Sowing in Arid Soil: The Editorial History of the Revista de Sociologia e Política

Abstract

Introduction: This article examines the development of the journal Revista de Sociologia e Política, from its creation at a university where the social sciences had only a limited institutional history to its emergence as a leading Political Science journal in Brazil.

Materials and Methods: The study draws on bibliometric data obtained from Google Scholar and on information available through the SciELO Analytics platform. The analysis focuses on indicators such as publication counts, citations, Hirsch’s h-index, Egghe’s g-index, Zhang’s e-index, Jin’s AW-index, and Fassin’s hA-index, as well as access metrics for the journal within the SciELO collection. It then compares the journal’s performance with that of other major Political Science journals in Brazil.

Findings: The study identifies four cycles of editorial change, emphasizing the central role of managing editors in defining the journal’s profile, the strategic use of thematic dossiers to expand the Revista de Sociologia e Política’s national reach, and its gradual move toward more empirical and quantitative research. The data indicate a substantial academic impact: by the end of 2024, the journal ranked second in total citations and in SciELO access counts. Its metrics include an h-index of 91 and a g-index of 154, reflecting a strong presence of influential articles. An analysis of the ten most cited articles from 1993 to 2024 reveals a predominance of themes related to public policy, federalism, and feminism.

Discussion: The journal’s development reflects continuous adaptation and innovation as it seeks to keep pace with changes in Brazilian Political Science. Despite these positive outcomes, the Revista de Sociologia e Política still faces challenges in increasing its visibility, expanding its international reach, and further professionalizing its editorial operations.