The ''Annals of Human Genetics'' is a bimonthly

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...

scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such ...

covering

human genetics Human genetics is the study of inheritance as it occurs in human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, population gene ...

. It was established in 1925 by

Karl Pearson Karl Pearson (; born Carl Pearson; 27 March 1857 – 27 April 1936) was an English mathematician and biostatistician. He has been credited with establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics. He founded the world's first university st ...

as the ''Annals of Eugenics'', with as subtitle, Darwin's epigram "I have no Faith in anything short of actual measurement and the rule of three". The journal obtained its current name in 1954 to reflect changing perceptions on

eugenics Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior o ...

Annals of Eugenics

Pearson edited the journal from 1925 to 1933. In a brief valedictory letter published at the time of his resignation, Pearson wrote that he had fallen short of his aspirations, having published only five volumes over eight years due to the limited financial resources of the

Galton Laboratory The Galton Laboratory was a laboratory for research into eugenics and then into human genetics based at University College London in London, England. It was originally established in 1904, and became part of UCL's biology department in 1996. The a ...

. He reaffirmed his belief that eugenics was worthy as a subject of academic study and as a source of public policy, but warned against hastily adopting eugenic legislation, noting that the field contained too many theories weakly supported by anecdote or opinion.

Ronald Fisher Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (17 February 1890 – 29 July 1962) was a British polymath who was active as a mathematician, statistician, biologist, geneticist, and academic. For his work in statistics, he has been described as "a genius who ...

took over as editor in 1934 and with Humphry Rolleston, Reginald Ruggles Gates and Dr John Alexander Fraser Roberts on the editorial board. The journal focused more clearly on

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar work ...

and

mathematical statistics Mathematical statistics is the application of probability theory, a branch of mathematics, to statistics, as opposed to techniques for collecting statistical data. Specific mathematical techniques which are used for this include mathematical an ...

Ethical issues with rejection of an article related to China

In June 2021, the Annals refused to publish an article, coauthored by David Curtis, the Journal Editor at the time, suggesting that academic journals should take a stance against China’s human rights violations in Xinjiang. The journal has defended rejecting the piece and claimed that a boycott against China would be unfair and counterproductive (other journals also rejected the piece). It also denied being unduly deferential to China.

References

External links

* Eugenics in the United Kingdom Medical genetics journals Wiley (publisher) academic journals Bimonthly journals English-language journals Publications established in 1925 {{genetics-journal-stub