Abstract
Global Spine Journal (GSJ) is always looking toward the future in the constantly changing world of publishing. In the digital age, almost all Open Access journals are online only. After much deliberation and discussion, GSJ has decided to discontinue our print version. After this issue, all future journal issues moving forward will be available online only. This current issue, Volume 9, Issue 5 will be the last regular paper copy issue of GSJ.
This decision was not made lightly and was done for a variety of reasons. GSJ and AOSpine have both committed to “Going Green” to better help the environment. Printing the journal on paper causes a huge strain on the environment, and GSJ and AOSpine want to do their part together in helping the planet better utilize resources. Results of a recent survey among AOSpine members and the general GSJ readership showed that 90% of our readers access the journal online. Only 10% read the paper copy. Since GSJ is Open Access, the online content is accessible, and anyone can download and read it.
All GSJ content will remain Open Access, and therefore available for anyone to read and download online free of charge. All content can also be downloaded to read offline at any time on your laptop, phone, or tablet. We will also keep on providing paper copies of special issues and collections at conferences such as Global Spine Congress.
Please visit the GSJ website to access all content on https://journals.sagepub.com/home/gsj.
On the website, you will not only be able to access the latest issue of the journal, but also be able to find all Special Focus Issues, Podcasts, as well as articles grouped by specific topics (Special Collections).
We hope you all understand that this decision was not made lightly and we believe it is the best decision for the journal and its future.