Dialogues for a more collective scientific practice

Abstract

nicating and evaluating scientific production that enable a more plural, inclusive, and integrative dialogue?". This was the question raised by Viviana Martinovich, Executive Editor of the journal Salud Colectiva (Argentina), to initiate the roundtable with editors of scientific journal, during the 13 th Brazilian Congress on Public Health of the Brazilian Public Health Association (Abrasco). The question leads us to reflect on four interrelated themes and processes, with significant implications and challenges for scientific journals: production of knowledge, democratization of science, scientific dissemination, and evaluation of scientific production.Knowledge production involves the ability to answer the social needs arising from current world changes. These transformations range from demographic and epidemiological to technological and informational changes, related to their use at work, research, teaching, health care, and communication and information strategies. Moreover, they address the climatic and environmental phenomena caused by human activity on the planet's ecosystems, leading to degradation and increasing risks in urban and rural spaces. Changes in production structures -with flexibility, informality, and precariousness of labor law -are fundamental determinants of these processes and involve the concentration of wealth, the financialization of the economy, and the emergence of new groups and private interests that exert influence upon health services. The effect of these transformations on the worsening of social inequalities is evident -differences in class, gender, race, ethnicity, housing, and accessibility -further worsening living and health conditions.The changes unevenly affect countries, populations, and health systems and services, leading to instability and recurrent and multi-dimensional crises. The context reinforces the significance of radicalizing the critical and multidisciplinary perspective that is at the very origin of the field of Public Health 1 . Understanding complex phenomena, such as those that occur in health, requires collaborative efforts and articulation of different knowledge and perspectives, which permeate the areas and subareas of the field and should be expressed in scientific research and publications. In this sense, we highlight the importance of opening spaces in journals to encourage dialogue and diversity of approaches and