About the Journal

The Critical Patient Journal – Scientific Journal of the Portuguese Society of Critical Care Nursing is the official scientific journal of the Portuguese Society of Critical Care Nursing (SPEDC), constituting an independent, non-profit editorial project dedicated to the promotion, production, dissemination and valorization of scientific knowledge in the area of ​​Critical Care Nursing and related scientific areas.
The Journal's mission is to promote scientific excellence through the publication of high-quality original works, contributing to the development of research, evidence-based practice, innovation, education, leadership and continuous improvement of care provided to critically ill individuals.
Published exclusively in digital format and under Open Access, the Journal makes all its content freely available, promoting universal access to scientific knowledge and facilitating its dissemination, reuse and impact on the scientific and professional community. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, allowing the reading, consultation, download, distribution, reuse, adaptation, and sharing of the content, provided that proper authorship is attributed and the original source is identified, in accordance with the terms of said license.
The editorial scope of the Journal covers all areas related to Nursing in Critical Patients, from Out-of-Hospital Emergency to In-Hospital Care.
The Journal adopts a double-blind peer review process, ensuring that all editorial decisions are made exclusively based on the scientific merit of the manuscripts, their methodological quality, scientific relevance, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge.
Editorial independence is one of the fundamental pillars of the Journal. Editorial activity is carried out with complete autonomy from political, ideological, religious, institutional, economic, commercial, or any other interests, ensuring that all decisions are made objectively, impartially, transparently, and free from external influences.
The Journal is governed by the principles of scientific integrity, research ethics, editorial transparency, responsibility, impartiality, diversity, inclusion, equity, methodological rigor, editorial independence, and responsible scientific publication. To this end, it adopts the recommendations and best practices issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Council of Science Editors (CSE), the EQUATOR Network, and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, promoting a permanent culture of quality and continuous improvement.
Authors retain copyright over published works, granting the Journal a non-exclusive license for publication, editing, preservation, indexing, dissemination, and distribution of the respective scientific content, under the terms defined in the Copyright and Licensing Policy. The reuse of published articles is governed by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license and the Journal's other editorial policies.

The protection of the privacy and personal data of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and other users of the editorial platform is also a permanent commitment of the Journal. The processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), applicable national legislation, and the Journal's Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy. With the goal of ensuring the permanent preservation of the scientific record, the Journal implements digital preservation mechanisms, persistent identifiers, standardized metadata, and international interoperability standards, simultaneously promoting the integration of its contents into directories, institutional repositories, academic search engines, digital preservation systems, and national and international scientific databases, in accordance with its respective Digital Preservation Policy.

The Journal also adopts a policy of absolute independence from advertising, sponsorship, and any commercial interests. The eventual existence of institutional advertising, financial support, or sponsorships does not, under any circumstances, influence the peer review process, the selection of manuscripts, or editorial decisions, as these matters are governed by the Advertising and Sponsorship Policy.

The Journal's operation is governed by the Editorial Statute, Editorial Policies, Instructions for Authors, the Scientific Reviewer's Manual, and other normative documents published on its website, which establish the principles, procedures, responsibilities, and requirements applicable to all phases of the editorial process.
Committed to the principles of Open Science, scientific excellence, and continuous improvement of editorial quality, the Critical Patient Journal pursues a strategy of internationalization, innovation, interoperability, and indexing in national and international scientific directories, repositories, and databases, promoting maximum visibility, accessibility, preservation, impact, and reuse of published scientific knowledge.
The Critical Patient Journal is committed to promoting ethical, transparent, inclusive, and high-quality scientific publication, placing science at the service of improving healthcare, developing Nursing in Critical Patients, and benefiting individuals, communities, and society.