Transforming knowledge and clinical practice in eating disorders: the past decade through the lens of the journal of eating disorders

Many may remember the year 2013 as the year that Nelson Mandela died, and DSM − 5 was published. In the same year without pomp and ceremony, in a somewhat inauspicious manner, the world’s first open access journal in the field of eating disorders was launched and Journal of Eating Disorders remains the only Gold open access journal in the field of eating disorders to this day. At the time it was somewhat bold and courageous as then open access publishing was the exception rather than the norm and print journals reigned supreme. The field of eating disorders was no exception and was led by the International Journal of Eating Disorders and the European Eating Disorder Review as well as other highly regarded journals. Compared to these print journals, the Journal of Eating Disorders had (and continues to have) the challenge for authors to pay a significant Article Processing Charge upon the publication of their manuscript. It has taken time for both researchers and clinicians alike to appreciate the benefits of open access publishing with regards to its universal visibility and the retention of copyright by authors. Teachers, politicians, high school students, journalists, caregivers, those with lived experience and clinicians to name but only a few, can at a keystroke view and download all the very latest editorials, research, scholarly reviews, case reports and more. If ever there was a time in our history for the important dissemination of knowledge on eating disorders to all who desire it, it is surely now.