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The Journal of Cell Biology is an international peer-reviewed journal owned by The Rockefeller University and published by The Rockefeller University Press.In the early 1950s, a small group of biologists began to explore intracellular anatomy using the emerging technology of electron microscopy. Many of these researchers were at The Rockefeller Institute of Medicine, the predecessor of The Rockefeller University. As their work progressed to publication, they were disappointed with the limited quality of halftone image reproduction in the printed journals of the time, and they were frustrated by the narrow editorial policies of existing journals regarding their image-based results. In 1954, the director of The Rockefeller Institute, Detlev Bronk, convened a luncheon to discuss the creation of a new journal as a venue for publication of this type of work (Porter and Bennett, 1981).

Since its inception in 1896, The Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) has published papers on the physiological, pathological, and molecular mechanisms that encompass the host response to disease. The journal prioritizes studies on intact organisms and has made a commitment to publishing studies on human subjects.JEM originsThe JEM was founded in 1896 at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine by William Welch, the school’s founder and also the first president of the Board of Scientific Directors of the Rockefeller Institute. From its inception, Welch edited the journal by himself—even editing manuscripts while attending baseball games—and he eventually found that it placed too heavy a burden on his time. By March 1902, the editorial burden became too great for Welch, who stopped publishing papers and began stockpiling manuscripts and unanswered correspondence in his office, explaining the conspicuous absence of published papers from 1902 to 1904 (see JEM Archives).In October 1902, Welch appealed to the board of The Rockefeller Institute to take over the journal. The transfer of ownership and publication responsibilities required the physical transfer of manuscripts from Welch’s office, which fell to the director of The Rockefeller Institute, Simon Flexner, who carried the abandoned manuscripts from Baltimore to New York in a suitcase.The first issue of the JEM published by The Rockefeller Institute appeared in February 1905, with Flexner serving as editor, and the journal has been published regularly since then. Although the journal was adopted by The Rockefeller Institute as a venue for publication of the Institute’s own research, it also accepted submissions from outside. Even in the early years, more than half of the papers published in the journal came from external labs. .

General physiology is the study of biological mechanisms through analytical investigations, which decipher the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying biological function at all levels of organization.The mission of The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) is to publish articles that elucidate important biological, chemical, or physical mechanisms of broad physiological significance. The major emphasis is on physiological problems at the cellular and molecular level.A brief editorial history.