A readership survey of Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal

ABSTRACT

We established the Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal (WPSAR) in 2010 to increase the dissemination of data from surveillance systems in the Asia Pacific region as part of the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases.1 WPSAR was to provide a platform for people working in surveillance and response in the Western Pacific Region to share scientific and operational findings and publish a broad range of articles not limited to conventional research articles. In mid-2014, four years after the first issue of WPSAR, an online survey of WPSAR subscribers was conducted to assess the impact, network and visibility of WPSAR in the region to determine if these objectives had been met. Based on a similar survey undertaken by Eurosurveillance in 2011,2 we sought to understand the WPSAR audience more comprehensively, how the journal is used and readers’ expectations. The WPSAR readership survey link was e-mailed to the 514 registered subscribers, and 25% responded.