In June 2011, three leading research funders came together in a unique collaboration to inspire change in science communication. The first product of this partnership is eLife – an open-access journal for the most influential research in life science and biomedicine. After much anticipation surrounding the announcement of the project, recruitment of the academic editorial team, the call for papers, and the publication of first articles, the eLife journal website is introduced today.
The eLife journal (http://elife.elifesciences.org) invites visitors to explore important new research and associated data, read comments and commentary by experts and colleagues, and get a sense of the quality of work that eLife is publishing.
Nineteen research papers have now been selected for publication by eLife’s academic editors. “eLife editors have successfully established a high bar for the journal,” said Randy Schekman, Editor-in-chief. “We will continue to publish only those papers deemed highly influential or important. Authors who give us a try will be rewarded with a quick initial decision and – for those selected for full peer review – a constructive and decisive review process. Feedback has been very positive, with board members, referees, and authors all embracing our approach.”
The new site also offers a chance to explore how eLife is taking advantage of digital media. Presentation of content is clean and distraction-free, allowing authors to present the results of their research in full, and inviting readers to delve deeply into the work by exploring figures and their supplements, watching videos, reading editor decision letters and author responses, downloading data sets, viewing article-level metrics, and more. All of this is a starting point, as eLife will continue to solicit feedback from the community in making the presentation as accessible and usable as possible.
“Now is a great time for scientists to come and take a look at eLife, see what they think of the science, and what they think of the way the science is being presented,” added Schekman. “We invite our colleagues to consider eLife as a venue for the publication of their most important work. Although our selection process is stringent, we can promise a speedy review for all and a quite unique experience for the authors of papers we accept for publication.”
The eLife journal is now online at http://elife.elifesciences.org.
For more information about the eLife initiative, and commentary on the site launch, visit http://www.elifesciences.org.
