I just learned about a new biogerontology journal: AGING, described on its website as “an open-access Impact journal on aging”. (The word “Impact” in that phrase refers to the publisher, Impact Journals LLC, which at this point has no web site of its own, and of which AGING is the flagship — and sole — current title.)

The journal advertises “Constructive peer-review, instant publication of accepted papers and Open access”, and it’s aims and scope also sound promising:

AGING publishes high-impact research papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research including but not limited to cellular senescence, DNA damage and repair, organismal aging, age-related diseases, genetic control of aging from yeast to mammals, regulation of longevity, evolution of aging, anti-aging strategies and drug development and especially the role of signal transduction pathways in aging and potential approaches to modulate these signaling pathways to extend lifespan.

How “high-impact” will be defined is an open question, especially as it might be distinguished from other types of studies. I’d be interested to see the instructions send to reviewers. The concept is elaborated but not exactly elucidated in this “clarification”:

AGING publishes high-impact research (of outstanding significance and of ground-breaking discoveries) free for the authors (no page charges, no color fees, no submission or any other fees). For the first 3 issues, we also consider for publication (free for the authors too) regular, high quality papers that are scientifically-sound and well technically performed. After 3 months, only high-impact research will be published (free for the authors) as Priority Reports. The journal has a policy for the archiving of journal’s content in the PubMed Central Archive (pending) or another recognized archiving resource.

I’m mystified by the distinction between “regular, high-quality papers” and “high-impact research”, but I suppose that this will become more clear in three months, at which time the wheat will be separated from the chaff. (They’re already up to Issue 2, so I’m assuming that the next issue is the last one in which merely “regular, high-quality” but low-impact material will appear.)

In any case: I’m not sure whether the world needs another specialized journal, but if we’re going to have one anyway, I’m glad to see that it’s a proud member of the Open Access movement. (One upshot of this is that every reader of this blog — everyone in the world — will be able to read the articles in AGING, even if they don’t have access to a university library or the resources to purchase expensive subscriptions.)

Hopefully we’ll see AGING give the field’s most prominent specialized journal, the non-OA Aging Cell, a run for its money.