We, the participants in the Joint Meeting of the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Journal Editors (APAME), the Index Medicus for the South-East Asian Region (IMSEAR) and the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM) held in Tokyo from 2 to 4 August 2013:
That overwhelming data in science and medicine may differ in their reliability and the quality control is important for compiling scientific and health information;
That equitable circulation of scientific and health information is facilitated by fair collaboration among policy makers, researchers, and industry sectors including pharmaceuticals and publishers.
That APAME, IMSEAR, and WPRIM are important collaborative initiatives that can implement the global guidelines for publication and dissemination of scientific and medical knowledge in an equitable and ethical manner;
Our commitment to endorse that scientific and medical knowledge is imperishable and should not be assessed evaluated by only economic or temporal considerations;
Our commitment to improve the quality and reliability of scientific and medical knowledge through the IMSEAR and WPRIM;
Our commitment to publish reliable and high quality information by education of researchers, implementation of fair review processes, and organization of networks through the APAME;
Our commitment to collaborate with publishers, academic or public libraries, and research bodies to achieve equitable and ethical publication and dissemination of scientific and medical knowledge;
Ourselves, to publishing reliable and high-quality information, thereby setting the ethical standard for our colleagues, editors, and librarians in the Region;
Our publishers, to disseminate scientific and medical knowledge fairly and impartially through digital library services including, but not limited to, IMSEAR, WPRIM, and Global Health Library;
Our organization, APAME, to build further networks, convening conferences, and organizing events to educate and empower editors, peer reviewers, and authors to achieve internationally acceptable, but regionally realistic, scholarly standards.
4 August 2013, Tokyo.