Like Archimedes who demanded a place to stand so that he could move the Earth, scientific journals also need a firm point to stand on. We use this example because it stresses the importance of determining the journal’s specific research field by editorial policies. One of the basic strategies for medical journals is to define their scope, which helps them to target specific readership, attract ...

Statistical significance tests (SSTs) have been the object of much controversy among social scientists. Proponents have hailed SSTs as an objective means for minimizing the likelihood that chance factors have contributed to research results; critics have both questioned the logic underlying SSTs and bemoaned the widespread misapplication and misinterpretation of the results of these tests. The ...

Electronic nicotine delivery systems, also called e-cigarettes, are devices that vapourize liquid, typically comprising nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine and flavourings. Switching from smoking tobacco cigarettes to using e-cigarettes – known as vaping – may reduce user harm, by supporting quitting or acting as a lower risk substitute. However, the degree of harm reduction is uncertain. Gov...

College campus tobacco-free policies are an emerging trend. Between September 2013 and May 2014, we surveyed 1309 college students at 8 public 4-year institutions across California with a range of policies (smoke-free indoors only, designated outdoor smoking areas, smoke-free, and tobacco-free). Stronger policies were associated with fewer students reporting exposure to secondhand smoke or seei...

BACKGROUND This study sought to examine the relationship between tobacco-free policies at worksites to worksite demographics such as company size and geographic location. METHODS Worksites participating in a worksite wellness workshop were asked to complete a worksite wellness instrument, which provided an assessment of their wellness practices already in place in the worksite, including the ...