Emerging Themes in Epidemiology
Emerging Themes in Epidemiology is an online open access peer-reviewed medical journal. It is managed by current doctoral students and recent PhD graduates in the United Kingdom and Canada. The journal is based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is published by BioMed Central.
Principles
The journal has three guiding principles:
- That more fundamental discussion is needed of the theoretical frameworks that underpin the field of epidemiology, as well as the methodological and practical challenges of conducting epidemiological research
- That scientific knowledge, a public good that results mainly from publicly funded research, should be made freely available through Open Access
- That doctorate students should have an opportunity to contribute more directly to the scientific discourse by influencing what is published, while gaining experience in editing and publishing an academic journal
Scope
The journal publishes articles related to any aspect of epidemiological research and practice, focusing on novel theoretical frameworks, methodological developments, causal inference, and epistemology. It does not generally consider reports of primary research, but publishes discursive pieces that comment critically on epidemiologic research and practice.
It also publishes special collections of articles with the aim of bringing attention to emerging themes in public health. The journal was launched with a series of articles on the role of epidemiology in conflict settings, in collaboration with authors from a number of academic and public health institutions, and humanitarian organizations. Since then, the journal has published articles focusing on migration and health and methods for health surveys in hard-to-reach populations.
Editorial board
The journal’s editor-in-chief is Peter Smith (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). The journal’s editorial board is composed of current and former doctorate students at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, the Institute of Child Health (London); the Oxford Medical Research Programme (Thailand); and the Université de Montréal (Canada).