Human Immunology is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier in behalf of the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. It contains original research articles, review articles, and brief communications on the subjects of immunogenetics, cellular immunology and immune regulation, and clinical immunology. The journal was established in 1980, and has been published monthly since 1983.[1] The journal has had five editors-in-chief: Bernard Amos (1980–1996), Nicole Suciu-Foca (1997–2013), Steven Mack (2014–2016), Amy Hahn (2016–2022), and James Matthew (2023–present).

Human Immunology
DisciplineImmunogenetics, Cellular Immunology and Immune Regulation, Clinical Immunology
LanguageEnglish
Edited byJames Matthew
Publication details
History1980–present
Publisher
FrequencyMonthly
2.7 (2022)
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4Hum. Immunol.
Indexing
CODENHUIMDQ
ISSN0198-8859 (print)
1879-1166 (web)
LCCN80648846
OCLC no.806501374
Links

Abstracting and indexing edit

The journal is abstracted and indexed in:

According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2022 impact factor of 2.7.[2]

Controversies edit

In 2001, Antonio Arnaiz-Villena co-authored a research paper in the journal on the genetic history of Jews, Palestinians, and other Mediterranean populations,.[3] The research results, which concluded that there are strong genetic ties between Israeli Jews and Palestinians, were controversial because of their political implications, as well as what some readers perceived to be political undertones in the article.[4]

Following a large number of complaints, the article was withdrawn from the journal and deleted from the scientific archive.[5] Academics who had already received a copy of the journal were urged to "physically remove" the article pages in a move that had no precedent in research publishing. The comments about Arab-Israeli conflicts were described by the journal's editor as "extreme political writing"; a description challenged by Arnaiz-Villena, who was subsequently removed from the journal's editorial board.[4]

The journal's decision was met with opposition from several academics. Andrew Goffey, a senior lecturer at Middlesex University in England, observed that "it was conceded that the article had not been removed on the basis of its scientific evidence," failed to find anything offensive in the paper. Several scientists wrote to the publishers to support Arnaiz-Villena and to protest their heavy-handedness. One of them said: "If Arnaiz-Villena had found evidence that Jewish people were genetically very special, instead of ordinary, you can be sure no one would have objected to the phrases he used in his article. This is a very sad business."[4]

References edit

  1. ^ "Human Immunology". Elsevier. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  2. ^ "Human Immunology". 2022 Journal Citation Reports (Science ed.). Clarivate. 2023 – via Web of Science.
  3. ^ "Article has been withdrawn by the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (the copyright owner), the Editor and the Publisher, and will not be available in electronic format". Human Immunology. 62 (9): 889. 2001. doi:10.1016/s0198-8859(01)00288-9.
  4. ^ a b c McKie, Robin (2001-11-25). "Journal axes gene research on Jews and Palestinians". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  5. ^ Suciu-Foca, Nicole; Lewis, Robert (2001). "Editorial". Human Immunology. 62 (10): 1063. doi:10.1016/s0198-8859(01)00350-0.

External links edit