Abstract
Our relationship with this new Journal provides opportunities for expedited publication in BioResearch Open Access of some papers submitted to Human Gene Therapy and Human Gene Therapy Methods which do not meet the criteria for publication in our two gene therapy journals. We frequently encounter papers which are sent out for peer review and are found to be technically sound in terms of the experiments and associated conclusions, but are deemed not acceptable due to issues such as novelty, scope, etc. Editors managing these types of manuscripts that are rejected from Human Gene Therapy and Human Gene Therapy Methods will now have the option to refer them for publication in BioResearch Open Access without further review. It is critical to note, however, that not all manuscripts submitted to our Journals that are rejected will be afforded this opportunity.
The fact is that the quality of papers being submitted to Human Gene Therapy and Human Gene Therapy Methods is increasing thereby raising the bar for publication. The option for expedited publication of some of our rejected papers in this new open access journal will be a very important consideration for our colleagues, especially in the increasingly competitive environment of cell and gene therapy. We are confident that BioResearch Open Access will emerge as a leading journal of its type. This journal has outstanding leadership through Jane Taylor and Ian Wilmut at the University of Edinburgh with its section heads comprised of Editors-In-Chiefs of many flagship journals in the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., fleet, such as Human Gene Therapy. Articles referred to BioResearch Open Access will be published within 4 weeks of acceptance and will be uploaded in PubMedCentral, Google Scholar, and Microsoft Academic Search, after their final publication. Once a track record is established, the new journal will apply for inclusion in Medline and will have an impact factor.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support in launching Human Gene Therapy Methods. We will be publishing eight high quality papers in each of the first two issues of Methods. I encourage you to consider this venue for publishing technical aspects of your work that otherwise may not end up in the literature. As I have said before, some of the most highly cited papers in the field of cell and gene therapy describe technical advances. We are also interested in publishing reviews and commentaries in Human Gene Therapy Methods. Feel free to contact me directly with your ideas.