Abstract
At present, demand calls forth supply in the world of microbiology journals. The proliferation of new journals in the last few years has been in accordance with the increasing number of Ph.D.s and scientific advances, as well as the acute exigency of publishing relevant results.
I am pleased to announce the launch of “Microbiology Insights”—a new peer-reviewed open access journal published by Libertas Academica. Our goal is to encompass all aspects of the study of microbiology. We propose to explore the rich areas of microbiology research. But we also intend to cultivate and improve the journal “Microbiology Insights” itself. The time donated by the authors and researchers is the most valuable contribution to the wellbeing of the journal, which must be appreciated not only by the Editor in Chief but equally by the authors, the publisher and the reading public.
In line with our ongoing ambition, studies on eukaryotic microorganisms (protoctists, moulds, yeast) and prokaryotic microorganisms (bacteria, cyanobacteria, archaea; viruses, prions) are welcome, provided they demonstrate new findings of relevance to the field as a whole. Areas such as functionality, infectious disease, ecology, evolution and biodiversity, food-borne pathogens, molecular microbiology, drug resistance and antimicrobials, clinical, environmental and industrial applications and more are also incorporated in this journal. Papers are selected on the basis of topicality, originality, objectivity, and relevance to a broad readership encompassing research scientists. Any article that helps to build on or explore different aspects of microbiology will be welcome.
The advent of new and more powerful technologies, growing recognition of the role of microbiology in society, and the research activities and interests of outstanding microbiologists has revolutionized our understanding of the discipline. Microbiology is moving into a new era and with this journal, we make ground-breaking microbiological research readily available. “Microbiology Insights” arrives at just the right time to provide an alternative to conventional print journals.
The journal will be competing head-on with a number of existing subscription-based journals. However, there is clearly a niche for the new journal. The reason for this is that all journal articles will be accessible without any access boundaries, to all internet users throughout the world. This freedom is coupled with rigorous, fair and prompt standards of peer review. We believe that the Internet contributes to the phenomenon of globalisation and is the best way to quickly and efficiently disseminate research advances. The journal is a necessary part of ensuring that microbiology research will be available to people everywhere.
A knowledge of microbiology is useful for individuals pursuing careers in health, engineering, food science and the environment, as well as those intending to pursue careers in microbiology. Our mission is to advance and unify microbiological knowledge. For this reason, we believe findings from scientific activities should be distributed extensively. Conventional print journals pose several problems as high subscription prices and restrictive copyright policies prevent authors from reaching all but a small proportion of their audience. Long lead times between submission and publication mean authors risk losing the opportunity to be at the forefront of new discoveries. This journal was created rectify this situation and offers an open access, online publishing model that has been developed in response to these disadvantages.
“Microbiology Insights” is published exclusively online. Articles will follow a consistent format so that the visual impact will be high, and equal to that of the best hard-copy publications. In contrast to paper-based journals, however, the electronic format allows the full use of digital technologies and permits the inclusion of large data sets, from field and laboratory studies, links to other web pages, animations, slide shows, video clips and unlimited colour, all at no additional charge. Open access means that all articles are freely available to all, worldwide, and at no cost to the reader. Authors retain copyright of their work and can grant anyone the right to reproduce and disseminate it, provided that it is correctly cited and no errors are introduced, under the Creative Commons “CC-BY” licence.
In hard-copy journals, the costs of publication are met by subscriptions paid by the reader. In “Microbiology Insights”, as in other open access journals, these costs are borne by the author in the form of a publication processing fee. Many grant-awarding bodies and institutions recognise the value of open access publishing, by allowing their funds to be used for PPFs. Fee waivers and discounts are available on a case-by-case basis, and we shall make every effort to ensure that lack of funds does not impede the overall objective of publishing the best science, irrespective of authorship or country of origin.
I do not foresee that open access, online journals will completely replace the traditional print format in the immediate future, although this may be an increasing trend with time. I am certain, however, that the benefits of online publication, and the extra opportunities that digital technologies give to authors, will be increasingly recognised. Open access is of huge benefit to the researchers working in institutions around the world where institutional libraries are unable to afford subscription fees for a full range of journals.
We define our interests, concerns, and perspective in the broadest possible manner. We most certainly welcome articles incorporating new findings and viewpoints, provided only that they are of relevance to the Microbiology perspective. Accordingly, we will attempt to build on current microbiology knowledge in upcoming issues of “Microbiology Insights”. We want the reader to appreciate your work and our work, and what is not known today we will know tomorrow.
I expect that “Microbiology Insights” will attract manuscripts of the highest quality which are of the greatest possible benefit to readers. Peer review is undertaken by at least two leading experts in the area of the manuscript.
Therefore, we invite you to send your research papers, reviews and articles for the current and the forthcoming issues. For further information on what we hope will be an exciting and highly useful new journal, please click on the “about this journal” link on the journal's web page.