ASHG to launch Human Genetics and Genomics Advances, a new open access journal

ROCKVILLE, Md. – The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) today announced it will launch Human Genetics and Genomics Advances, a new journal that will provide a high-quality, scientific society-led, fully open access option for the human genetics and genomics research community. The Society also highlighted expanding content directions for its flagship publication, The American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG).

HGG Advances will publish across the complete spectrum of human genetics and genomics research. Its mission will be to build the human genetics and genomics knowledge base, and it will be a home for a wide range of research that meets ASHG’s enduring standards for scientific rigor, validity, and reproducibility. The journal will offer rapid review and consider direct submissions as well as offer prompt, easy cascade from AJHG for authors interested in that option. It may also experiment with publishing and review models that speed and advance research goals. Submissions will be accepted starting in later 2019, with the first articles slated to be published in spring 2020.

“Building on the Society’s history of publishing many of the most prominent findings in our field, HGG Advances will create a family of journals for the Society and serve the dynamic and widely expanding genetics and genomics community,” said Leslie G. Biesecker, MD, ASHG President. “Its addition underscores ASHG’s position as a leading, broad-based home for novel research findings across human genetics and genomics.”

“The new journal will offer researchers a welcoming venue for a wide variety of quality findings and formats, across all areas of basic human genetics and genomics science, mathematical genetics, as well as translational and clinical research. It will also be committed to prompt dissemination of results through timely peer review, continuous online publication, and innovation as it responds to evolution in the needs of the human genetics and genomics community,” Dr. Biesecker said.

Both AJHG and HGG Advances will remain owned by the Society and will be published in partnership with Cell Press, ASHG’s longstanding publishing partner.

Bruce Korf, AJHG Editor, has played a significant role in helping the Society assess this opportunity to expand its publishing program and has worked with a distinguished group of ASHG members from many fields to discuss potential areas of innovation for the new journal.

“Approaches to communication and dissemination of information are in rapid flux, but the commitment to quality and scientific rigor is unchanged,” said Dr. Korf. “ASHG’s new open access online journal will provide Society members and other clinicians and researchers in human genetics and genomics another publication channel for their work. This new journal provides ASHG an opportunity to further develop its scientific publishing activities in this new format.”

Dr. Korf also emphasized AJHG’s interest in broadening the range of research it publishes and encouraged novel content types. Noting the Journal’s distinguished history of leadership in publishing many seminal discoveries in the field, he affirmed its commitment to be a leader for today’s dynamic research community.

Topics of particular interest for AJHG include novel applications of polygenic risk scores, cancer genomics and therapeutic models, computational genomics, genome editing, therapeutics, genomic medicine implementation, and more. AJHG is also experimenting actively with more commentaries, forums, and reviews, and has interest in increasing its involvement with the trainee community.

ASHG is forming a Search Committee, chaired by Brendan Lee, MD, PhD, to identify an editor in chief for HGG Advances. Additional information about the position, application procedure, and timelines will be released in coming weeks.

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