We are excited and pleased to announce that, beginning with this issue of Volume 10, The Basic Science Educator is being published on line, at the website of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE).
It had become painfully apparent to the IAMSE Board of Directors, and to the Publications Committee, that the costs of printing and mailing journal issues to every IAMSE member (many living outside the United States) had moved beyond the financial means of the Society. Our last printed issue appeared in 1999.
IAMSE is now prepared to resume publication of the BSE with a very attractive and convenient electronic system. Issues will be accessible from the journal home page. Clicking on Volume 10 will bring up a Table of Contents and abstracts of each article. IAMSE members can then read or download the complete text of each article in PDF format. Previous volumes of BSE, including full text, are also available to members from the journal home page.
We believe this new format provides a much better, as well as less expensive, means to publish the high quality articles that our field is calling for. Pictures, figures and appended materials can be more easily attached than in print copy, article and issue size is no longer a severe restriction, and readers will have a permanent, easily retrievable resource of all materials published in the journal.
The basic format of the journal remains unchanged: peer-reviewed articles, plus articles, columns, and information prepared by or with our Associate Editors. We are still the only publication dedicated solely to issues of education in basic medical science. Volume 11, due to appear later in 2001, will be the proceedings of the recent IAMSE meeting in Rochester, MN. It will have text from the plenary speakers, discussion of issues from the focus sessions, and abstracts of the posters.
Manuscript submissions are being accepted for Volume 12, which will be in the regular format. Original articles can be submitted to the Managing Editor (Word document, by email only, at eldridge@wfubmc.edu) . Articles for columns should be arranged with the respective Associate Editor.
Personally, I wish to thank the BSE Editorial board, and the IAMSE Publications Committee, for working diligently on this transition to an electronic publication. A particular acknowledgement is due Edward (Pat) Finnerty, Chair of the committee, who helped create and install the new website for BSE. It’s an exciting moment for the journal, its authors and its readers.
J. Charles Eldridge
Wake Forest University