Why the ‘CytoJournal’ is needed:

The conventional model for journals has performed an admirable job of disseminating research and advancing science. Unfortunately it cannot fully utilize recent technology nor extend its benefits to either the scientific community or the general public.  With the advent of newer technologies, the internet and image digitization, the time has come for the development and implementation a new model. A model beneficial to the scientific community and general public alike. The recent adoption of an open access http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=117246 model by the Public Library of Science (PLOS) http://www.plos.org/journals/model.html and other scientific organizations including the National Institute of Health (NIH) http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-032.html has generated significant interest in and should provide impetus for the creation of a new type of journal. A journal model which yields a free, open access, peer reviewed, research publication.

Additional benefits of an internet-based journal would include rapid turnaround time, real time publication, significant cost savings, and a reduction in the      environmental burden engendered in the production and disposal of a print publication. Presumably in the future, the majority of research publications will be of this type.  At present, none of the existing journals in the field of cytopathology belong to this category.

Free flow of scientific information is crucial for the advancement of disease diagnosis and management in the developed and developing world. ‘CytoJournal’ as an open access, online journal, quality controlled through traditional peer review processes would be the first of its kind in the field of cytopathology. It should positively influence the advancement of the scientific community around the world.