Oxford University Press acquires two journals; launch in 2006

Business Publisher, Dec 1, 2005

Oxford University Press (Gary, NC/Oxford, UK) has purchased two titles from Henry Stewart Publications (Birmingham, AL/London), "Briefings in Bioinformatics" and "Briefings in Functional Genomics and Proteomics." Oxford will begin publishing the journals in 2006. No terms of the deal were given.

Both of the acquired titles are produced quarterly. Each acts as an international forum for techniques and approaches to research for working biologists. The two titles encompass three major areas of molecular biology, bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics. Launched in 2000, "Briefings in Bioinformatics" publishes reviews for users of databases and analytical tools of contemporary genetics and molecular biology. Content covers DNA sequencing, expression profiling, alignment methods, gene expression studies, protein profiles, mapping and microarrays.

"Briefings in Functional Genomics and Proteomics" was launched in 2002 and reviews the techniques, protocols and approaches in genome and proteome research. Content covers such topics as differential display, electrophoresis, genotyping, transgenic systems, mutation screens, protein spectrometry, comparative genomics and phage display. It is targeted to directors of r&d, medical directors, clinicians, investors, lab managers, grant reviewers and related scientists. An annual subscription to either journal costs $380 for institutions and $190 for individuals.

In August, Henry Stewart sold 21 journals, including all of the company's management, marketing, finance, property and allied titles, to Palgrave Macmillan (Basingstoke, UK), the academic and professional publishing division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Titles sold in that deal included "Journal of Brand Management," "Journal of Asset Management" and "Journal of Banking Regulation."

In related news, Oxford University Press has begun the publication of "Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice" with an issue in November.

The new title will begin regular monthly publication in January 2006. An annual subscription costs $751 for institutions and $181 for individuals.

The new journal is being targeted to IP lawyers, patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys both in private and corporate practice, as well as academics specializing in IP, members of the judiciary, officials in IP registries and regulatory bodies, and institutional libraries. Editorial includes coverage of the range of IP topics, including litigation, enforcement, drafting and transactions, plus relevant aspects of related subjects such as competition and world trade law. Oxford said that subject matter will be of global interest, with a particular focus on IP law and practice in Europe.

Oxford senior editor Wencke Boerrigter said that IP "is an increasingly significant area of law around the world. The twin drivers of developing technology and trade-related policy will ensure that intellectual property continues to be a major focus for legal developments and academic analysis, to which the new journal will respond and contribute."

Boerrigter noted that Oxford's law journal collection has grown significantly in the last year with the acquisition of the "Human Rights Law Review" and the "Chinese Journal of International Law," and the launch of "Journal of Competition Law and Economics."