e-Commerce, e-Banks, e-Shopping and now the e-PMJ! The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine intends to be at the forefront of the revolution in communication that is already with us. The presence of a ‘brochure’-style advertisement for our journal was the beginning of a rather limited presence on the World Wide Web. The Fellowship, together with the BMJ, now feel the time is opportune to join a number of other medical journals which allow the reader to view the current issue, search for articles published previously in the journal and to browse the archives. The reader can be alerted to new papers in areas of his or her interest through customised alerts sent direct by e-mail. There will be a facility which will allow you to cross-search for related articles in a large range of other journals. Direct access to PubMed and Medline will enable the reader to search for related articles across an international range of journals.

These developments have become possible through a link with HighWire Press. Its mission is to “foster research and instruction by providing a more direct linkage between the writers and readers of scholarly materials.” Over recent years it has established itself as one of the leading developers in this type of academic communication and we are confident that this connection will help thePMJ spread its influence outside its present constituency. The need to develop on-line educational material and so play a part in the continuing education of doctors, both in the UK and throughout Europe and the rest of the world, is a concept which is central to the thoughts of the founders of the Fellowship.

Access to e-PMJ will initially be free. Various pricing models for subscriptions to e-PMJ are currently under discussion, so please watch our home-page for further information.

This is an exciting development for the editorial board of thePMJ. We hope that our readers will help frame future developments through ready access to the editorial office via e-mail connection. We are looking forward to receiving your views, comments and constructive criticisms.