Category : Various Text files
Archive   : NLM-INFO.ZIP
Filename : JNLSEL.TXT

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
National Library of Medicine
JULY 1991

JOURNAL SELECTION FOR INDEX MEDICUS_/MEDLINE_

Index Medicus and its online counterpart, MEDLINE, are used
throughout the world to provide access to the world's biomedical
journal literature. The decision whether or not to index a journal
for these publications is an important one and is made by the
Director of the National Library of Medicine based on both scientific
policy and scientific quality considerations. The Board of Regents of
the Library sets policy for the Library. The Literature Selection
Technical Review Committee (LSTRC) has been established to review
journal titles and assess the quality of their contents. There is a
rough analogy to the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) decision-
making, with respect to research grant awards Ä namely, that the
relative scientific merit of individual grant applications or
journals is determined by Study Section or LSTRC, whereas the mixture
of types of research grants or types of journals is determined
independently by Council or Board according to considerations of
program relevance. Consonant with this principle, the LSTRC is asked
from time to time to evaluate and advise the Library concerning the
adequacy of our coverage of the literature of an individual specialty
area. The LSTRC frequently incorporates the review and advice of
outside experts in the subject area. As a result of these reviews,
currently indexed titles may be dropped and new titles added. In
addition to MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's MEDLARS_
system contains several databases on specialized topics. Journals on
these topics may be considered for inclusion in one of these
databases as appropriate.

The world-wide users of these indexes are researchers, health care
practitioners, educators and administrators whose needs vary
considerably. All are important, and the goal of the indexes will not
be met by concentrating on one set of users at the expense of
another. The content, format and accepted structure of the journals,
designed to meet the needs of these users, also vary greatly. NLM
still seeks a practical system to guide our selection of journals,
which will reflect these different needs and desires. In the
meantime, the selection is highly dependent on the judgment of
committee members and the Director.

The critical elements are intended as a general guide so that a
consistent set of issues will be considered as the committee members
examine journals in their search for the best and most appropriate
coverage of the biomedical literature.

Critical Elements

Scope and coverage: Index Medicus and MEDLINE provide access to the
biomedical literature. The journals brought to the committee for review
will contain articles predominantly on core biomedical subjects.
Occasionally journals whose content is predominantly a subject
peripheral or related to biomedicine are brought to the committee when
they have some biomedical content. In these cases the committee's advice
is sought not only on the quality of the content but also on the
contribution it makes to the coverage of the subjects in question. In
general, such journals will not be indexed if their biomedical content
is already adequately covered.

Quality of content: The scientific merit of a journal's contents is the
primary consideration in selecting journals for indexing. The validity,
importance, originality and contribution to the coverage of the field
of the overall contents of each title are the key factors to be
considered in recommending a title for indexing whatever the intended
purpose and audience.

Quality of editorial work: The journal should demonstrate features that
contribute to the objectivity, credibility and quality of the contents.
These features may include information about the methods of selecting
articles, especially on the explicit process of external peer review;
timely correction of errata; explicit responsible retractions, when
appropriate; and opportunity for comments and dissenting opinions.
Neither the advertising content nor commercial sponsorship should raise
questions about the objectivity of the published material. Sponsorship
by national or international professional societies may be considered.

Production quality: The quality of the layout, printing, graphics and
illustrations are all considered in assessing a journal. Though not a
requirement for selection, journals destined to be of archival
importance should be printed on acid-free paper.

Audience: MEDLINE and Index Medicus are intended primarily for all those
in the health professions: researchers, practitioners, educators,
administrators, and students. The phrase, "health professionals,"
includes physicians, nurses, dentists, veterinarians, and the many types
of allied health professionals in the research and health care delivery
systems.

Types of content: Journals whose contents consist of one or more of the
following types of information will be considered for indexing:

1. Reports of original research
2. Original clinical observations accompanied by analysis and
discussion
3. Analysis of philosophical, ethical, or social aspects of the
health professions or bio-medical sciences
4 . Critical reviews
5 . Statistical compilations
6 . Descriptions or evaluations of methods or procedures
7 . Case reports with discussion

All of these forms of information should be included in Index Medicus
and MEDLINE in order to fulfill the needs of users. However, coverage
of a field tends to create a priority approximately parallel to the
order in which the types are listed (i.e., journals reporting original
research are more likely to contain unique contributions to the coverage
of a field and therefore are selected more often than those that contain
only case reports).

Publications that consist primarily of reprinted articles, reports of
association activities, abstracts of the literature, news items, or book
reviews will not usually be indexed.

Foreign language journals The criteria for selecting journals written
in a foreign language are the same as for those written in English.
Other things being equal, additional consideration will be given to the
availability of adequate English-language abstracts that extend the
availability of the content to a broader audience.

Geographic coverage The highest quality and most useful journal titles
are selected without regard for the place of publication. In order to
provide broad international coverage, special attention is given to
research, public health, epidemiology, standards of health care, and
indigenous diseases. Journals will generally not be selected for
indexing if the contents are subjects already well represented in Index
Medicus and MEDLINE or that are being published for a local audience.

The interpretation of these criteria will be influenced by the avowed
purpose of the journal. For purposes of illustration, four broad
categories of journals are suggested:

1. Research journals are predominantly devoted to reporting original
investigations in the biomedical and health sciences, including research
in the basic sciences; clinical trials of therapeutic agents;
effectiveness of diagnostic or therapeutic techniques; or studies
relating to the behavioral, epidemiologic, or educational aspects of
medicine.

2. Clinical or practice journals have as their dominant purpose,
documenting the state of current practice, providing background for
those in training, or the continuing education of practitioners. This
is done through the publication of case reports, discussions and
illustrations of new techniques, evaluations of current practices, and
commentaries.

3. Review journals contain the current state of knowledge or practice,
integrating recent advances with accepted principles and practice, or
summarizing and analyzing the consensus view of controversial issues in
knowledge or practice. Review journals provide background information
for practitioners and researchers, students and house officers, and
others who wish an overview or the current status of a field.

4. General or all-purpose journals contain elements of all the foregoing
and frequently contain commentary and analysis of important social,
political and economic issues. They are usually designed for a broad
audience and not limited to a specialty.