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The beginnings of the medical journal

The first scientific journals with medical content were published in the 17th century. Preconditions were created with the invention of the newspaper and the flourishing of experimental science in the Enlightenment. The tradition of the scholarly exchange of letters was transferred to scientific journals, which were printed for the members of academies and other subscribers. Soon private publishers also discovered a market. Numerous periodicals on medicine and natural sciences were founded, though many were resumed already after a short time.

Periodicals from the 18th century in the magazine of the Main Library – Medicine Careum.

Specialization

From the mid-19th century, modern medicine established itself as an important subject at universities. The various disciplines emerged, which in turn led to the founding of specialized journals. Wherever a subject, society or technology was newly established, a journal was needed in which results could be discussed and presented.

This development continues up to today. We are confronted with such a flood of medical journals; it is hardly possible to keep an overview. As early as 1880, the National Library of Medicine listed just over 8,000 different medical journals in its Index-Catalogue, the predecessor of PubMed. In 1999, PubMed listed 20,000 journal titles; in 2018, the list of journals indexed in PubMed includes approximately 30,000 records. Of these, just over 5,000 are currently indexed. The remaining titles are either no longer published or not indexed any more.

Journal display in the reading room of the former hospital library of the USZ, around 2004

Digital Revolution

Since the 1990s, medical journals have been increasingly digitalised. Large amounts of data have allowed new functions such as rankings of researchers and universities, which in turn has effects on how research is done at the universities. With all the benefits of digital journals, universities struggle with increasing costs for the growing number of journals and for online services.

Libraries have adapted to the new situation. The large journal displays and long shelves full of periodicals have disappeared from the reading room. Today, students and researchers enjoy access to journal articles from anywhere. The Main Library – Medicine Careum has switched to E-Only in 2017. Most journals are only available electronically. Instead of registering incoming issues, librarians manage the electronic journal subscriptions, the linking software and the various online platforms.

Even if database searches have become much easier, it still requires sophisticated research strategies to obtain high quality results. Libraries have therefore in the last years started to offer classes in information literacy.