''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences'' is a biweekly
peer-reviewed
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...
scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research.
Content
Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...
published by the
Royal Society. The
editor-in-chief is
John Pickett (
Cardiff University
, latin_name =
, image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University
, motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord
, mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord
, established = 1 ...
).
Overview
Each issue covers a specific area of the
biological sciences. Each issue aims to create an original and authoritative synthesis, often bridging traditional disciplines, which showcases current developments and provides a foundation for future research, applications and policy decisions. Each issue is edited by one or more expert guest editors.
The themes fall into one of four general categories:
* Cell and Development
* Health and Disease
* Environment and Evolution
* Neuroscience and Cognition
All articles become freely accessible one year after their publication date.
History
''
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' was established in 1665 by the
Royal Society and is the oldest scientific journal in the English-speaking world.
Henry Oldenburg was appointed as the first (joint) secretary to the society and he was also the first editor of the society's journal. In 1887 the journal expanded to become two separate publications, one serving the
physical sciences, ''
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences'', and the other focusing on the
life sciences
This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...
, ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences''. Nowadays, both journals publish themed issues and discussion meeting issues, while individual
research articles are published in the sister journal ''
Proceedings of the Royal Society
''Proceedings of the Royal Society'' is the main research journal of the Royal Society. The journal began in 1831 and was split into two series in 1905:
* Series A: for papers in physical sciences and mathematics.
* Series B: for papers in life s ...
''.
The journal celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2015. To commemorate this event it published a special collection
of commentaries on landmark papers from the archive by scientists such as
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek ( ; ; 24 October 1632 – 26 August 1723) was a Dutch microbiologist and microscopist in the Golden Age of Dutch science and technology. A largely self-taught man in science, he is commonly known as " the ...
,
Hans Sloane and
Alan Turing.
External links
Official websiteRoyal Society Publishing350th anniversaryHistory of Philosophical Transactions
References
{{reflist
Publications established in 1887
Royal Society academic journals
Biology journals
Biweekly journals
English-language journals
Delayed open access journals
1887 establishments in the United Kingdom