BioMed Central Blog
Data publication and openness in the scientific community
Data publication: towards a database of
everything, a Commentary article published in BMC Research Notes, discusses the
changing nature of data publication, the challenges that face the Open Science
movement, and why the publication of primary scientific data is important to us
all.
This short Commentary article by Vincent S Smith is an interesting and timely contribution to the literature and debate surrounding publication of primary scientific data.
Rhian Cunliffe
Senior Journal Development Editor, BMC-series journals
Posted by Rhian Cunliffe at 12:30 Comments (0)
Richard Hays joins Asia Pacific Family Medicine as co-Editor-in-Chief
Richard Hays has recently joined Tai Pong Lam and Zorayda Leopando as co-Editor-in-Chief of Asia Pacific Family Medicine.
We are pleased to welcome Richard, the Head of the School of Medicine at Keele
University, onboard the journal. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Lyn
Clearihan for her hard work and dedication as she retires as co-Editor.
Asia Pacific Family Medicine is currently inviting contributions to a thematic series entitled ‘The expanding role of family medicine in medical education’. Authors are invited to submit their latest research on this topic for publication in a article series highlighting the important role of GPs in medical education, review and commentary articles will also be considered. Anyone wishing to contribute to this thematic series should submit their work by the end of December 2009, or contact the Editorial Office to discuss further.
Asia Pacific Family Medicine, the official journal for the Asia Pacific Region of WONCA, aims to provide a forum for the dissemination of high quality regional research and to enhance the standards of family medicine by focusing on best practice.Posted by Charlotte Hubbard at 10:54 Comments (0)
Stem Cell Research & Therapy: now accepting submissions
A new BioMed Central journal, Stem Cell Research & Therapy, is now accepting submissions.
Stem Cell Research & Therapy aims to be the major forum for translational research into stem cell therapies. An international peer-reviewed journal, it will publish open access research articles of outstanding quality. The journal will have a special emphasis on translational, laboratory, and clinical research into stem cells. It will include animal trials, pre-clinical and clinical trials. We will consider adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cell research, especially with a focus on cell-based transplantation, drug discovery and testing, cell-mediated tissue response and biological effects stimulated by endogenous cells. We will have a unique focus on drug discovery and testing, stem cell manufacture, engineering, and biomaterials.
The journal is edited by Dr Rocky Tuan (National Institutes of Health, USA) and Prof Timothy O'Brien (National University of Ireland, Galway), and is supported by an international Editorial Board.
Stem Cell Research & Therapy joins BioMed Central’s growing portfolio of journals that uniquely focus on publishing translational research of exceptional interest, as well as authoritative reviews and commentaries. Other titles in this series include the well-established Arthritis Research & Therapy, and Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, which is due to publish its first issue in July 2009.
For more information on Stem Cell Research & Therapy please visit the journal’s information page or contact the editorial office. To keep up to date with the latest developments and to receive a copy of the inaugural issue, please register your email address on the website.
Submit your next outstanding piece of research to Stem Cell Research & Therapy to benefit from the rapid peer review, high visibility, and immediate and free access to all research papers.
Surayya Johar
In-house Editor
Stem Cell Research & Therapy
Posted by Iain Hrynaszkiewicz at 10:07 Comments (0)
BioMed Central on location in Taipei
Following a gruelling 15 hour flight (my longest to date), I arrived in downtown Taipei to attend the 12th International Symposium of the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA). 2009 is the 25th Anniversary of SCBA and the 2nd time that the society had held their biennial meeting in Taiwan. With sessions at the symposium as diverse as aquaculture, cognitive neuroscience and even entrepreneurship, it is no wonder the event now attracts in excess of 1200 delegates.
I was invited to attend the symposium by Kuan-Teh Jeang (pictured above centre), editor of our highly successful independent journal, Retrovirology and President Elect of the SCBA.
Whilst I struggled with the heat and humidity and the total lack of Western food during my visit, I managed to catch up with Michael Lai the editor of the Journal of Biomedical Science. JBS is a leading Taiwanese journal that recently moved to open access with BioMed Central. It was pleasing that whilst talking to Michael and networking with SCBA Council Members, symposium speakers, journalists and delegates alike, I could see not only the growth of scientific output across the Far East, but also the growth of awareness in open access. 
