Regarding the Declaration of the Scientific Editors of Chile (see http://www.editorescientificos.cl/), with which the importance of the XML JATS (Journal Article Tag Suite) protocol is recognized, which will allow without a doubt the strengthen of editors and the regional scientific communication, the Network of Scientific Journals of Latin America and The Caribbean, Spain and Portugal (Redalyc) states the following: 

This scientific information system decided to join the international JATS standard based on XML in September 2015 and was immediately communicated to Scielo. From the foregoing, both institutions had a meeting in Mexico in the first week of October, in which Scielo explained its XML tagging process.

Since then, it was observed that the Scielo tagging process, which demands a high technical specialization by journals, has made that, in many cases, editors outsource the process to subcontracting enterprises, the sustainability of Open Access is questioned.

This is why Redalyc, since then, worked to develop a tagging tool designed for non-expert users neither in JATS nor XML, that does not need installation processes – as it is online- and that its online operation, update, processing and storage will be provided and subsidized by Redalyc, as far as the economic resources of this scientific information system allows it or a new project is thought. With this, Redalyc makes available for the editor to make the processes with his editorial team and, in this way, to avoid outsourcing charges.

The Marcalyc tool, generated by Redalyc, will be launched in its beta version on September 1 of this year and it is thought to strengthen the Open Access of the region. XML files derived from this tool will be accomplishing an additional specification JATS4R (JATS for Reuse), guaranteeing interoperability between platforms. JATS4R is a recommendation built as a multi-systems agreement, with PubMed, eLife, PLOS, and Scielo being part of it. This is why editors should not worry about reusing their XML with Scielo or with Redalyc if both adhere to interoperability agreements such as JATS4R. In addition, Redalyc is already ready for receiving the XML processed with the Scielo model.

Redalyc has been comparing the Scielo tool with Marcalyc’s, and the first results, which must be corroborated in different circumstances and with different journal formats, show a reduction of time in the process of articles of 20% and this can reach up to 50%. If these results are corroborated and if editors confirm a more friendly management, it can be thought that it is the possibility that the journals of the region get strengthened. Scielo and Redalyc journals, of course. 

We cannot celebrate yet, although Redalyc is satisfied with the results and the improvements in the semi-automatic outputs, intelligent viewers, PDF, ePUB, and HTML.

Soon, Redalyc will show this tool to the Scielo team to determine the compatibility and differences. Also, an agenda is to be generated to achieve better compatibility and transparency between tools.Clacso, Latindex, La Referencia, Scielo, Redalyc, and other platforms and projects are called to talk in Montevideo, Uruguay, from September 6 to 9, in the framework of CILAC, Sciences Open Forum. Latin America and The Caribbean, where an agenda on future work can be generated.