Focused Ultrasound Foundation

Open access format expected to speed the dissemination of research, patient treatment availability

	"Supporting the Journal of Therapeutic Ultrasound is a very wise investment for the Foundation. We believe that the speed at which research is shared will directly impact the speed at which new focused ultrasound treatments become available to patients. We view the journal as an accelerant in achieving our mission." Neal F. Kassell, MD Chairman, Focused Ultrasound Foundation

The new online, open access journal represents a collaboration of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound and the highly regarded internet publisher BioMed Central, Ltd.

The Foundation's Medical Director Arik Hananel, MD and Robert Muratore, PhD of Quantum Now LLC are serving as editors-in-chief and have formed an editorial board consisting of many of the most respected researchers and clinicians in the field of therapeutic ultrasound. The JTU will cover all aspects of therapeutic focused ultrasound research and place special emphasis on translational and clinical studies.

"The volume of focused ultrasound research is exploding, and the long-established pay-for-access publications do not have the bandwidth to accommodate it," says Neal F. Kassell, MD, chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. "This is a bottleneck worth eliminating, and the journal is designed to do just that."

The open-access model is well matched to the needs of a rapidly evolving technology such as focused ultrasound. It:

• Gives everyone free and immediate online access to the latest peer-reviewed articles as soon as they are published. There are no subscription charges or registration barriers, and users are welcomed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search or link to the full texts of all articles.
• Ensures permanent access to articles by archiving them online. JTU content is being added to PubMed Central and other international digital archives.
• Maximizes the visibility and impact of research findings within the worldwide scientific community. A growing number of studies show that open access articles are more likely to be used, cited, applied and built upon than those published in subscription-supported journals.
• Reduces submission-to-publication turnaround times by offering immediate publication upon acceptance of an article. The JTU aims to reach initial decisions within six weeks.

• Enables authors to retain full rights for their articles through the Creative Commons license and to reproduce and broadly disseminate their published work as they choose.

• Has the capacity to include multi-media and interactive content to enhance reader engagement. JTU editors are encouraging authors to submit supplemental materials such as detailed procedures, extensive datasets, color illustrations and video clips. Authors can also embed links to related information and display data in a form that readers can manipulate for themselves.

Foundation underwriting processing fees through 2014
Like other open access journals, the JTU will cover its operating costs by collecting article processing fees from authors. However, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation has agreed to underwrite those fees through 2014 to ensure the journal’s success.

"Supporting the Journal of Therapeutic Ultrasound is a very wise investment for the Foundation," Kassell explains. "We believe that the speed at which research is shared will directly impact the speed at which new focused ultrasound treatments become available to patients. We view the journal as an accelerant in achieving our mission."

Submit a manuscript

Learn more about the Journal of Therapeutic Ultrasound

Questions and comments about this newsletter should be sent to the Foundation's Director of Communications, Ellen C. McKenna ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )