WHY PSYCHOANALYSIS DOWNUNDER

The Internet adds a new dimension to exchange of information. It offers an unprecedented access to publications of various kinds. This is an enormous advantage but also a challenge in relation to psychoanalytic publications which are usually addressed to and accessed by limited and selected audiences. The Australian Psychoanalytical Society has made a decision to meet this challenge and use the opportunity provided by the Internet by publishing a psychoanalytic journal online.

One of the aims is to provide a stimulus and links for scientific activities of our Society which are conducted in three geographically distant centres, in the country distant from other parts of the world. It is also hoped that this kind of publication can make psychoanalytic knowledge and information more accessible, and this can help to raise the public profile of psychoanalysis.

Our position is that the Journal will allow open, free access to full text articles online. These will be quality psychoanalytic papers on theoretical, clinical, research and "applied" topics. The Journal could be seen as showcasing the Australian psychoanalysis. At the same time it could provide room for applied interdisciplinary studies authored not only by the analysts. All papers will be subject to review by local and overseas reviewers. Guidelines protecting confidentiality have been developed and are fully adhered to. The Journal will provide a room for dissemination of information about psychoanalysis, about scientific developments and projects of our and other societies. To utilise the interactive possibilities of the Internet a forum can be provided for discussion and exchange of views on the published material, or on issues of psychoanalytical interest. Reviews of selected books will be also included in the Journal.

The Journal will be edited and run by psychoanalysts. Even though it is envisaged that this kind of publication will be of interest primarily to psychoanalysts and psychotherapists, it is also expected that it will provide a connection and promote a meaningful exchange with other professional groups and with people interested in contemporary psychoanalysis. The format of the Journal, while referring to the printed forms of publication, is intended to make use of the opportunities provided by flexible and adjustable Internet formats. The Journal is intended as a growing project which will develop along with new ideas, and in response to input from the authors and feedback from the readers.

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