The Journal will publish papers on practical applications of statistics and other quantitative methods to medicine and its applied sciences. It will embrace all aspects of the collection analysis presentation and interpretation of medical data. Specific areas will include clinical trials diagnostic studies quality control laboratory experiments epidemiology and health care research. The journal will emphasize the relevance of numerical techniques and will aim to communicate statistical and quantitative ideas in a medical context. Examples of applications of statistics to specific projects articles explaining new statistical methods and reviews of general topics will be published; papers containing extensive mathematical theory will be excluded. The main criteria for publication will be appropriateness of the statistical method to the particular medical problem and clarity of exposition. The ultimate goal of Statistics in Medicine is to enhance communication between statisticians clinicians and medical researchers with the common purpose of advancing knowledge and understanding of quantitative aspects of medicine. It is intended that both the readers and authors of the Journal include statisticians clinicians epidemiologists health researchers mathematicians and computer scientists interested in medicine.