#Ecology in #Europe

Is there an empty niche for the new journal among competitors, predators and parasites?

We live in paradoxical times. On the one hand, it is difficult to #publish in high-level, #openaccess, and well established journals, whilst on the other hand, an ever-increasing body of journals are being established, often based on an unscrupulous strategy of pay and publish.

For publication houses, the market ecology is special in that, although fundamental, handbook examples of ecological findings come mainly from observations, long-time series and correlation analysis, they are now, almost exclusively, being replaced by experimental studies. We, the editorial board of the newly established European Journal of Ecology (EJE), think that good observational research studies, scientifically based theoretical, as well as opinion articles, including those with educational, public and political outreach, deserve their place alongside experimental research.

EJE is open access, and we consider this an important feature of the journal. Indeed, many national funding bodies now make publishing in open access journals, a pre-condition of awards. In its short lifetime, open-access publishing has shaken the world of scientific publication by offering an alternative model to traditional ways of communicating scientific results.

We have probably all experienced the frustration of a journal's paywall and have had to ask colleagues from other universities, foreign collaborators or even the authors of the paper themselves to provide us with a copy of the article. However, these tactics may not be an everyday option for some researchers in developing parts of the world. Additionally, even when researchers can get access to global information, researchers in some parts of the world (e.g. Africa) still tend to be consumers, rather than contributors

We have probably all experienced the frustration of a journal's #paywall and have had to ask colleagues from other universities, foreign collaborators or even the authors of the paper themselves to provide us with a copy of the article. However, these tactics may not be an everyday option for some researchers in developing parts of the world. Additionally, even when researchers can get access to global information, researchers in some parts of the world (e.g. Africa) still tend to be consumers, rather than contributors.

Download Open Access Editorial

We strongly believe that in #Europe, there is a cultural-cum-scientific vacuum for a #journal such as the European Journal of Ecology – a journal we hope will be of the scientific community, from the scientific world, but of the global community.
We see EJE as a cultural forum where people from different parts of the world, representing their respective cultures, and with novel visions, find a place to share traditional, innovative or even highly controversial ideas.