Not to pass up the opportunity of soaking up some of Taipei's culture during my visit, I braved the heights (509.2 meters) of Taipei 101, the world's tallest building.
I discovered that the building design focuses on the number 8. It is constructed with 8 segments each with 8 floors and that this symbolises prosperity and good fortune in Chinese culture - I had the good fortune not to feel queasy from the viewing deck located on the 91st floor!
Matt McKay, Head of PR
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 11:33 Comments (0)
Recently we have noticed more and more researchers using Twitter as an informal channel to share thoughts on the latest open access research published in our journals. We're always keen to facilitate such discussions, and with that in mind we have recently added 'Post to Twitter' as a convenient option in the right hand toolbar of each BioMed Central journal article.
We've also in the early stages of using Twittter ourselves - you can follow us as BioMedCentral:
So far, our Twitter feed includes blog posts and hot article notifications, along with various short updates and links relating to BioMed Central and open access publishing. Any other suggestions? Let us know!
Posted by Matthew Cockerill at 22:22 Comments (1)
New and improved impact factors for BioMed Central journals in the 2008 JCR
The latest edition of Thomson Reuter's Journal Citation Reports has just been released, with official Impact Factors for a total of 59 BioMed Central journals†. Impact factors are by no means a perfect quality metric, but these journal citation data provide strong evidence of the growing success of BioMed Central's open access journal portfolio.
Highlights include:
- Impressive initial Impact Factors for two key titles in the BMC series:BMC Medicine and BMC Systems Biology
- Initial Impact Factor for Nutrition & Metabolism, placing it in the top 25% of the NUTRITION & DIETETICS category
- Initial Impact Factor of 3.45 for Neural Development
- An increased Impact Factor for BMC Bioinformatics, now ranked #3 of 28 in MATHEMATICAL & COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY.
- An increased Impact Factor for BMC Plant Biology, which is now ranked #14 of 152 in PLANT SCIENCES (one of the top 10 research journals listed in the category)
- An increased Impact Factor of Malaria Journal . The TROPICAL MEDICINE category now has open access journals in both the #1 and #2 spots.
- Excellent performance by BioMed Central's cancer journals: Breast Cancer Research and Molecular Cancer's Impact Factors both increased to above 5.0, while BMC Cancer's Impact Factor is now above 3.0.
- Improved Impact Factors for society-affiliated journals published by BioMed Central: Geochemical Transactions , Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
- A significantly increased Impact Factor for Critical Care, ranked #4 of 21 in CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE.
Full Impact Factor listing (new or increased impact factors are shown in bold)
[Read More]Posted by Matthew Cockerill at 21:20 Comments (8)
BMC Medical Genomics publishes over 100 articles
Since launching in January last year,
BMC Medical Genomics has published over 100 articles. The latest original research paper, on growth
factor signalling in drug-insensitive breast cancers has recently been press-released. This is a fantastic start for a new
publication, and in just over a year the journal has published a diverse range of
research covering our wide scope.
Recent research highlights include exciting work by Hai Yan’s group at Duke University and the Vogelstein, Kinzler and Velculescu labs at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions using Digital Karyotyping Microbe Identification to determine the presence of microbial DNA in human tumor samples, and the discovery by Olli Kallioniemi’s group in Turku University of a putative breast cancer tumor-suppressor by a novel combination of array-CGH with non-sense mediated mRNA decay and gene expression data. As well as original research, the journal has also published commentaries and reviews, the latest by Edward Ramos and Charles Rotimi on the positive contribution that medical genomics can have on improving the health of minority groups. Douglas Kell’s overarching systems medicine review of the otherwise highly disparate literature linking inappropriate iron chelation and human disease published at the start of the year is already our most highly-accessed article, with over 5000 accesses in just 5 months.
