Editorial
What are journals for?
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Correspondence: Miranda Robertson editorial@jbiol.com
Journal of Biology 2009, 8:1 doi:10.1186/jbiol111
Published: 27 January 2009First paragraph (this article has no abstract)
Here is a truism. The function of a scientific journal is to disseminate the results of research. It also of course has a responsibility to ensure as far as possible that the results reported are valid. But it would seem from the comments of many biologists – sometimes in print [1-3] – that the policing function of journals (especially but not exclusively the high-profile journals) is in danger of overwhelming their primary function as publishers.