Many people are involved in journal publishing. This book has been written with their needs in mind, particularly the needs of those with relatively little publishing experience. We have aimed to cover all major aspects of the subject, discussing commonly occurring problems, and have tried to answer the most frequently asked questions. We give background information to show the context in which decisions are made and we have tried to alert readers to matters which might not be self-evident but which may be important for the success of their journals.

Journal publishing does not exist in a vacuum. It responds to changes in its environment, in the economics of publishing, in its customers and in technology. We believe that the learned journal is sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing circumstances. New technology is enabling publishers to produce and distribute papers reporting research more efficiently, and is opening up exciting possibilities. What was good practice ten years ago may no longer be so. Following fixed rules can be a route to disaster, and most journals benefit from a critical evaluation of their policies and practice. We suggest some ways in which publishers can conduct such evaluation.

In 1987 we published a book under the title Journal Publishing: Principles and Practice with Butterworths, for an earlier generation of the readership envisaged for the present book, which is based on that 1987 edition but which significantly revises, updates and extends it.