Content uploaded by Hugh D Blackbourn
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Hugh D Blackbourn on Jan 17, 2024
Content may be subject to copyright.
INT J TUBERC LUNG DIS OPEN 1(1):1–2. EDITORIAL
©2024 The Union http://dx.doi.org/10.5588/ijtldopen.23.0598
Launch of IJTLD OPEN: a new home for open access papers on
respiratory disease
The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung
Disease (IJTLD) has traditionally operated as a hybrid
journal, with subscription content and open access (OA)
articles.1 However, the members of cOAlition S have
mandated their authors to publish exclusively in OA
journals, and hybrid journals are no longer supported.
Given that a key part of the Union’s mission is to improve
the dissemination of knowledge, we are keen to support
and embrace this move to OA. It is therefore our pleasure
to welcome you to this first issue of IJTLD OPEN, a fully
OA journal.
In 2011, the late Donald Enarson wrote a similar
introductory Editorial in the inaugural issue of Public
Health Action (PHA).2 As usual, Don was ahead of his
time and PHA was an early adopter of OA. He
commented, ‘When we consider the burden of disease the
poor suffer, we must conclude that relieving this burden is
not primarily in knowing what to do, but rather in knowing
how to do it.’ IJTLD OPEN will continue to explore this
question of ‘what do to’ to improve lung health, but also
to focus on the ‘how’ and ‘when’ for clinicians to reduce
the incidence and severity of respiratory disease.
Scientific publishing is currently in a state of flux with
the launch of many OA journals. Regrettably, some of
these have gained a reputation for poor quality. To protect
against this, we have adopted exactly the same values and
scope for IJTLD OPEN as the IJTLD, and the peer review
process and acceptance criteria are identical.1 In this way,
articles are selected for publication without regard for
funding source, and it is only after acceptance that they
diverge into either the IJTLD or IJTLD OPEN. We believe
this approach, which preserves the scientific integrity of
the subject matter while allowing us to adapt to new
funding mechanisms, will also improve access to
scientific knowledge.
For our readers, there are significant advantages to
OA: there are no barriers to access, so anyone, anywhere
can download an article to read for free. This will
dramatically increase our readership, particularly for
people living in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs)
where the cost of a subscription may be prohibitive, but
which typically have the highest burden of disease.
Authors will also benefit from this increased visibility:
instead of only being visible to a relatively small number
of subscribers, the articles are available to all. Also,
according to the traditional subscription model, the
publishers retained copyright and authors had to ask
Article submitted 30 November 2023. Final version accepted 5 December 2023.
permission to reuse their own work. For OA, we return to
a more equitable situation where authors retain copyright
and can use the article in any way they see fit – either in
sending a PDF to their colleagues or for use in teaching.
There are no restrictions whatsoever.
This first issue of IJTLD OPEN features a
representative collection of articles, proportionate to the
level of OA funding available for TB and respiratory
disease in LMICs. This includes Editorials highlighting
TB in children and adolescents,3 and the need for action
after the UN High-Level Meeting on TB.4 The mix of
Original Articles includes ‘Characteristics of TPT
initiation and completion among people living with HIV’,5
‘Screening of household contacts for TB infection’,6
‘Clinical spectrum of disease and outcomes in children
with Omicron SARS-COV-2 infection’,7 ‘Key drivers of
the TB epidemic in Suriname’,8 ‘Timeliness metrics for
screening and preventing TB in household contacts of
pulmonary TB patients’,9 and ‘Commitment, partnerships
and operational research: three priorities for 11 EMR
countries to achieve TB elimination’.10
We believe that OA is a highly effective and equitable
publishing model, which will drive the dissemination of
knowledge for future generations. Our hope and
expectations are that IJTLD OPEN will play a significant
role in this process. Instead of restricting access to
subscribers, OA allows everyone to access the content,
which will ensure that the Journal is widely read and cited.
This is the pattern we have seen to date, with OA articles
in the IJTLD typically having the highest number of
downloads and citations.11–13 OA also has societal
benefits, with improved awareness and understanding of
respiratory disease for all concerned. In this way, we can
address issues such as stigma, and promote greater access
to treatment, helping to remove barriers to improved
healthcare.
H. D. Blackbourn, G. B. Migliori
1International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease,
Paris, France; 2Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Istituto di
Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Tradate, Italy
Correspondence to: Hugh Blackbourn, International Union
Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France. E-mail:
hugh.blackbourn@theunion.org
KEY WORDS: open access; International Journal of Tuberculosis
and Lung Disease; The Union; cOAlition S
References
1 Blackbourn, HD, Migliori, GB. Open access and the future of
the IJTLD. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2023;27:879.
2 Enarson DA. Public Health Action: a new home for operational
research. Public Health Action 2011;1;1.
3 Verkuijl S, et al. Global reporting on TB in children and
adolescents: how far have we come and what remains to be
done?. IJTLD OPEN 2024;1;3–6.
4 Migliori, GB, et al. More is needed to end TB: commentary on
the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB. IJTLD OPEN
2024;1;7–10.
5 Gunde L, et al. Characteristics of TPT initiation and
completion among people living with HIV. IJTLD OPEN
2024;1;11–19.
6 N’Guessan RK, et al. Screening of household contacts for TB
infection. IJTLD OPEN 2024;1;20–26.
7 Bekker C, et al. Clinical spectrum of disease and outcomes in
children with Omicron SARS-COV-2 infection. IJTLD OPEN
2024;1;27–33.
8 Commiesie E, et al. Key drivers of the TB epidemic in
Suriname. IJTLD OPEN 2024;1;34–40.
9 Nair D, et al. Timeliness metrics for screening and preventing
TB in household contacts of pulmonary TB patients. IJTLD
OPEN 2024;1;41–49.
10 van den Boom, M, et al. Commitment, partnerships and
operational research: three priorities for 11 EMR countries to
achieve TB elimination. IJTLD OPEN 2024;1(1):50–55.
11 Alffenaar JWC, et al. Clinical standards for the dosing and
management of TB drugs. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis
2022;26(6):483–499.
12 Trajman A, et al. The COVID-19 and TB syndemic: the way
forward. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2022;26(8):710–719.
13 Nightingale R, et al. Post-TB health and wellbeing. Int J Tuberc
Lung Dis 2023;27(4):248–283.
IJTLD OPEN welcomes the submission of research articles on all aspects of TB and respiratory diseases such as
asthma, bronchiectasis, COVID-19, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY
published by The Union (www.theunion.org). Contact: journal@theunion.org
Information on IJTLD OPEN: https://theunion.org/our-work/journals/ijtld-open
