Cell brings multimedia to life

On May 27TH the top cell biology journal, Cell, will publish its latest issue with multimedia components directly attached to the print version. The issue uses QR code technology to connect readers to the journal's multimedia formats online thereby improving the conceptualization of a paper's scientific content and enhancing the reader's overall experience.

Readers of the hardcopy issue who take advantage of the code will experience an author-narrated walk through a paper's figures. In all, the issue will use QR codes to include seventeen "hidden treasures" for readers to discover. Readers can simply scan the QR codes with a smart phone or tablet to uncover animated figures, interviews, videos, and more. The multimedia formats offered by Cell include: Podcasts, Paperclips, PaperFlicks, and Enhanced Snapshots. Even the journal's cover shows a simple QR code which allows readers of the hardcopy issue to see an animated cover. The animated video cover named 'Malaria Channels Host Nutrients' shows circulating erythrocytes with two cells infected by malaria parasites from the genus Plasmodium.

On the heels of Cell Press receiving top honors for excellence in Biological & Life Sciences from the Association of American Publishers (AAP) for 'Article of the Future,' Cell Press continues to influence the way scientific research is presented online.