The publication of scientific articles should serve to share the knowledge generated among all scientists working on the same topic. This is how science advances: through exchange, dialogue, and criticism. For this very reason, the internationalization of journals published in Brazil is a relevant discussion.
However, the pursuit of internationalization for academic journals carries a number of contradictions. Among the limitations is the language barrier faced by researchers from non-English-speaking countries. Furthermore, authors from central countries only publish articles in Brazil that are co-authored with native authors and almost never accept invitations to serve on editorial boards or review articles.
Open access, with its potential to expand internationalization, is made possible through fees charged to authors, funding agencies, and institutions. It is estimated that scientists have spent over $1 billion in four years publishing open access in these journals. This concentration and the high cost hinder the inclusion of journals and researchers from countries with fewer resources and, consequently, the dissemination of research results from these regions, thereby widening inequality. It is always worth remembering that just six conglomerates control the scientific publishing market, with staggering profit margins and ethics that are sometimes questionable.
The Capes Journal Portal, created in 2000, provides access to articles from more than 50,000 scientific journals for approximately 500 Brazilian institutions, making knowledge produced in various countries accessible. Recently, Capes signed transformative agreements with commercial publishers, ensuring, within the same contract, both open access and the payment of publication fees. The goal is to facilitate publication in these journals, giving greater visibility to national scientific and technological output. Additionally, publication in these journals may benefit researchers with limited access to funding, particularly those whose projects lack adequate resources to cover the fees charged by scientific journals. However, in 2025, CAPES’ contract with Wiley cost US$8.3 million (data obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, protocol 23546.018379/2025-17). That is no small sum.
Transformative agreements combine receptive internationalization—reading what is being produced abroad—and export-oriented internationalization, which seeks to disseminate locally produced science. Both processes are inherent to a unipolar world, in which the “Global South” is, by definition, in a subordinate position.
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