It is the official journal of the International Epidemiological Association and is published by Oxford University Press.

The journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

The editor-in-chief is Stephen Leeder (University of Sydney).

The journal was established in 1972 by the International Epidemiological Association to facilitate communication among its members and all those engaged in research, teaching and the application of epidemiology.

The first editor-in-chief, Walter W. Holland, hoped to "overcome some of the problems of publication of epidemiological work in local journals, which often tend to be unavailable to workers outside that country" and to "create an international viewpoint of health problems.