Open access publisher BioMed Central, UK, has announced that the Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases (JVATiTD) has moved to BioMed Central's open access publishing platform. The journal is the official academic journal of The Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP) of São Paulo State University (UNESP), based in Brazil. This journal marks the growth of BioMed Central's portfolio of open access journals to 250.
Along with research into snakes JVATiTD publishes studies on all aspects of toxins, venomous animals, and their derivative products, as well as tropical diseases especially infectious diseases, parasites and immunology.
The journal was the first electronic scientific journal in Brazil when it launched as Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins in 1995. Initially it was distributed on 3.5-inch diskettes. It took to CD-Rom format in 1998, at which point it was first indexed in the free SciELO Brazil repository. In 2003, the journal increased in scope to include tropical diseases and JVATiTD became exclusively online-only in 2005, publishing open access issues on a quarterly basis.
Authors based in Brazil can apply for a discounted article processing charge of £600 by mentioning the discount code JVATBRASIL at the payment page during submission. Also authors from member institutes, such as UNESP, may have their APC covered by the institute membership.
In a related announcement, BioMed Central has announced the launch of BMC Psychology, the latest addition to the BMC-series portfolio. This marks a significant milestone for the BMC-series family of open access journals, as it is the first new journal since 2008 and will lead the way for other new launches within the series.
