LILACS 40th anniversary
LILACS is the acronym for Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, and it is much more than a database: it is an ecosystem of scientific and technical information that integrates methodologies, technologies and a collection of thematic databases from Latin America and the Caribbean (LA&C) and other countries; it is a bridge connecting scientific knowledge in health to the entire population, free of charge and online.
Created in 1985 and coordinated by BIREME/PAHO/WHO, LILACS brings together scientific and technical health production generated by authors and institutions in the region. Since then, it has played an essential role in providing visibility to regional research and facilitating access to health information.
Recognized as the leading health sciences database in Latin America and the Caribbean, LILACS boasts over 1 million records, including articles, theses, dissertations, books, government documents, reports, and conference proceedings. And best of all, over 70% of the content is open access, with a direct link to the full text.
LILACS is the result of the collaborative work of more than 900 educational, research, and government institutions in 30 countries, which select, index, and continually update records. This network, coordinated by BIREME, keeps LILACS alive, current, and relevant.
LILACS is also part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Index Medicus, being essential for systematic reviews contextualized to the local reality, in addition to complementing MEDLINE/PubMed, by offering visibility to publications that are generally outside the large international databases.
A solid set of policies and tools, the so-called LILACS Methodology lies behind LILACS.
It encompasses document selection criteria, indexing rules (using the DeCS controlled vocabulary), and guidelines for managing cooperative databases.
Tools such as FI-Admin (for managing information sources) and BIREME Accounts (for managing access and users) support the work of teams, ensuring quality and standardization in the database feeding process.
LILACS Methodology is followed by several other specialized health databases, such as:
BDENF – Nursing Database
BBO – Brazilian Bibliography of Dentistry
BINACIS – National Bibliography of Health Sciences (Argentina)
MOSAICO – Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicines
BIGG – International Database of GRADE Guidelines
PIE – Evidence-Informed Policies
BRISA – Health Technology Assessment Reports of the Americas
More than a database, LILACS is a collective asset of Health Science in AL&C, which strengthens regional research, contributes to the formulation of public policies and supports professionals, students and managers in making evidence-based decisions.
Shared knowledge is transformative knowledge. For the last 40 years, LILACS has fulfilled this mission—and continues to inspire the future of health information in the region.
May there be many more birthdays to come!!
Access LILACS here: https://lilacs.bvsalud.org/
Category: Day Observances, News
