Medicine is a vast area, and there is an enormous number of research and clinical trials carried over worldwide. That said, it seems impossible to stay updated with the current trends, innovations, and standards in the field. Yet, in fact, it is possible.
One best way to keep track of the most advanced research is through filtering out streams of journals that are readily available in print and online.
What are Medical Journals
Generally, the majority of the medical journals are those that received scientific reviews from peers. Hence, they often call it peer-reviewed medical journals. These publications yearn to reveal valuable medical information to physicians and other health professionals.
With the process, it is undeniable that the content of these medical journals maintain its standard and quality as fellow medical professionals get to check and review them. Moreover, aside from peer review, another way to ensure the quality of these publications is through their impact factor.
What is a Peer Review?
Peer review is the process involved to instate the checking and balancing of the original work. As the name suggests, a peer will critic the article or the medical journal to help secure or guarantee the factuality of the information and investigation included in the work. Peer review also makes sure that the content is relevant to the audience targeted.
By doing so, the procedure improves or enhances the standard of quality of the published papers. And instead, better, high-quality articles get printed or published in better quality medical journals.
Three Stages in the Peer Review Process
Overall, there are three stages involved in a peer-review process. And these are the following:
Evaluation
The chief editor will initially evaluate the article received.
Blind Review
Other medical or health experts in similar areas who generally don’t know the author will review the article.
Revisions
Once the article gets accepted, the author will then perform the revisions.
The publishing editors will get an additional assurance that the work successfully meets the standards for publication once the three stages of the process get completed.
What is the Impact Factor?
Another way to make sure that the medical journal is highly reliable is through its impact factor. The number of frequencies that an academic article gets cited by different indexed publications gauge the impact it brings to its audience.
So, how do you calculate the impact factor of a medical journal? It’s a simple formula that involves dividing the total number of citable items that a journal published in a given calendar year by the actual number of counts of all published points or articles in that journal cited by other indexed journals.
Therefore, a journal that has published more cited articles for more than two years will have higher chances of receiving the highest impact factor.
What are the Top Medical Journals
While in the discussion of the highly reliable medical journals based on the peer reviews and impact factor, below is a list of the top publications that made a huge effect in many medical decision makings.
Top 8 Medical Journals
These are the medical journals that have years of history to back them up, and in time passing, have become the benchmark in medicine.
New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
This journal leads to the rest worldwide. According to its statistics, there are over six hundred thousand people who read NEJM every week, and that’s across the globe.
Apart from that, the New England Journal of Medicine is the most frequently cited journal in much scientific literature. It has received over 70% impact factor, making it the highest among the flock.
The Lancet
The journal covers trending and controversial medical topics, such as HIV, global health, infectious diseases, diabetes and endocrinology, psychiatry, hematology, and respiratory medicine.
Its impact factor rating is 59.10, and thus, it ranked at number two of one hundred sixty journals in the field of general, internal, and medicine category.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
JAMA’s impact factor reached to 51.273. Hence, it’s on the third spot of the one hundred sixty (160) journals in a similar category. It has almost three hundred thousand recipients, making it the most circulated medical journal worldwide.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ)
One of the oldest published medical journals is the BMJ, which aims to lead debates on health. It also drives to engage, inform, and encourage other health professionals to improve the outcomes for their patients.
JAMA Internal Medicine
This journal tackles general and specialty internal medicine. Before it became JAMA Internal Medicine, it was popular by its former name, the “Archives of Internal Medicine.” This peer-reviewed medical journal has an impact rating of 20.77. That is why it’s on the fifth spot.
Annals of Internal Medicine
Established by the American College of Physicians, this medical journal is among the most influential ones around the world. Its diverse publications include ethics in medicine, healthcare policy, peer-reviewed articles, medical education, research methodology, and commentary to clinical practice.
Its impact factor reached to 19.32, and that is why it’s number sixth in the list of top medical journals.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM)
This journal is mainly focused and highly dedicated to publishing articles related to the prevention of acute and chronic diseases. Among the common topics covered by AJPM includes policy in this field, prevention research, and scientific teachings and practice.
It also tackles public related health issues, such as alcohol, drug use, smoking, injury, nutrition, and violence. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine has an impact rating of 4.44.
Drug Safety
The official medical journal of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance or ISoP is the Drug Safety, which is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers none other than topics of drug safety, which includes risk management and benefit-risk assessment. And its impact factor reached to 3.53, making it on number eight of our list.
Other than the eight (8) medical journals mentioned above, there are more than a hundred fifty remaining top publications that include the Medical Care and the Journal of Adolescent Health, among others.