The Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry has begun publishing electronically on the Jefferson Digital Commons, releasing its first issue just before the New Year. In just its first couple of months online, articles from the inaugural issue were downloaded over 500 times, it was indexed in Google, Yahoo and other major search engines, and it was listed by the principal lists of free journals.

The JJP is a fully peer-reviewed journal, managed by the residents of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. The journal editors are making use of several helpful publishing features available in the Commons:

• Readers may subscribe to a free alerts service that will send them an email when a new issue or article becomes available (note that editors have the option of publishing periodic full issues or releasing single articles as they become available). Editors may load email addresses, as well, to create a distribution list. And if readers sign up on their own, editors may view the list of subscribers to see who cares enough about their publication to sign up. If readers have moved up the technology ladder, RSS is available as an alternative to email.
  
  
• Another feature allows readers to submit an article online for publication in a future issue. Of course, along with that, the Commons allows space to include instructions for authors. The journal has already received several such submissions.
  
  
• When articles are submitted in this way, the Commons automatically notifies the editor about them, and then allows the editors to manage the peer review process of assigning reviewers, collecting comments, and tracking correspondence or article version changes with authors. In effect, the Commons organizes and streamlines the entire peer review and acceptance process, saving the editor time and grey hair.
  
  
• Statistics on use of the journal are available to the editor on demand. They can show aggregate use, or detailed use by individual article. It can be very gratifying to the popular authors!

Use of the Digital Commons publishing platform is completely free to Jefferson departments. There is no charge for space, for training, for access, for number of editors, or other common fees. It can be used not only for journals, but conference and workshop proceedings, archives of regular lectures or podcasts, symposia, or instructional materials intended for sharing. The Commons can host any type of electronic material.

Think about it - couldn’t your department benefit from the wider exposure provided by the Jefferson Digital Commons?

• Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry
• For information about publishing with the Jefferson Digital Commons, contact Ann Koopman, JEFFLINE Editor (ann.koopman@jefferson.edu or 215-503-0441)