Scientific Journals

Academic journals have come a long way. From the first issue of Nature, published November 4, 1869 to the current multitude of obscure super-specialized publications, there has been a huge growth and evolution of the way we disseminate cutting-edge research. But will this be the way of the future? I currently get a few medical journals: a weekly JAMA, monthly Anesthesiology, and quarterly Anesthesia and Analgesia. Sadly, most of them are collecting dust in a pile, unread. I flip through the table of contents and earmark articles I want to read, and sometimes get around to one or two. But it's easy to get inundated with information, and there is never enough time in a resident's life to stay fully caught up with the relevant literature.

The other big change is the revolution in cloud storage and search. It is infinitely easier to find an article now than it was two decades ago. A quick search on PubMed or Google Scholar and I can find any research article I want. And the Internet is so much easier. As I download papers, I sort and categorize them so I can find them without digging through my bag of old journals. I can highlight and search them. I can send them to colleagues.

Although there is something wonderfully nice about receiving and flipping through a scientific journal and the history behind them in amazing, I think we are starting to find ourselves in an era where digital information becomes the dominant way to spread and share new medical discoveries.

Both images are in the public domain, from Wikipedia.