Geochemical Transactions joins the 140+ open access journals currently published by BioMed Central, including over 70 titles that are run by independent editorial groups. In line with the publisher's open access policy, all articles published in Geochemical Transactions from January 1, 2006 will be immediately and permanently accessible online free of charge. All articles that were published in the journal prior to 2006 will also retrospectively become open access.
The Editorial Board of Geochemical Transactions retains full editorial control of the journal. Scott Wood will continue to serve as Editor in Chief, a role in which he is now joined by Martin Schoonen and Kenneth Anderson. BioMed Central will build and host the journal website, provide online manuscript submission and article-production systems as well as other editorial tools, full technical support, customer services and marketing assistance.
Martin Schoonen explains why the journal decided to move to BioMed Central,
"For Geochemical Transactions to grow into a premier journal in our field it needs to be accessible. Geochemical Transactions was faced with the problem that many institutions are dropping subscriptions to journals to meet budgetary constraints. This disproportionally affects newer journals. By joining BioMed Central and adopting the open access format, we ensure access to Geochemical Transactions now and for the future. BioMed Central also offered us the opportunity to make the entire collection of Geochemical Transactions articles available with open access as part of the change. We are optimistic that the move will increase the visibility and impact of Geochemical Transactions. "
Geochemical Transactions provides a medium for the rapid publication of high-quality research in all areas of chemistry as it relates to materials and processes occurring in the Earth's hydrosphere and geosphere, including: organic geochemistry; inorganic geochemistry; marine and aquatic chemistry, including chemical oceanography, and biogeochemistry, including geomicrobiology. The journal publishes articles, communications, and technical comments on published research. Concise reviews of specific geochemical research areas or perspectives on new trends in geochemical research are also accepted.
BioMed Central's Publisher, Dr Matthew Cockerill, welcomes the journal:
" We are delighted that the Editors of Geochemical Transactions have made the significant step of converting the journal to open access, and that they have chosen BioMed Central as their publisher. Geochemical Transactions is a well-established and respected title, and is an important addition to our growing portfolio of chemistry journals, which includes the Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry, published by the Beilstein Institut in collaboration with BioMed Central."
Authors of recently submitted manuscripts and authors who are planning to submit manuscripts before January 1, 2006, should consult information posted on http://membership.acs.org/g/geoc/ within the next two weeks.
More information about the journal is available at www.geochemicaltransactions.com.