The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS) has gone open source, so it is now accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world.

The journal publishes original peer-reviewed papers of international or global significance that improve the veterinary care and welfare of domestic cats.

Until this year, access to JFMS for most veterinary practitioners was dependent on membership to the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) or the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), or a separate paid subscription.

Now that the journal is open access, there are no restrictions on who can access the journal and all articles past and present are free to view.

The journal's editors say that making it open access greatly improves their ability to improve the health and welfare of cats by providing high-quality peer-reviewed information.

The AAFP and ISFM say they have already seen the positive impact this has had, with low- and middle-income countries now accounting for a quarter of the 20 most common geographic locations for visitors to the JFMS website. 

Head of ISFM Nathalie Dowgray said: "Transitioning JFMS to an open access journal helps ISFM fulfil our parent charity’s (International Cat Care) mission of creating a cat friendly world through ensuring the latest knowledge in feline medicine and welfare is available to the global veterinary community."

For those interested in submitting to JFMS, authors can get a 50% discount on the article processing charge until 4 July 2023; after this date, a 22% discount will be in place for authors who are a member of ISFM or the AAFP.

Click here for more information about submitting an article to JFMS: https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/JFM 

https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jfm 

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