funded by a nonprofit organization. I was awarded the privilege of being its first editor-in-chief, followed by Professor Tanit Ganz Sanchez (1999–2005),3 Marcelo Miguel Hueb (2006–2008),4 and Geraldo Pereira Jotz5 since 2009. Aline Bittencourt has been a co-editor since 2013. Excellence is sought in terms of original articles, systematic reviews, and case reports for publication in the journal; additionally, the content of these must contribute to the body of scientific knowledge in the field of otorhinolaryngology. In 2002, the journal was renamed @rquivos de Otorrinolaringologia.6 In 2003, Lilacs and Lilacs-Express—Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information7 indexed it, which was a first step toward internationalization. In 2004, the Latindex (i.e., Regional Cooperative Online Information System for Scholarly Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal) indexed the journal.8 In 2006, it was renamed@rquivos Internationais de Otorrinolaringologia.4 At the same time, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) indexed it,9,10 and it became an open and universal access journal (no subscription required), since scienceshouldbeavailable for all. In themeantime, the Foundation for Science Research of Ribeirão Preto (FUNPEC-RP) also indexed it.11 In 2010, already fully internationalized, it was determined that articles appearing in the journal should be published in English only, following the global trend in which English was regarded as the lingua franca in science because it enabled broader visibility and impact. It was renamed International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology, and the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) indexed it.12 In 2011, 2012, and 2013, Scopus,13 PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC),14 and Embase,15 respectively, indexed the journal, and it reached its pinnacle. Currently, the journal has reached a level of citations to be officially indexed by International Scientific Indexing (ISI), as it is about to achieve the h-index necessary for this action. Until 2013, H Máxima Editora edited the journal; since then, Thieme Medical Publishers, a leading international publisher,16 has performed this service. The journal is currently available online (open access) and in a printed version for subscribers. The data below show the importance of IAO over the past 20 years (►Tables 1 and 2). Authors from over 30 countries