Canada's first paperless, open access, online medical journal was launched last week (www.openmedicine.ca). Its origins lie in a dispute about editorial independence that led to the firing of senior editors at CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association, and the resignation of most of its editorial board (BMJ 2006;332:687, doi: 10.1136/bmj.332.7543.687-a).

The new journal's mission is “to facilitate the equitable global dissemination of high-quality health research; to promote international dialogue and collaboration on health issues; to improve clinical practice; and to deepen the understanding of health and health care.” It is not for profit, editorially independent, and will not charge subscription fees or run advertisements for drugs or medical devices.

Six of the editorial team at Open Medicine were formerly editors at CMAJ and left after the dispute. Ten editorial board members at …