A Welcome to Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID)

Abstract

Welcome to Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID), the new open-access journal of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and HIV Medicine Association (hivma). As with the existing IDSA journals Clinical Infectious Diseases and The Journal of Infectious Diseases, OFID will be published by Oxford University Press (OUP). As noted previously, OFID will provide a venue for the rapid publication of clinical, translational, and basic research for all aspects of Infectious Diseases (ID), with a focus on studies that have the potential to improve patient care. All papers will be peer-reviewed and, once accepted, will be immediately available for anyone to read at no cost. Papers published in OFID will be indexed in PubMed Central. We welcome direct submissions to OFID via http://www.edmgr.com/ofid and will also consider certain papers submitted to Clinical Infectious Diseases or The Journal of Infectious Diseases, provided the contributing authors agree to allow the transfer. There will be a special track for Fellows of IDSA (FIDSA) for rapid review, and members of IDSA and hivma will receive discounts on article-processing fees. In addition to original research studies and review articles, we also are eager to feature several other ID-related pieces, including the following: ID Cases: Did you see a particularly illustrative case or series of cases? We are especially interested in cases that underscore a key aspect of diagnosis and management. What can readers learn from these cases that can help improve patient care? Submission of notable images or videos is strongly encouraged, along with a targeted review of relevant literature. ID Perspectives: Do you have an opinion on some aspect of ID—research, clinical care, education, policy—that you are motivated to communicate to others in our field? Did you encounter a patient- or research-related situation that you feel should be shared? Did you experience something in your practice that particularly moved, amused, or annoyed you? Top Questions in ID: Are you an expert in specific area of ID? This could involve diagnostics, management strategies, research topics, or all of the above. If so, what are the top questions you get—and the answers you give—on the topic? ID Learning Units: Clinicians who are not ID-specialists (and in particular ID fellows) need to learn the “basics” on many aspects of ID diagnosis, evaluation, and therapy. We would welcome your sharing how you go about teaching them. ID on the Web: This is, after all, where we get most of our information today. What are your go-to sites for the best information, and why? Additional content will be added as OFID matures. For example, we plan to include brief, behind the scenes podcasts consisting of interviews that highlight the History of Infectious Diseases, and will periodically publish perspectives on how to make ID research more relevant to clinicians. Last, a little bit about journal's name, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, which was selected by a working group from IDSA and OUP prior to my becoming Editor. My initial reaction was that the journal's title didn't really roll off your tongue—certainly not like War and Peace or Gone with the Wind. However, I ultimately have come around to embracing the title as it accurately conveys the goals of the publication. From the OFID prospectus: “The idea is to convey a dynamic, interactive exchange of ideas between authors and readers, allowing a different model for communicating research findings and sharing clinical experience. An Open Forum provides an online platform for nurturing and mentoring junior-level physicians and scientists, much like the popular Poster Discussion rounds of the IDSA Annual Meeting in which luminaries in the field take colleagues on a tour of research findings presented by fellows in training and other investigators. An Open Forum promotes multi-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration among clinicians and investigators.” Furthermore, the preferred abbreviation is spoken “O-F-I-D” (think “C-I-D” and “J-I-D”), not “Oh-Fid”, though we'll certainly understand both choices. We look forward to receiving your submissions!