Open access spreads malaria journal as disease bites

Dosage of information goes up as Malaria rises

The only scientific journal dedicated exclusively to malaria research has become the number one ranked journal in the field of tropical medicine, it has emerged.

Malaria Journal, published by BioMed Central , was the most highly cited journal in the field last year, rising from second place the year before. It was also the fifth most-cited journal by academics in the field of parasitology for the second year in a row.

The open access journal’s popularity could reflect the growing incidence of malaria, which threatens an estimated 40% of the world’s population and kills about three million people a year.

The disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes infected with parasites, is preventable and curable but can be fatal if not treated promptly.

Most deaths occur among young children in sub-Saharan Africa, but the World Health Organization has recently reported an increase across the Indian subcontinent, particularly in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Launched in 2002, Malaria Journal is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal monitored by Thomson Scientific and US citation and bibliography services Medline and PubMed. All articles are published free of charge on the internet as soon as they are accepted.

In a statement, BioMed Central said: “These impressive rankings recognise the unique contribution made by Malaria Journal to the fast-growing field of tropical medicine, and underline the importance of freely available, open access research to practitioners and researchers working in the developing world.”

BioMed Central publisher Matthew Cockerill said the rankings were an “impressive testament” to the commitment and dedication of the journal’s editor-in-chief, Marcel Hommel, and “the critical importance of open access to the latest research relevant to global health issues”.

Open access scientific journal publisher BioMed Central is committed to free access to its peer-reviewed research, which it believes is essential to the rapid and efficient communication of science.

www.malariajournal.com