As a scientific journal, OEM's main mission is to build the evidence base for the science and practice of occupational and environmental health by publishing original research. My editorial in the March issue of the Journal called for a renewed global commitment to occupational health research and to the training of occupational health professionals.1 In May, an editorial by Malcolm Sim expanded on the need for research to strengthen occupational health services.2 As scientists and editors, our commitment to research couldn't be stronger.

Certainly, there is abundant evidence that research has made a difference to the health of workers. Research, much of it published in this journal and highlighted last year in a commemoration of the back archive,3–5 led to greatly expanded understanding of the nature and consequences of exposure to asbestos fibers and coal dust—two of the …