BMC Medical Genomics, along with BMC Systems Biology, was one of the first journals in the BMC-series to embrace the involvement of Associate Editors in the peer review process. We would like to thank all of our Associate Editors as well as members of our Advisory Board for their help and support since the launch of the journal. Submit your next paper to BMC Medical Genomics to take part in the future success of the journal!
Scott Edmunds PhD
In-house Editor, BMC Medical Genomics
Posted by Scott Edmunds at 16:55 Comments (0)
BMC Research Notes publishes 250th article
In October last year BMC Research Notes reached its 100th article milestone, only eight months after its launch. I am now delighted to announce that after a further eight months we have reached the 250th article landmark.
BMC Research Notes remains firmly within the top 10 BMC-series journals, in terms of both submissions and publications, and continues to attract the submission of valuable manuscripts that otherwise may have remained unpublished.
The 250th article, A comprehensive resource for integrating and displaying protein post-translational modifications, by Tzong-Yi Lee and colleagues, will also feature in our Databases Topical series, which is a collection of articles describing new or improved databases.
In this data note, Lee and colleagues present the implementation of dbPTM 2.0, a database of both experimentally verified and predicted post-translational modifications (PTMs). In its latest version the database integrates, in an enhanced web interface, tools to visualise PTMs in the context of the proteins' secondary and tertiary structure, structural properties of PTM sites such as solvent accessibility to substrate and information on the evolutionary conservation of these modifications.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all authors, reviewers and committed Editorial Board Members who have been involved in the successful growth of BMC Research Notes. Our Editorial Board has played a significant role in developing the journal by investing their time and efforts into providing their expert advice, and we appreciate their continued dedication to this important and innovative journal.
We welcome readers’ feedback on the journal and its contents. If you have any questions about the journal and our editorial policies, or if you would like to be involved in the journal, as an author, reviewer, or Associate Editor, please do get in touch.
Rhian Cunliffe
Senior Journal Development Editor, BMC-series journals
Posted by Rhian Cunliffe at 11:31 Comments (0)
Copy number variation: larger clues to cancer?
‘Copy number variations and cancer’, a Review article published in Genome Medicine, describes the emerging importance of the role of genetic structural variation and diversity in cancer.
Copy number variations (CNV) are large, structurally variant regions of DNA that contribute substantially to genetic diversity. Until recently, the majority of genomic studies in cancer have focused on the single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with different forms of the disease. Technological progress in the form of high-resolution SNP arrays, however, has allowed the identification of increasing numbers of CNVs and the association of these components of genetic variation with different forms of cancer has become apparent.
As Dr Adam Shlien and Dr David Malkin discuss in this Review, the importance of understanding the complex structural dynamics of CNVs, both in constitutional and somatic mutations, and their association with cancer, is evident. The authors analyze the research in this field to date, and highlight the possibility of exciting developments for the future.
Genome Medicine, BioMed Central’s premier medical journal, stands at the forefront of research and clinical practice in the post-genomic era. The journal is led by six Section Editors and is supported by a world renowned Editorial Board.
We welcome cutting-edge genomic and post-genomic research reporting findings that significantly advance our understanding and management of human health and disease.
Keep abreast of recent developments in these exciting times: register for article updates and submit your next manuscript of outstanding research to Genome Medicine.
Jasmine Farsarakis
Commissioning/Development Editor, Genome Medicine
Posted by Jasmine Farsarakis at 11:26 Comments (0)
Swine flu and the modeling of pandemics – A new review in BMC Medicine
Influenza A (H1N1), more commonly known as swine flu, has recently received a great deal of media attention, much of it focused on the measures that governments and organisations are taking to contain this infectious disease from spreading.
A new review published this week in BMC Medicine by Editorial Board member Sally Blower and her colleagues at the Semel Institute Centre for Biomedical modeling, UCLA considers how mathematical modeling of influenza pandemic outbreaks can inform pandemic preparedness planning, using swine flu as the focus.
Review
Modeling influenza epidemics and pandemics: insights into the future of swine flu (H1N1)
Brian J Coburn, Bradley G Wagner, Sally Blower
BMC Medicine 2009, 7:30 (22 June 2009)
[Abstract] [Provisional PDF]
If you are interested in the recent swine flu outbreak, visit the BioMed Central Influenza Gateway for more information. This portal includes the latest news about Influenza A (H1N1), as well as the latest research about influenza published across all of the BioMed Central journals.
