Research

The IFA Research and Publication Committee has invited a number of  experts to write an introduction to a topic with references to help explore the topic.   The authors are strongly encouraged to cover important work from other researchers as well as their own.

Each note represents the opinion of the writer, and is not intended to represent the views of the IFA, its boards or its membership as a whole.

Click here to access the list of available notes or use the "Research Notes" menu item above.

Read more on the format of the notes below.

These short notes are not intended to be exhaustive reviews – although referral to existing recent reviews is welcome.

For each note, the typical format is to:

• state the problem,
• summarize current views and perspectives with references to recent publications), and
• provide an evaluative conclusion informed by the author’s opinion.

These notes are intended to be:

• Short. The goal is not to provide definitive answers, but to encourage the reader to read further (using the references provided and others).
• Referenced. References support the factual positions made in text, but much more critically, should make the reader curious to read the original papers.
• Accessible. Our aim is that references should be open-access, free full-text. IFA members can access JFD papers via their own accounts. For others, we encourage the use of Google Scholar, or writing directly to cited authors to explore access.
• On widely-varying topics. We have approached quite a few scientists, most of whom have promised their contributions.

If you have any additional ideas, please contact us with suggestions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Bert Bast, on behalf of the IFA Research and Publication Committee