Bibliometric analysis of brazilian journals on dermatofunctional physiotherapy

Abstract

Objectives: this study aimed to conduct a scientometric analysis of Brazilian journals classified in the evaluation areas of Physical Education, Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Therapy, and Occupational Therapy, focusing on those that include Dermatofunctional Physiotherapy in their editorial scope, during the 2017-2020 CAPES quadrennium. Methodology: this is a documentary, quantitative study with data collected from the WebQualis database and the Sucupira Platform. Brazilian journals in the aforementioned evaluation area were included, and after filtering, those related to Dermatofunctional Physiotherapy were selected. The variables analysed were ISSN, Qualis, parent area, Brazilian region, periodicity, type of article published, and public access. Results: 2,878 journals were identified, of which 1,686 were simultaneously linked to multiple parent areas. Only 52 journals were focused specifically on Physiotherapy, 15 of which were national. Of these, only four included Dermatofunctional Physiotherapy in their scope, revealing the speciality's low representation. The journal Fisioterapia Brasil published 37 articles on the field, while the journal Fisioterapia em Movimento published only two. Discussion: the analysis revealed editorial concentration in the Southeast region, especially in São Paulo, reinforcing regional inequalities in terms of infrastructure and research incentives. Scientific production in the field, although growing in clinical practice, remains limited in terms of indexed publications. Conclusion: there is a significant lack of journals specialised in Dermatofunctional Physiotherapy, which hinders the academic consolidation of the field. It is necessary to encourage the creation of journals or thematic sections that promote the scientific visibility of the field, stimulate research, and contribute to strengthening the theoretical basis of the speciality.