BMC Medicine publishes original research articles, commentaries and reviews in all areas of medical science and clinical practice. To be appropriate for BMC Medicine, articles need to be of outstanding quality, broad interest and special importance. Why not sign up for our article alerts to keep abreast of notable research in medicine, and submit your outstanding research articles?
Posted by Robin Cassady-Cain at 09:38 Comments (0)
Submit your next case report to the BMC series
Following the recent departure of the Journal of Medical Case Reports from BioMed Central’s portfolio, the medical journals in the BMC series have started considering case reports again.
BMC Gastroenterology has just published the first case report since this policy came to effect. The article ‘The clinicopathologic observation, c-KIT gene mutation and clonal status of gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the sacrum‘ by Li Gong and colleagues describes the clinicopathological characterization of a primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the sacrum.
Case reports allow the rapid and concise reporting of previously unknown treatment side effects, novel therapeutic approaches, unusual clinical associations and diagnostic dilemmas. They can make a significant contribution to the literature, particularly for medical specialties such as surgery or emergency medicine, where the development of clinical trials can be ethically or methodologically challenging.
Several case reports rank among the most accessed articles for several medical journals in the BMC series, which speak for the readers’ support for this article type. The article ‘Myocardial bridging as a cause of acute myocardial infarction: a case report’, published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders for example, has been accessed over 22,000 times, while the case report ‘Confounding factors in diagnosing brain death: a case report' is the fourth most accessed article for BMC Neurology with more than 13,000 accesses.
The medical journals in the BMC series consider reports of unusual or exceptional cases that advance clinical knowledge. We welcome manuscripts reporting case reports falling under any of the categories below:
1. Unreported or unusual side effects or adverse interactions involving medications
2. Unexpected or unusual presentations of a disease
3. New associations or variations in disease processes
4. Presentations, diagnoses and/or management of new and emerging diseases
5. An unexpected association between diseases or symptoms
6. An unexpected event in the course of observing or treating a patient
7. Findings that shed new light on the possible pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect
You can submit your case report online by visiting the most appropriate journal within the BMC series.
We look forward to receiving your next case report.
Iratxe Puebla
Senior Editor, BMC-series journals
Posted by Iratxe Puebla at 15:11 Comments (0)
BioMed Central at ISMB & ECCB 2009
The 17th International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB) & 8th European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB) is taking place in Stockholm, Sweden this month (29 June - 2 July) and BioMed Central is busy gearing up for the event.
The ISMB & ECCB conference is the leading international meeting bringing together researchers in bioinformatics, systems biology, genomics and other computational aspects of biology. Researchers working in these fields are some of the most enthusiastic supporters of open access, and BioMed Central has a particular strong portfolio of journals in this area, including BMC Systems Biology which receives its first Impact Factor this year. Attending ISMB & ECCB is a great opportunity to stay in touch with the many BioMed Central authors, Editors and Editorial Board members who attend the meeting. We're looking forward to seeing everyone again this year!
What's happening at the BioMed Central booth (#5)
- Calling all Sudoku lovers! - Following the success of the Rubik's Cube last year, we have lined up an even better event this year. Make sure you visit the BioMed Central booth to take part in our exciting Sudoku challenge (2 July, 10.00am) for the chance to win a Nintendo DSi and also hear the latest about our open access journals.
- Drinks and nibbles - We are also hosting a drinks reception on Wednesday 1st July, 4.15pm and would love for you to join us!
- Meet the team - Visit the BioMed Central booth to meet some of the team, Managing Director Matthew Cockerill will be at the event as will Deborah Kahn, Publishing Director and Helen Whitaker, PhD, Journal Development Editor, who will be ready to answer any of your journal questions.
