Down Syndrome Research and Practice

Down Syndrome Research and Practice is the leading multi-disciplinary journal specialising in issues relevant to people living with Down syndrome. The journal aims to inform researchers, education and health professionals and the families of people with Down syndrome of research findings and the implications for practice.

Education

First published in 1992, Down Syndrome Research and Practice has always focused on publishing research that examines issues of importance to people with Down syndrome.

Down Syndrome Research and Practice is read by a worldwide audience of researchers, practitioners, the families of people with Down syndrome and all others interested in issues of importance to the quality of life of people with Down syndrome.

Down Syndrome Research and Practice will continue to publish original research papers and review articles for these audiences. The journal will also expand to drive multidisciplinary dialogue and help bridge the research-practice arenas. It will extend the range of articles published across all issues relevant to the lives of people with Down syndrome.

An increasingly multidisciplinary focus will also require some restructuring to meet the needs of readers from a variety of professional backgrounds. This will include invited editorial introductions to original research papers that assist readers not experienced in the particular area of study to understand and interpret the study results.

The journal will also offer news and brief reports of research published elsewhere.

Key sections in the new format journal will include (though not necessarily every section in every issue):

  • Editorials – introductions, overviews and perspectives on papers and articles contained in the issue
  • Research highlights – brief reports of recent research findings published elsewhere
  • News – reports of matters of interest to the research and practitioner readership from around the world
  • Correspondence – letters offering comment and opinion
  • Practice
  • Reviews – invited perspectives and discussion of papers appearing in the issue or recently published elsewhere
  • Papers – original reports of scientific studies
  • Reprints – reprinted papers of particular note, originally published elsewhere in a publication with a focus on a single discipline or area of study

To further the journal's impact, online content and additional services will be at the forefront of the journal's development. Online publishing will include:

  • Advance online publication of papers, research highlight, news and correspondence as soon as edited and approved – prior to print publication (full text restricted to subscribers)
  • Supplementary material online for papers and reviews published in the journal
  • Online papers – papers published online only (still reviewed and edited, but not in print due to limited audience or similar reason)
  • Electronic submission of abstracts to Medline prior to publication and on the charity's Down Syndrome Abstracts Online service.
  • Registration and publication of DOI's for all content immediately prior to first publication (online or print)
  • Full cross-referencing of bibliographies in published papers via DOI system.

Research

This project is central to the charity's activities, as it keeps the charity informed of the latest research taking place worldwide.

It also provides a peer-reviewed mechanism for sharing the results of the charity's research activities with an international audience.

Impact

  • Provision of the only peer-reviewed, multi-disciplinary, international Down syndrome journal that is indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed and PsycINFO.
  • Dissemination of research findings to benefit the development and education of individuals with Down syndrome worldwide.
  • The journal offers a unique vehicle for interdisciplinary communication with a central focus on practical outcomes for people living with Down syndrome.

Status

This project is ongoing.

Funding

Subscriptions to the printed journal cover the costs of print production. 

If you would like to support this work, please make a donation online or contact giving@downsed.org.

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