Mo Amin

Senior Health Economist, Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA) and Scientific Advisor to the Canadian Common Drug Review

Mo Amin is a Senior Health Economist at the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (CCOHTA) and a Scientific Advisor to the Canadian Common Drug Review. His research interests include the economic evaluation and policy analysis of drugs, medical devices and systems.

What prompted you to submit a paper?

For quite some time I was looking for an outlet for my research that was fast, transparent and credible. BioMed Central provides just this kind of outlet. Additionally, the vast choice of journals published by BioMed Central provided me an excellent opportunity to find a natural home for my articles. My article on risk compensation theory and blood transfusion was a public health policy oriented article and it best suited the journal BMC Public Health. My second article was most appropriate for a journal that has a clear focus on health systems and policy issues (Health Research Policy and Systems).

BioMed Central's journals are far more efficient than those of other publishers in allowing authors to track the status of their articles, and to see reviewer comments and access statistics following publication with ease. Additionally, readers get the opportunity to view the reviewer comments on early drafts of the article. Finally, BioMed Central's policy of free access to all really promotes the dissemination of scientific work around the globe.

What was your assessment of the electronic submission and peer review process?

The electronic submission and transparent peer review process is a unique strength of BioMed Central - it reduces the need for conventional communications and improves the efficiency of submission. The option to track a manuscript's status is very useful for authors. The peer-review process is very transparent and I found the reviewer comments highly constructive and professional. The overall efficiency of publication was marvellous.

What do you think you gained from publishing in an open access journal?

Open access to scientific work removes the barriers imposed by conventional subscription-based journals. It increases the visibility of the work, and allows anyone with an Internet connection to view the work in full. Researchers in developing countries surely benefit from this open access, as their access to subscription-based journals is often limited.