Our commitment to improving health outcomes with Research Connections

This month, the first articles publish in our new open access journal, Research Connections.  

Research Connections  is committed to improving health outcomes by publishing scientifically rigorous, clinically relevant research that supports better patient care, strengthens health systems, and actively contributes to a robust evidence base.

In his first editorial, Dr. Charles Young, Editor-in-Chief of Research Connections, says that “The status quo in healthcare must change.” He explains that healthcare research must evolve to continue to save lives and provide solutions to urgent global challenges, and that the same applies to healthcare publishing.

Dr. Young shares more on Research Connections in the video below:

About Research Connections 

Many articles submitted to journals are never published. Scientifically valid articles can be rejected by journals for many reasons – because they aren’t perceived to be novel enough, because they sit outside the scope of a journal, or because of the clarity of the language in the article.

A pattern of publishing positive results leads to a bias against null findings, and some research is never submitted due to fear it will be rejected. This can mean that high-quality, scientifically sound and clinically relevant healthcare research is not published, limiting the research base used for decision-making, ultimately impacting global patient care.

Research Connections aims to address these issues and make a real-world contribution to the scientific knowledge base, influencing healthcare policy and most importantly improving health outcomes. Submissions to the journal are assessed based on methodological strength, ethical integrity, and real-world impact – not perceived novelty.

The journal’s values include supporting a diverse, international network of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers – from all specialities and career stages – with an ethos of collaboration, education, and shared advancement.

There are many journals publishing across healthcare specialities, and we are excited to see how Research Connections contributes to healthcare research.

We are privileged to be collaborating with a growing number of prestigious journals (68 to date) to support the vision of Research Connections to improve global health. The journals of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Association of Immunologists, and the Journal of Nephrology are the latest to join the Research Connections network.

Publishing open access medical research is crucial for patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, and the public. Immediate, free access to and re-use of scientifically sound, peer-reviewed research promotes transparency, accelerates innovation, and leads to better-informed decisions and equitable healthcare. This is something we are proud to support. 

You can learn more about Research Connections here.