COPD Foundation Launches Open Access Journal, Calls for Submissions from Medical Community

December 12, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 12, 2013 – In response to a request from the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) medical community, The COPD Foundation (COPDF) announces that it will launch a free, digital and open access journal. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation (JCOPDF) will publish quarterly, with the first issue launching in May 2014 to coincide with the COPDF’s 10th Anniversary. Members of the medical community are invited to submit articles via email to COPD@NJHealth.org.

“Providing wide access to educational materials and research is a critical part of the COPDF’s mission,” says John W. Walsh, president and co-founder of the COPDF. “An open access journal helps researchers and readers by removing the barrier that a subscription model creates. Traditionally, medical journals have been read by researchers, but open access has paved the way for the readership of scientific journals to expand beyond researchers to include professionals in the field, global users, journalists and students.”

James Crapo, M.D., professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Denver, a principal investigator of the COPDGene® Study, and editor-in-chief, JCOPDF, has assembled an international editorial board featuring leaders in the COPD field. Articles submitted to the JCOPDF will undergo rigorous peer review, and once accepted will be published online.

Dr. Crapo states, "Open access publishing has revolutionized peer-reviewed scientific journals. The JCOPDF provides the COPD community with an outlet for high-quality articles that can be accessed quickly and easily. It’s vital that information about COPD research and medical discoveries be shared with a wider audience, from clinical trials to observational epidemiologic and genetic studies, because shared knowledge serves as the catalyst for medical breakthroughs."

Please visit the JCOPDF website for more information about the JCOPDF editorial board, or to subscribe to be notified when new articles are posted.