American Society of Hematology Launches Digital, Open-Access Journal

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blood has led the way in experimental and clinical hematologic research as the flagship journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Launching today, the open-access online journal Blood Advances will fill a niche that complements and expands on topics covered in Blood while also transforming the conversation between authors and readers through innovative communication tools.

Taking full advantage of its digital publication model, BloodAdvances will emphasize multimedia, a rapid and continuous publication format, and the ability to readily comment on manuscripts, case studies, and debates via discussion boards. The peer-reviewed journal will regularly relay findings through visual abstracts, three-dimensional images, video, and podcasts.

"Journals are critical to the way scientists communicate, and through Blood Advances we can pioneer new means of interactive, collaborative discussion," said Editor-in-Chief Robert Negrin, MD, of Stanford University. "Blood Advances stands ready to turn tradition on its head by emphasizing social interaction and visual media." ASH's new journal will allow readers to share thoughts and images directly to social media as well as to join discussions within the journal's website.

Another key feature of this new publication is there will be unrestricted access. "We have seen an explosion of progress in hematology at an unprecedented rate," noted Dr. Negrin. "We've made Blood Advances open-access in order to foster global discussion around the latest-breaking science."

Blood Advances will be a hub for hypothesis-generating papers, pilot studies, and commentary that can spark conversation. As a complement to Blood, the new journal will focus on valuable areas, including but not limited to vascular biology, immunology, gene therapy, hematologic malignancies, and epidemiology. In addition to original manuscripts, Blood Advances will publish case reports of exceptional novelty, scientific case reports called stimulus reports, point-counterpoint discussions, and educational materials for the practicing hematologist. Blood Advances will also host a series of short talks on topics of interest to hematologists and scientists.

Included in the inaugural issue — a one-time print publication that will be distributed at the 58th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition —are discussions on the use of platelets as immune sensing cells and new perspectives on hemostasis, as well as studies on sickle cell disease variants in sub-Saharan Africa, therapeutic solutions for multiple forms of thrombocytopenia, and a novel means of counteracting the effects of hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment.

Dr. Negrin will introduce Blood Advances to the more than 27,000 attendees expected at the ASH Annual Meeting at the beginning of the Plenary Scientific Session on Sunday, December 4, at 2:00 p.m. in Hall AB of the San Diego Convention Center.

"Blood Advances promises to be one of the greatest new tools for hematologists to advance our field," said ASH President Charles S. Abrams, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania. "It's only natural that we would use the premier hematology event to unveil it."

Read, submit, and sign up for weekly table of contents alerts at www.bloodadvances.org.

The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org) is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online. In 2016, ASH launched Blood Advances (www.bloodadvances.org), an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal. 

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SOURCE American Society of Hematology