Abstract
We are delighted to announce that from the start of 2023, JFMS will become a Gold Open Access journal, meaning that all articles will be published under a Creative Commons licence and available open access immediately upon publication. In becoming an open access, online journal, JFMS will be joining its sister title JFMS Open Reports.
Since the start of the open access publishing movement in the early 2000s, there has been a growing number of journals established using the open access model, and an increasing proportion of existing journals that have transitioned to becoming open access.
The principles behind open access publishing – making published papers available free of charge and accessible without other barriers – are well established and, we believe, highly applicable to JFMS. From its inception, JFMS was designed to be an indispensable resource for any veterinary clinician dealing with cats. It has become a well-cited and highly regarded journal, but until now most articles have remained behind a paywall (being accessible through either AAFP or ISFM membership, or through direct subscription to the journal). As Societies and as Editors, our goal has always been to improve the health and welfare of cats by providing high-quality peer-reviewed information, but clearly the potential to achieve this aim is greatly enhanced by making the journal open access and this has been the driving force behind the change.
That is not to say that this change has been made without careful consideration of other factors too. An inevitable consequence of the shift to open access publishing is that the costs involved in publishing papers are borne by the authors (instead of the readers), but it is heartening to see that corporate practices, as well as academic institutes, are now dedicating financial support to open access publishing of manuscripts. In addition, we will, of course, do all we can to ensure the costs of publishing in JFMS remain reasonable. This will start with a discounted rate of $900 USD for the 12 months following the introduction of the article processing charge, which, in order to have open access papers ready for publication from January, will be in the next couple of months. After this introductory rate, there will also be discounts for members of AAFP and ISFM.
Our goal has always been to improve the health and welfare of cats by providing high-quality peerreviewed information. The potential to achieve this aim is greatly enhanced by making the journal open access and this has been the driving force behind
the change.
We are also indeed aware that with the move to open access there are implications for the members of AAFP and ISFM in terms of their member benefits. Both Societies have been very active in consulting with their members and have been developing new and exciting initiatives, as well as engaging resources, that are in addition to the pre-existing benefits. Further to these new offerings, starting in January 2023 there will be a monthly ‘Clinical Spotlight’ article highlighting the important and clinically relevant science, which will be supplemented with exclusive content for AAFP and ISFM members. As at present, AAFP and ISFM will also continue to make a significant investment in maintaining a dedicated editorial team in order to ensure the highest possible quality of published papers and to continue the production of the popular Clinical Review articles on a monthly basis.
In the move to open access publishing, we have refined the aims and scope of both JFMS and JFMS Open Reports so that the difference between them is clear. We have included this information in Table 1, as it will no doubt be of help both to readers and also potential authors.
Summary of the aims and scope of Gold Open Access JFMS and JFMS Open Reports
This is a pivotal moment in the development of JFMS, and we look forward to the future with a new sense of excitement. The journal is set to be more widely read and better utilised than ever before, and happily, for those authors who have already published in the journal, their papers will also be made free to read after the transition. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone – authors, reviewers, Editorial Board members, AAFP and ISFM members and other readers, as well as our publisher SAGE – for the part you have played in getting us to this point. We know that the welfare of cats will benefit from this evolution.