image: This is the logo for the new multidisciplinary open access science journal FACETS, from Canadian Science Publishing view more
Credit: Canadian Science Publishing
The development team at Canadian Science Publishing (CSP), publisher of the award-winning NRC Research Press suite of journals, is hard at work building a new open access platform for the publication of research. FACETS--a new multidisciplinary open access journal led by Dr. Jules Blais and to be published as part of CSP's open access initiatives--will encompass a broad range of scientific areas and provide a high-quality, affordable Canadian open access option that well serves the publishing and dissemination needs of researchers in Canada and beyond. A community-supported effort, spurred by a shift toward public access to science, FACETS will appeal to researchers studying in a variety of fields looking to publish and read multidisciplinary and interdisci¬plinary research, particularly of a Canadian nature.
Set to begin accepting submissions this summer and publish its first papers in the fall of 2015, FACETS development is well underway. A state-of-the-art publishing portal is currently in the works and the manuscript submission system will go online as early as July. FACETS will initially focus on six research areas: Biomedical and Health Sciences; Biological and Life Sciences; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Physical Sciences; Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics; and Integrative Sciences (including topics such as science policy and science communication). Additional subject areas will be added as the journal evolves in conjunction with emerging scientific advances.
One of CSP's key goals is to serve international and Canadian research communities, "From the beginning, we felt it was important to involve members of those communities in our process. We want to make sure we do this right!" says Tanya Samman, coordinator of this open access journal initiative at CSP. "We felt it was important to meet with stakeholders to solicit feedback and so we have consulted with key representatives including university and government researchers, librarians, independent scholars, science communicators, and publishing consultants."
"We want to build upon our legacy as a successful Canadian publisher, leveraging the tradition of quality of our NRC Research Press journals, while still serving international scientific communities," explains Suzanne Kettley, CSP's incoming Executive Director. "FACETS is an international journal with a Canadian twist: accepting articles in English or French, and highlighting Canadian achievements, it will be a trusted, high quality, yet affordable, alternative to other open access journals in the marketplace."
Read more about FACETS: http://www.facetsjournal.com
The Editor: Dr. Jules Blais
CSP is pleased and proud to announce that the first Senior Editor of FACETS is Dr. Jules Blais. Dr. Blais, Professor in the Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and has received numerous awards including Environmental Scientist of the Year, the Stevenson Award and the prestigious Brockhouse Canada Prize. This Prize is considered one of the highest research honours in the country and recognizes a research collaboration that highlights the importance of taking a multidisciplinary approach to complex environmental interactions. Together with Dr. John P. Smol, Jules Blais received the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering.
Dr. Blais' research focuses on identifying the consequences of environmental pollutants on natural systems. His main emphasis is on the sources, pathways and fate of persistent pollutants in aquatic environments. In particular, he is determining how industrial pollutants are transported and concentrated by natural processes to reach elevated exposures in target organisms, including humans.
"Some of the most exciting advances are in the interdisciplinary sciences, and the world is moving towards open access journals. FACETS aims to merge these trends and make high quality science accessible to the world." ~ Dr. Jules Blais, Senior Editor, FACETS.
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