Begossi

Brazilian Journal of Biology

English

Repositorio da Producao Cientifica e Intelectual da Unicamp

277Braz. J. Biol., 2016,  vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 277-278
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.17602 Letter
The ‘Qualis’ system (Brazil) in an interdisciplinary-ecological context
A. Begossia,b,c*
aPrograma de Capacitação de Pescadores Artesanais para o Manejo da Pesca – CAPESCA, Núcleo de Estudos da 
Alimentação – NEPA, Universidade Estadual de Campinas – UNICAMP, Av. Albert Einstein, 291,  
CEP 13083-852, Campinas, SP, Brazil
bFisheries and Food Institute, Universidade Santa Cecília – UNISANTA, Rua Cesário Mota, 08,  
CEP 11045-040, Santos, SP, Brazil 
cPrograma Pos-graduação em Sustentabilidade de Sistemas Costeiros e Marinhos – ECOMAR,  
Universidade Santa Cecília – UNISANTA, Rua Cesário Mota, 08, CEP 11045-040, Santos, SP, Brazil
*e-mail: alpinab@uol.com.br
‘Qualis’ is the system used by CAPES (Coordenação 
de Pessoal de Nivel Superior), the agency that manages 
Graduate Teaching and Research Production in Brazil, in 
order to evaluate ‘the quality of the intellectual production 
of the Graduate Programs’ (CAPES, 2016). In fact, ‘Qualis’ 
support the evaluation system in Brazil that allocates 
funding to research and to graduate teaching in Brazil.
The ‘Qualis system’, instead of using the current 
Impact factor of periodicals (Research Gate, 2015; 
SciJournal, 2015; Scimago Journal, 2015 (lets call 
them IF) and based on obscure criteria, manipulates 
the system by creating the levels of impact factors of 
periodicals as upper (A1), followed by A2, B1, B2, B3, 
B4, B5 and C= zero [1]. There are areas in which the 
periodical does not exist (Table 1). Are ‘Qualis’ levels 
representative of IF? No. Table 1 shows some examples 
in areas such as Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences 
and Interdisciplinary (April 10th, 2015). For example, 
if you are an ecologist, and you publish in Ecosystems, 
Ecology and Society, Current Anthropology and Bulletin 
of Marine Science, you get a zero in production. Observe 
that the IF of these are, respectively (July 30, 2015), 
3.53; 2.67; 2.93; 0.87. Ironically, periodicals with an IF 
of 0.87, such as the Anais da Academia de Ciências, are 
considered in the upper strata (Qualis A2). The illustrative 
Table speaks for itself.
The perverse part of ‘Qualis’ is the punishing of 
scientists that, in spite of publishing in high international 
Table 1. Impact Factors (July 30, 2015)1 and CAPES Qualis Impact Factors (Brazil) (from the highest A1 to B1, B2, B3, B4, 
B5 and lowest C; April 10th 2015). 
Periodical Impact Factor1
Biodiversity
(“Biodiversidade”)
Environmental 
Science
(“Ciências 
Ambientais”)
Interdisciplinary
(“Interdisciplinar”)
Ecological Applications 4.13 A1 A1 A1
Ecosystems 3.53 A1 0 A1
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 3.49 A2 A2 A2
Current Anthropology 2.93 B1 0 A1
Ecology and Society 2.67 A2 0 0
Hydrobiologia 2.21 A2 A2 A2
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2.00 B1 B3 A2
Human Ecology [ Springer, 0300-7839] 1.63 B1 A2 A1
Environmental Biology of Fishes 1.36 A2 B1 B1
Bulletin of Marine Science 0.87 B1 0 B1
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 0.87 A2 A2 A1
Economic Botany2 0.77 B1 B1 B1
Acta Botanica Brasilica (print) 0.55 B2 A2 A2
Boletim do Instituto de Pesca 0.34 B2 B2 B2
Interciência3 0.25 B2 B1 B1
Zero (0) means that the periodical is not classified in the system (does not exist for the research area of Qualis). Illustrative data for 
some periodicals of the area of Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences and Interdisciplinary. 1 Research Gate (2015); SCIJOURNAL 
(2015); SJR (2015). 2 Economic Botany is A2 in Agricultural Science. 3 Interciencia is A1 for Teaching; Regional and Urban 
Planning and Demography; A2 for Geography.
Braz. J. Biol., 2016,  vol. 76, no. 2, pp. 277-278278
Begossi, A.
impact periodicals, will get a low Qualis impact; worse 
than that, young Brazilian researchers are following 
wrong tracks: instead of deciding where to publish, 
based on their research themes, journal objectives and 
IF, they end up following the ‘Qualis’ system through 
the easiest path. For example, by publishing in the Anais 
da Academia de Ciências (0.87 IF)2 they get an A in 
all three areas (Biodiversity, Ciências Ambientais and 
Interdisciplinary). Maybe that could help explaining 
the relatively low international ranking of the Brazilian 
Universities. Unfortunately, ‘Qualis’ helps science in 
Brazil to run backwards.
References
COORDENACAO DE PESSOAL DE NIVEL SUPERIOR – 
CAPES [online], 2016 [viewed 10 April 2015]. Available from: 
http://www.capes.gov.br/avaliacao/instrumentos-de-apoio/
classificacao-da-producao-intelectual
RESEARCH GATE [online], 2015. [viewed 10 April 2015]. Available 
from: https://www.researchgate.net/topic/journal_impact_factor
SCIJOURNAL [online], 2015. [viewed 10 April 2015]. Available 
from: http://www.scijournal.org
SCIMAGO JOURNAL & COUNTRY RANK – SJR [online], 
2015. [viewed 10 April 2015]. Available from: http://www.
scimagojr.com


The ‘qualis’ System (brazil) In An Interdisciplinary-ecological Context

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The ‘qualis’ System (brazil) In An Interdisciplinary-ecological Context

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