Respiratory Research: a new multidisciplinary journal for a new age (http://respiratory-research.com)

I am delighted to welcome you to the first printed issue ofRespiratory Research. This new journal, available both on the World Wide Web and in print, will provide timely reviews and rapid publication of primary research in respiratory medicine. The online version ofRespiratory Researchwill be the primary place of publication, where articles appear in full, as soon as they are ready for publication. In fact, the journal website (http://respiratory-research.com) has been open since June 2000, and many of the articles appearing in this issue have been available online for many weeks. The online environment not only allows information to be widely disseminated, but also provides a forum for discussion and the possibility of rapid feedback. Many helpful comments have already been sent to us, and will be incorporated as the journal develops.