Q&A with Animal Welfare’s new Joint Editor-in-Chief, Bas Rodenburg
11 April 2025
Last update: 11/04/25 06:22
I am very excited and extremely honoured to be the Joint Editor in Chief of Animal Welfare (AWF).
Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Can you briefly explain the journal’s aims and scope?
Animal welfare publishes scientific research that focuses on the welfare of animals that are kept by humans, such as farm, laboratory, zoo and companion animals. Work on welfare of wild animals that are affected by human activities will also be considered.
What makes the journal stand out in the field of animal welfare science?
Animal Welfare is one of the few journals that publishes scientific studies across the full breadth of animal welfare science: studies on animal behaviour relating to animal welfare, studies on methodology to assess animal welfare, studies on harmful procedures and killing of animals, but also studies on ethical and legal issues relating to animal welfare. This is quite unique.
What are your aims/plans for the journal throughout your term?
Animal Welfare has become a fully open-access journal on 1 January 2023. This makes the journal accessible to a wider audience than in previous years. We are hoping to expand the number of articles we publish on animal welfare and to reach an even wider range of readers. At the same time, we are aiming to keep the high standard for scientific quality of our articles.
Where do you see growth in your field in the next 5-10 years?
Animal welfare is becoming a more central topic in many parts of the world. Our relationship with animals is slowly changing. Of course, this varies between farm animals and companion animals, but also for farm animals we see that people are in favour of improving their husbandry conditions. This is illustrated for instance by the transition to cage-free systems for poultry in many parts of the world. Animal Welfare plays a pivotal role in providing the scientific basis for improving animal welfare for animals across the board.
Why should people submit to Animal Welfare?
Animal Welfare is a unique journal, publishing high quality research across the wider animal welfare domain. Its breadth regarding different animal species and settings in which animals are kept allows its readers to also learn from other species and contexts and apply this knowledge to their own domain. The journal also provides opportunities for studies that link to ethics and legal issues.
Animal Welfare is an international scientific journal. It publishes the results of peer-reviewed scientific research, technical studies, surveys and reviews relating to the welfare of kept animals (e.g. on farms, in laboratories, zoos and as companions) and of those in the wild whose welfare is compromised by human activities. Papers on related ethical and legal issues are also considered for publication.
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