LILACS-Express is the process of contributing to and updating the database with newly published articles from indexed journals, without waiting for the publication of other articles in the journal’s volume or issue. Since it is an express process, only basic data and a link to the full text of the article are available, and records with LILACS-Express status are considered incomplete because they require a review of cataloging data and the terms that describe the content/subject of the article.

Key Features:

• Speed of dissemination: Articles are quickly registered, allowing immediate access to recent scientific findings, even before the full issue of the journal is published.
• Subsequent updating: After the articles are published in LILACS, the records are reviewed and enriched with additional information, including thematic indexing with DeCS/MeSH thesaurus terms and other descriptive data.
• Participation of the LILACS Network: Editors, editorial team members, and information professionals from cooperating centers collaborate in the review and updating of data in the database management system.
• Automated collections and uploads: This procedure is carried out according to international standards for bibliographic data and interoperability, agreed upon between the data-providing institution and BIREME/PAHO/WHO.

The LILACS-Express initiative, though focused on journals indexed in LILACS, is also applied to other bibliographic databases such as BDENF and VetIndex. Additionally, other types of documents may receive LILACS-Express status if they do not have the Primary Descriptor field filled with DeCS/MeSH term.

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LILACS-Express optimizes and accelerates the article updating process in the LILACS database, extends the exposure time of the article, and facilitates cooperation among editors, editorial team members, and librarians of the Cooperating Centers of the LILACS Network.

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The LILACS-Express process involves four actors:

1. Editors or members of editorial teams of journals indexed in LILACS and databases that adopt the LILACS Methodology, including those integrated into the BIREME’s information sources management system (FI-Admin) or provide data collection services.
2. Information professionals from Cooperating Centers who review cataloging curation and perform thematic indexing of documents adopting the LILACS Methodology.
3. BIREME, which maintains servers, online systems, conducts data collection, processing, and publishes databases and their search interfaces.
4. Authors of published articles and researchers who can review data and report on inconsistencies or outdated information in LILACS.

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A journal becomes part of the LILACS-Express initiative if it is approved for indexing after the Process of Evaluation and Selection of LILACS Journals in Brazil or through evaluation processes conducted by LILACS coordinations.

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LILACS is the database, while LILACS-Express is a procedure used for the automatic collection of data and the status of the record that indicates the document has been registered with basic data and a link to the full text, as provided by the editor.

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Editors of journals indexed in LILACS are required to initiate their cooperation and maintain the update of their journal’s articles in the database, as delays can result in the termination of the journal’s indexing.

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Editors and editorial team members of the journals indexed in LILACS are responsible for submitting/entering the data. In the case of SciELO collections:

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Data entry (contributing to the LILACS database) can be done by:

1. Manual creation of records within the FI-Admin integrated management system.
   Access specific documentation through the LILACS Methodology page.
2. Automated data collection and upload:
   BIREME/PAHO/WHO carries out the automated collection of data provided by the editor. Current collections include SciELO, with other platforms under evaluation.
   The data provider institution commits to the quantity and quality of the data, as well as the continuous provision of updated data in the collection service and trained professionals to promptly respond to data adequacy demands.

Minimum requirements to assess the feasibility of periodic collections:

• Availability of a collection service with OAI-PMH standard;
• Metadata in Dublin Core qualified, DIM, MODS standard, or another with equal or greater data availability and quality;
• Timeliness in publication and continuous updating of the collection service;
• A minimum number of articles per year as per LILACS selection and permanence criteria.

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An editor or a member of the editorial team should monitor the publication process of the articles. If there are any delays or inconsistencies, they should contact the national LILACS coordinator to verify the occurrence.

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Yes, there are differences. However, one rule applies to both: all editors of journals indexed in LILACS must adhere to the LILACS-Express initiative and commit to the prompt updating and maintenance of data in the BIREME/PAHO/WHO management system.

Editors of printed journals commit to manually entering and maintaining basic data and uploading the full texts of each article into the FI-Admin system.

Editors of electronic journals commit to manually entering and maintaining basic data, uploading full texts of each article into the FI-Admin system, or offering a basic data collection service (OAI-PMH) with data completeness and consistency that enables automated loading. They also commit to ensuring link persistence—24/7 access to content, digital preservation of articles by adopting appropriate standards and systems, and manual data maintenance and updating in the FI-Admin system in case of any unavailability or data inconsistency in previously provided information.

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BIREME collects data from journals in the Health Sciences and Psychology fields indexed in SciELO for monthly loading into the LILACS database.

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The Cooperating Centers remain responsible for reviewing the cataloging and thematic indexing of journal articles.

The curation and quality of the data after the records are published in LILACS are also the responsibility of the CC. To correct broken links to full texts or any other inconsistent data, access the FI-Admin system. If you have difficulty editing a record with published status, contact the LILACS team.

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The update frequency varies depending on the method of data entry in the LILACS database:

• Automated data collection and upload from platforms like SciELO and DSpace: monthly.
• Manual data entry by members of the editorial teams of journals indexed in LILACS using the FI-Admin system: daily. The timeliness of contributions is the responsibility of the editor.

In both cases, the processing and publication time in the search interface is two (2) days.

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Yes, click on “Full text” to access the content of the articles’ documents.

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Because some step in the automated process may have been altered or is experiencing instability, whether due to internet availability at the time of collection or changes in the servers and data collection services of the data provider institutions.

The editor or any member of the editorial team should monitor the monthly update to prevent the articles from becoming outdated and consequently unavailable in LILACS, leading to the termination of indexing. The national or thematic coordinator of LILACS is also responsible for this monitoring.

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Yes. The indexing, which means the assignment of subject descriptors that represent the content of the articles, continues to be performed by the Cooperating Centers of the LILACS network in a decentralized manner and according to their assignments and responsibilities. Thus, the bibliographic reference of the article, once indexed, becomes a complete record according to the LILACS Methodology.

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After the cataloging review and thematic indexing of records with LILACS-Express status, the records are considered complete, and their status is updated to “Published.” For the researcher, the difference lies in retrieval that includes DeCS/MeSH descriptors and more reliable descriptive data following the review.

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