A new phase transition for EHPM from a paper-based journal to an on-line one

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine (EHPM) will be published as an online-only journal after January volume in 2012. Since the first publication from 1996, it has grown rapidly and has been recognized as one of the major journals in the field of social medicine and public health. It is now cited by many sources, including Scopus and Index Medicus.

Changing the policy to online journal was proposed by the editorial committee in the fiscal year 2010. The proposal has been discussed not only in the editorial committee and among members of the Japanese Society for Hygiene for 2 years. The proposal was approved in 2011 by the society under a strong leadership of the president of our society, Dr. Hiroshi Sato.

One of the major motivations of changing the policy is the economic reason. By changing the policy, we can slim the budget by one-fifth of the total annual revenue of the society, securing sustainability of the Journal. The second major reason is globalization. Nowadays, numbers of on line journals have been increasing. Online journal can obviously eliminate many cumbersome processes for publications and facilities rapid publications, covering globally. We can submit, review and revise papers by online even though anywhere you live. This merit is very attractive.

The editorial policy of EHPM [1] does not change in the new journal. Fair, rapid and rigorous review based on the science, not being influenced by social impacts, will be maintained.

Akio Koizumi

Editor-in-chief on the behalf of the editorial committee members.