Conference activities
- Special session on the Future of Scientific Publishing
Afternoon of Monday 29th June
This special session, in which BioMed Central is a participant, will examine the future of scientific publishing with particular emphasis on text mining and image analysis. - ISCB Student Council Symposium - For the fourth year running BMC Bioinformatics is proud to be supporting young scientists by sponsoring the ISCB Student Council Symposium. Taking place on Saturday 27th June, the Student Council Symposium provides a forum for students and young researchers in the fields of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics to present their work to an international audience.
- Delegate bags - Be sure to delve into your ISMB delegate bag for your very own Bioinformatics, Genomics and Systems Biology leaflet. The leaflet provides useful information on all bioinformatics, genomics and systems biology open access journals.
Posted by Sana Mulla at 11:34 Comments (0)
Wikipedia and open access journals - now more compatible than ever
A couple of years ago, I posted a blog noting the complementarity between Wikipedia (which excludes original research from its scope, but strongly encourages citation of original sources), and open access journals which publish original research which Wikipedia authors can easily cite, and which Wikipedia readers can reliably follow links to gain access to.
So I was especially happy to hear the new complementarity just got even better, with the announcement last month that Wikipedia's content will soon be switching from its current licensing scheme (the GNU Free Documentation License) to a Creative Commons license – specifically the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License (CC-BY-SA).
This new license chosen by Wikipedia is a variant of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY), which is used by BioMed Central and many other open access publishers. The difference between the two is that the version used by Wikipedia requires that any derived work that includes the material must be similarly licensed.
What this means in practice is that it is now straightforward, from a licensing perspective, for any organization whether commercial or non-commercial to create derivative works incorporating both open access research articles and Wikipedia content, and to distribute these combined works under the CC-BY-SA license. The Creative Commons website even includes a handy license compatibility wizard to work out what can be combined and how it can be relicensed.
As Wikipedia and open access journals continue to grow, the academic, educational and indeed commercial possibilities opened up by this rapidly expanding resource of freely licensable content are truly exciting.
Posted by Matthew Cockerill at 17:59 Comments (1)
New centre announced for research and development in open access communications
SHERPA have announced the formation of the Centre for Research Communications (CRC). Based at the University of Nottingham, CRC will house the portfolio of open access projects, services and initiatives currently undertaken by the University. It will also explore innovative research and development activities across the whole field of research communications.
The formation of CRC provides yet another boost to the growing open access movement. As demonstrated by the recent award of open access institute of the year award, Nottingham University is now at the forefront of supporting and informing changes in the way that research is communicated around the world.
Posted by Charlotte Webber at 15:55 Comments (0)
Solving the genetic puzzle of atrial fibrillation
‘Molecular genetics of atrial fibrillation’, a Review article recently published in Genome Medicine, highlights recent groundbreaking work in atrial fibrillation genetics that has provided researchers with an increased understanding of the genetic origin of this disease.
Historically, many studies have successfully identified the familial predisposition for atrial fibrillation, a common type of cardiac dysrhythmia and a known risk factor for stroke; however, up to 30% of patients are affected without any known familial association and the absence of any identifiable risk factors, such as hypertension or diabetes.
Many studies have identified mutations associated with the disease, but it was not until recent work using high-throughput sequencing technology, that the 4q25 locus was identified as a susceptibility factor for atrial fibrillation. The gene PITX2, which is known to have a role in embryonic cardiac development, has also been identified as the causal variant within the 4q25 susceptibility locus.
As Dr Samir B Damani and Dr Eric J Topol discuss in this Review, the advances in genomic research of atrial fibrillation represent more than just increased understanding of the disease; translation of these findings will lead to improved screening, prognosis, and treatment, as well as the future possibility of a personalized approach for treatment for atrial fibrillation.
Genome Medicine welcomes genomic and post-genomic research reporting findings that significantly advance our understanding and management of human health and disease. The journal also regularly publishes Review, Minireview and Commentary articles that appraise progress in any area of medicine studied from a genomic or post-genomic perspective.
We invite you to submit your next manuscript of outstanding research to Genome Medicine. You can also keep abreast of recent developments by registering online for our article updates.
Jasmine Farsarakis
Commissioning/Development Editor, Genome Medicine
Posted by Jasmine Farsarakis at 16:42 Comments (0)