Molecular Autism: accelerating and integrating research into neurodevelopmental conditions

Molecular Autism joins other journals targeting autism and associated conditions but differs in key ways. First, Molecular Autism is both online and open access. In a field where dissemination of accurate information has become so important, where internationally, scientists, educators, clinicians, and families are tracking the developments and are looking for up-to-date, definitive and accessible sources of scientific information, Molecular Autism will provide such a forum. Open access means that the articles are freely available to all, worldwide, and at no cost to the reader. Online publication also allows for no restriction on number or length of articles and for the inclusion of all available digital technologies: large data sets, unlimited use of color, slide shows, animation, video clips, and links to other web pages, all at no additional charge. Articles are published online on the day of acceptance and, very soon after, are listed in bibliographic databases and full-text article repositories [3]. BioMed Central is a leader in online, open access journals ensuring that this mission will be seamless.Publication costs in subscription journals are paid by the reader; in Molecular Autism these costs are defrayed by the author via article processing charges (APCs). However, APCs can typically be covered by grants. In addition, individual APCs are waived in institutions that have full membership to BioMed Central. A discounted APC is provided for institutions with supporting membership and authors from countries in low or low-middle income categories defined by the World Bank may also have APC charges waived. Beyond this, we will also consider individual waivers on a case-by-case basis, making every effort to ensure that lack of funds does not impede the overall objective of publishing the best science, irrespective of authorship or country of origin [4].The second way in which Molecular Autism differs from other journals in the autism science field is by having a