June 14, 2012 – Toronto – A new open-access journal dedicated to international perspectives on substance use and addictions research was launched at the annual meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol.
The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research (IJADR) (http://ijadr.org), the Society's official peer-reviewed publication, was created with support from Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and funding from the U. S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Although there are other addictions journals, this publication serves several important new functions, notes CAMH Scientist and Editor-in-Chief Dr. Kathryn Graham.
"Access to many journals is often limited for researchers in low-and middle-income countries, as most have costs either for readers or authors," says Dr. Graham. "This journal is free for both readers and researchers, and will increase access to papers of the highest scientific standard on cross-cultural research on substance use."
In a joint editorial with Co-Editor-in-Chief Dr. John C. Clapp of San Diego University, she also notes, "We are particularly interested in papers that examine drug use from an international perspective and that explore how issues related to drug use and the social and health-related consequences of such use impact nations, regions and cultures."
The first issue is based on research presented at a thematic meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society in Uganda. Papers include:
- Global perspectives on alcohol research: Facilitating interdisciplinary and international collaborations to address prevailing challenges.
- Alcohol and the process of economic development: Contributions from ethnographic research
- Socio-economic determinants for alcohol consumption in a Ugandan student population.
- Community-based prevention of alcohol-related injuries: Possibilities and experiences.
- Distress and drinking: Cross-cultural connections and contexts.
The journal's editorial team includes researchers from countries such as South Africa, Uganda, Sweden, the United States, as well as several CAMH scientists. Dr. Jürgen Rehm, Director of CAMH's Social and Epidemiological Research Department, chairs the journal's advisory board.
Another unique feature of the journal is its mentoring and copy editing program to help non-native English researchers refine promising studies deemed to be interesting and relevant.
"The international focus of the International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, especially on low- and middle-income countries, is consistent with the mission of CAMH, in which health equity is a corporate value that applies to research as well as clinical and educational services," notes Dr. Graham.
Upcoming special issues, with guest editors, are planned on the topics of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), substance-impaired driving, and substance-related factors and the global burden of disease. Calls for papers for each of these special issues can be found at www.ijadr.org/index.php/ijadr/announcement.
The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research (IJADR) is the official journal of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol (KBS). It is an online, open-access journal that is free-of-charge to both authors and readers. It is available at http://ijadr.org.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.
CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.
Journal
The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research