On behalf of the editorial board and associate editors of Exploratory Research and Hypothesis in Medicine (ERHM), I would like to welcome you to our inaugural issue. We are excited to embark on this new journal and hope you find it as informative and cutting edge as we do. ERHM was founded on the global need for an outlet where medical scientists and clinicians can report their ground breaking work as it is discovered. Most medical journals today require a near complete ‘story’ of the research hypothesis, which can often take many years to complete. The lack of a complete data package, however, does not necessarily question the validity of the preliminary findings. This gap – between preliminary findings backed up with sound data and a complete data portfolio explaining the question at hand – can significantly stymie the advancement of scientific knowledge amongst the community and slow down our collective efforts for discovery. Having a rigorous peer-reviewed journal for publication of these preliminary findings will enable scientists around the world to communicate their work virtually in ‘real-time’, thus opening up better and faster dialogue between researchers.

ERHM publishes original exploratory research articles and state-of-the-art reviews that focus on novel findings and the most recent advances that support new hypotheses in medicine, covering the topics of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, and insightful theories related to the practice of medicine. The exploratory research published in ERHM may not necessarily be comprehensive and conclusive, but the study design must be solid, the methodologies must be reliable, the results must be true, and the hypothesis must be rational and justifiable with evidence. Using the open-access publishing model, ERHM provides a platform for researchers to share, discuss, and resolve issues related to the fields of medicine. All articles published in ERHM, unsolicited and solicited, must pass a rigorous peer review to ensure integrity in scientific and publication conduct. All articles published in ERHM are archived online and made freely available for download in their full-text format.

I am honored and excited to serve as the Editor-in-Chief of our novel journal during this exciting time in science. Social media and the speed of technology today have revolutionized global communication and the manner in which scientific data are shared. We believe that this new journal will provide a novel option for scientists to share their exciting primary research without the need to wait for a complete data set explaining all aspects of the hypothesis. ERHM also considers mini-reviews, full-reviews, editorials, and opinion articles as alternative mechanisms for scientists to posit a novel hypothesis and extend professional opinions in their particular field. All articles published in ERHM, including primary research articles, are accompanied by a section on their authors’ professional hypothesis on the implications of their findings in light of the current data presented. This unique aspect is the fundamental basis for ERHM that we believe will help aid in global communication and speed up the sharing of important scientific discoveries.

ERHM is launching at an important time in medicine and the editorial board invites you to be a part of it. We welcome your submissions and promise to provide a speedy and rigorous scientific peer review. Our goal is to make ERHM a prominent and unique publishing avenue with high impact throughout the world. We look forward to working with you!

Brooklyn, NY

Jan 2016