The BMJ

This is a book for doctors.

It shares news about health. It started a long time ago. The first book was made in 1840. It was only 16 pages long. It had three small pictures. Now, the book is mostly online. Doctors read it to learn new things. It helps them learn how to help people. It is a very old and famous book.

The BMJ is a famous medical journal. It shares news about health and science. It started on October 3, 1840. Back then, it was called the Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal.

The first issue was only 16 pages long. It had three small woodcut pictures. It cost 7d to buy. Today, it is mostly found online. It is published every two weeks.

Doctors use the journal to find new facts. It uses peer review to stay smart. Peer review is a way to check work. Experts read the papers first. They see if the work is good. This helps make sure the facts are true. Only a few papers get picked for print. Less than 7% of research papers are accepted.

Every year, the journal makes a special Christmas Edition. These papers look at silly medical questions. The results are often funny. The journal also shares important news. It once shared papers about how smoking hurts the lungs. Kamran Abbasi is the editor-in-chief now. He started his job in January 2022.

The BMJ is a very important medical journal for doctors. It is published every two weeks by a group called BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. This group is owned by the British Medical Association. Even though they are connected, the journal has editorial freedom. This means the editors can make their own choices about what to publish. It is one of the oldest journals for general medicine in the world.

To make sure the science is correct, the journal uses peer review. This is a way for experts to check new work. First, authors send their papers to the journal. About half of these papers are rejected right away. The rest go to external experts for a closer look. These experts check if the work is important and suitable. Finally, a group called the editorial committee makes the last decision. This group is like people who decide which art goes in a gallery.

The journal has a long and interesting history. It first began on October 3, 1840. Back then, its name was the Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal. P. Hennis Green was the founder and first editor. Robert Streeten was also one of the first editors. In 1857, the journal merged with another one to become the BMJ. It changed its name to The BMJ in 2014. Kamran Abbasi became the editor-in-chief in January 2022.

There are many interesting facts about how the journal works. The very first issue was only 16 pages long. It had three small woodcut illustrations inside. It cost 7d to buy in those early days. Today, the journal is mostly found online. It has a special Christmas Edition every year. This edition looks at serious science for funny questions. It is also known for sharing big discoveries. For example, it published papers about how smoking causes lung cancer.

You can think of the BMJ as a giant library for health news. It connects doctors to the newest facts in the world. Many other scientific journals look at the BMJ to find information. In 2008, it was one of the most cited journals. It also helps people in different countries get information. The HINARI initiative lets people in some countries read it for free. This helps make sure medical knowledge is shared with everyone.

The BMJ is a highly influential, fortnightly medical journal. It provides peer-reviewed research, clinical reviews, and medical news to professionals. The journal is published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. This group is entirely owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). However, the journal maintains editorial freedom from the BMA. This independence ensures that its scientific reporting remains unbiased. As one of the world's oldest general medical journals, it plays a vital role in the global medical community.

The journal uses a rigorous process called peer review to ensure accuracy. This process begins when authors submit their manuscripts for consideration. About half of all submissions are rejected immediately without an external review. The remaining manuscripts are sent to external experts. These experts evaluate the importance of the research and its suitability for publication. After this, an editorial committee makes the final decision. This group is often called the "hanging" committee. This name comes from its similarity to committees that decide which art should be hung in an exhibition. The acceptance rate for original research is quite low, at less than 7%.

Today, the BMJ is primarily an online resource. The full text of every article is hosted on its website. While the digital version is the main platform, print editions still exist for specific groups. These include a weekly General Practice edition and a weekly Clinical Research edition. There is also a monthly Academic edition for researchers and institutions. The journal also serves an international audience through various foreign language editions. These include versions in Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Chinese, and English for the Middle East. A special Student BMJ also exists for medical students and junior doctors.

The history of the journal began on October 3, 1840. It was originally named the Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal (PMSJ). P. Hennis Green founded the journal and served as its first editor. Robert Streeten was also an original editor. The first issue was only 16 pages long. It contained three small woodcut illustrations. In 1842, the name changed briefly to the Provincial Medical Journal and Retrospect of the Medical Sciences. In 1857, the journal became the BMJ after merging with the Associated Medical Journal. The title was shortened to BMJ in 1988 and changed to The BMJ in 2014. Kamran Abbasi has served as the editor-in-chief since January 2022.

Throughout its history, the journal has published landmark scientific findings. It published the first centrally randomized controlled trial. It also carried seminal papers regarding the causal link between smoking and lung cancer. The journal is known for its "Christmas Edition" published every year. This edition applies serious academic methods to investigate less serious medical questions. These results are often humorous and widely reported by mainstream media. One famous example is a 1974 hoax regarding "cello scrotum." This was a fictional condition submitted as a joke. The author, Elaine Murphy, eventually revealed it was a hoax in 2009.

The BMJ has a significant impact on the scientific world. In 2024, its impact factor was reported to be 43.0. This ranking placed it 4th among research journals in the general medical category. The journal also advocates for evidence-based medicine. It has criticized the misuse of impact factors in academic recruitment. In 2013, it became a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, known as the DORA Agreement. This agreement urges publishers to reduce the emphasis on impact factors as promotional tools. This helps ensure that researchers are judged on the quality of their work rather than just journal names.

The journal remains a central hub for medical communication. It offers several alerting services to keep doctors updated. These include "This Week In The BMJ" and "Editor's Choice" emails. It also features "Rapid Responses," which acts as a moderated internet forum. This forum has seen 88,500 rapid responses posted on the website. To support global health, the journal allows free access to visitors from economically disadvantaged countries. This is done through the HINARI initiative. By providing these tools, the BMJ helps connect medical professionals to essential, trustworthy information across the globe.