Abstract
JFMS is at the start of a new adventure. As of January 2023, JFMS will be published Gold Open Access, meaning that the journal will reach all veterinary professionals interested in feline medicine and surgery, as well as others who work with cats, without restriction. As joint stewards of JFMS, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) – JFMS’s owner organisations – have nurtured its development into a major and mainstream veterinary journal and an essential benefit for their members. Expanding the reach of high-level feline content aligns with their mission and goals, and their commitment to improving feline care and supporting veterinary professionals. JFMS also joins the open access movement at a time when it is gaining considerable momentum and the benefits of scientific information being made available without restrictions are widely recognised.
The journey of JFMS began in 1996 with the launch of the European Society of Feline Medicine (the forerunner of the ISFM) and, with that, a small quarterly newsletter – Feline Focus. The European society developed a plan to make the huge leap to convert this newsletter into a fully fledged peer-reviewed journal and, coincident with the publishers WB Saunders also expressing an interest in developing a feline journal, the first issue of JFMS was published in 1999. At that time, there were a modest four issues a year. In 2002, the AAFP, which had also published its own newsletter for a number of years, joined ISFM in the journal partnership. The expansion of JFMS to six issues a year followed shortly in 2003. After a few publisher changes, in 2009 the organisations, both of which were primarily serving veterinary practitioner members, started commissioning high-quality clinical reviews, publishing them in a further six ‘Clinical Practice’ issues a year. This unique blend of Classic (clinical research) and Clinical Practice (review) editions of the journal provided an exciting combination of cutting-edge, clinically relevant research findings, along with state-of-the-art clinical reviews, for AAFP and ISFM members and journal subscribers. In 2015, ISFM and the AAFP expanded their publishing activities further and launched JFMS’s sister title, JFMS Open Reports, in order to provide a platform for the publication of case reports and small case series, and small studies of regional (but not necessarily international) relevance.
Having partnered with SAGE Publications in 2012, JFMS has remained in their hands ever since, and we are delighted that SAGE, ISFM and the AAFP will be stepping into the open access arena of publishing together. Our editors, with us from the beginning, and our Editorial Board and reviewers, have supported and helped guide these developments, and we thank them for their exceptional hard work and care for the journal over the years.
In moving to open access and away from print, very careful consideration has gone into ensuring there is no loss in the quality of the journal. The AAFP and ISFM are keeping the editorial team and advisors who developed and continue to maintain the style and quality of the publication. We will also continue to publish guidelines and other tools to help our readers and busy practitioners. We will be keeping the popular and easy-to-read ‘Clinical Practice’-style reviews, a practical resource for veterinary professionals, which will now be promoted as Clinical Spotlight articles to ISFM and AAFP members, alongside additional features, such as author interview podcasts that will help listeners to gain further insights on clinically relevant material.
In 2021, there were over 1 million downloads of JFMS articles, and this underscores the usage and usefulness of the journal. The importance of the journal is also evidenced by the maintenance of its impact factor, which demonstrates the impressive number of citations that JFMS papers receive. Once JFMS is open access, the sky truly is the limit, and we look forward to putting feline medicine and surgery into the hands of everyone who works with cats.
End of an era
This December 2022 issue marks a significant event in JFMS history – it is the last print issue that will be mailed to ISFM and AAFP members before its pivotal move to becoming an online-only, open access journal. While we celebrate this momentous occasion, it is also bittersweet as we announce that Dr Margie Scherk will be stepping down from her position as AAFP co-editor. Since starting the role just prior to AAFP members receiving their very first issue of JFMS in 2002, Margie has contributed so much of her time, expertise and passion, and has been steadfast in her commitment to ensuring JFMS remains the top feline publication. Her dedication and valuable input to the publishing team has had a significant impact, ensuring the continued high-quality journal content that we all know and expect.
We are thrilled to announced that Dr Kelly St Denis will be taking over the role of co-editor, and will partner with Margie in 2023 to ensure a seamless transition.
There are no words we can share that would wholly encompass the appreciation and gratitude that Margie deserves for over 20 years of dedication and service to JFMS. So, we will simply say thank you, and may your life always be blessed with extra purrs and a cat on your lap.
‘With so many JFMS successes through the years, my enthusiasm for spreading the gospel of feline medicine has come to fruition with the milestone of it becoming open access. I am truly proud that I was able to be a part of JFMS for over 20 years, and that the result of our work has enabled more veterinary professionals to practice better feline medicine and more cats to receive the care they deserve.’Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP (Feline)