Open Access in Iran: an Editor Q+A with Simin Nasseri

Read more from the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Environmental Health Science & Engineering about open access in Iran, and his aims for the journal.

dr_naseriSimin Nasseri completed a PhD in Chemical Engineering (Sciences and Techniques of Chemical Processes) in Toulouse, France and is currently Professor at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Assistant Professor at Tehran Polytechnique (Amir Kabir University).

How important is open access research to Iran and other Asian countries?

I believe that there are no important geographical differences for this issue. Access to published information is very important for students and scientists all over the world as it helps them to learn about what research is currently being done in their field. From this they can develop, plan and design their own research meaning progression in the field is much faster.

What are the biggest challenges for open access in Iran?

There are some problems like financial supplies of an open access journal in Iran which may cause some limitations for authors who should pay for their manuscripts to be published, or the journal editors and staff. But on the other hand there will be less money paid for the printing of papers and the bindings, and that is a really positive improvement.

What would you like to achieve with your journal over the next five years?

Our vision for the next five years is to achieve a stabilized international level, based on specific indices.

Our vision for the next five years is to achieve a stabilized international level, based on specific indices. We hope the number of submissions will continue to rise, and in turn the journal can publish more high quality research based on all aspects of environmental health science, engineering and management.

How do you see the field progressing in the future?

I believe that the field of ‘environmental health’ will become more important in scientific research. Based on my knowledge, this is because there is an increasing number, and a decrease in quality, of pollutants in water and the air, and so on. And the effects these have on human health are not yet fully understood. Therefore as this becomes a more prominent problem, further research is needed to understand what the possible outcomes will be for humans.

 

View the latest posts on the On Health homepage

Comments