Research on antibiotics and other microbial products is pivotal to the global battle against the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. As well as the traditional research and development model of finding replacement drugs to tackle this problem, there are other important new strategies for addressing resistance which include research into bioactive microbial products. The Journal of Antibiotics forms an integral part of this battle against resistance by encouraging and publishing original research articles that report findings of wide biological significance in the multidisciplinary field of antimicrobials. We specifically encourage articles that represent important advances in the field of antimicrobial research, including recently discovered antibiotics, bioactive microbial products and novel strategies for combating antibiotic resistance. The Journal of Antibiotics provides a dynamic platform for communicating research on microbial products and antimicrobial approaches through also including insightful and up-to-date reviews, short communications and letters to the editor.