The Lancet Infectious Diseases

The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Title	The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Discipline	Infectious diseases
Abbreviation	Lancet Infect Dis
Publisher	Elsevier
Country	United Kingdom
History	2001–present
Frequency	Monthly
Impact	120.0
Impact-year	2024
Issn	1473-3099

The Lancet Infectious Diseases is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal publishing research and commentary on infectious diseases, epidemiology, microbiology, and global health. Launched in 2001 by Elsevier as part of the The Lancet family, it has become a venue for clinical trials, systematic reviews, modelling studies, and policy analysis with a readership among clinicians, researchers, and public health officials. The journal frequently features content relevant to outbreaks, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine development, and global health governance.

History

The journal was established in 2001 during a period of renewed attention to emerging pathogens following events associated with Severe acute respiratory syndrome and changes in the landscape of World Health Organization surveillance. Early editorial leadership included figures tied to institutions such as Oxford University, Harvard University, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, linking the journal to networks involving Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and national research councils. Over the 2000s and 2010s the journal published influential pieces during episodes such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic, the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, and the Zika virus epidemic, contributing to debates involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and national ministries of health. The journal’s trajectory has paralleled developments at Institute of Medicine forums, collaborations with UNAIDS, and cross-disciplinary dialogues including contributors from Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Scope and Content

The journal covers clinical research on pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Human immunodeficiency virus, Plasmodium falciparum, and coronaviruses, as well as translational studies linked to institutions like National Institutes of Health and Institut Pasteur. Articles frequently intersect with work by investigators affiliated with University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School, Karolinska Institutet, University of Cape Town, and Peking University; policy analyses cite agencies including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and World Bank. Content types include randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, meta-analyses, modelling exercises referencing methods from Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and clinical guidelines developed by professional bodies such as Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

The editorial office operates within the The Lancet group under Elsevier’s publishing umbrella, with an editor-in-chief supported by deputy editors, section editors, and an international editorial board including academics from University of Cambridge, Yale School of Medicine, University of Toronto, and Monash University. Peer review is single-blind or double-blind depending on policy updates and involves external referees drawn from networks at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Diseases (South Africa), and other specialized units. Editorial decisions consider standards promoted by organizations such as Committee on Publication Ethics and reporting guidelines from CONSORT and PRISMA.

Impact and Reception

The journal has been cited in policy documents produced by World Health Organization, European Commission, and national health agencies including Public Health England and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High-impact articles influenced vaccination policy debates involving Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and regulatory reviews at agencies such as the European Medicines Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The journal’s influence is reflected in citation metrics, and it has been the subject of commentary in outlets like Nature, Science, and responses from research groups at Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic services such as PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. It is included in citation reports produced by Clarivate Analytics and metrics tracked by databases maintained by National Center for Biotechnology Information and academic libraries at institutions like University of California and University of Michigan.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Notable publications have addressed the clinical management of HIV/AIDS in collaboration with researchers from University of KwaZulu-Natal, modelling studies from groups at Imperial College London related to pandemic influenza and coronavirus responses, and randomized trials on malaria therapeutics with investigators from Mahidol University and University of Oxford. Special issues and commissions have focused on antimicrobial resistance—engaging stakeholders such as Wellcome Trust and the Rockefeller Foundation—global vaccine strategies involving Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and epidemic preparedness dialogues featuring contributors from World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Access and Publication Model

Published by Elsevier within the Lancet imprint, the journal offers subscription-based access alongside open-access options for authors via article processing charges, aligning with policies promoted by funders such as Wellcome Trust and mandates from agencies like the European Research Council and National Institutes of Health. The journal participates in initiatives for data sharing and transparency encouraged by entities including Committee on Publication Ethics and supports preprint engagement common to platforms used by researchers at bioRxiv and medRxiv.

Category:Medical journals