General and specialized Orthopaedics

Abstract

The twenty-first Century changed our way of communication and also our way of reading and publishing science. Since Gutenberg our method of learning was associated with reading printed material and the Btraditional^way of being a scholar was associated with attending lectures made by teachers BEx cathedra^where knowledge was almost dogmatic and unquestionable. Universities were in charge of sharing the science. The practice of surgery was taught in the Boperating theatre^where technical manoeuvres were demonstrated by well-dressed attendings that eventually washed their hands after the case. A majority of surgical cases were amputations. [1] Museums and libraries are depositories of the efforts made over centuries to provide healing and hope, keeping medical evidence and sharing our knowledge with the upcoming generations. Medical Journals appeared in the eighteenth century and became rapidly peer-reviewed, this major step opening the way to criticism, doubt, questions and progress.With the Internet and electronic communication our traditions were challenged and new tools were developed. Patient databases became more reliable and easier to understand, medical statistics and meta-analysis became possible. A plethora of medical Journals appeared and competition between publications raised based on the visibility, readership and citations. This drive is associated with inherent growth in new publications that have short life span and have an aggressive behaviour [2] New values were based on the ability of a new publication to impact, change or improve current practice. When a paper is published in our days, the data, text, images and full information are available instantly everywhere. In this acceleration of publications, augmen

Useful and useless publications measured by bibliometrics and scientometrics in orthopaedic surgery. Are the relevance of a journal and publication metrics useful enough for the scientific promotion of surgeons?

“…The readers are encouraged to react by letters to the Editor that are generally meaningful and useful in the debate. We are also respectful to our readers by publishing editorials on specific, timely topics, as well as on general orthopaedic practice [47][48][49][50][51][52][53]. We are proud that a high percentage of the published papers in the last two years were cited.…”

Maintaining education, research and innovation in orthopaedic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of virtual platforms. From presential to virtual, front and side effects of the pandemic

“…Technology is constantly changing the face of science in various aspects, particularly in dissemination and interpretation of academic knowledge and outcomes [15]. Considering the high virulence of COVID-19, difficulty in travelling across countries and cities, inappropriateness of gathering a crowd, as well as new findings, theories and technologies for example, in the field of orthopaedics are emerging and should be shared [16,17,18,19,20]; in this scenario, organizing virtual meetings instead of conventional ones using virtual conferencing system/platform seems safe and efficient.…”