gms | German Medical Science

Description: The dissemination of evidence has traditionally relied on academic publishing. Scientific journals have historically provided a platform not only for the dissemination of original research but also for general academic debate. In the second half of the 20th century, peer review was established as a quality assurance and gatekeeping mechanism, and publications have been an essential metric for career advancement and placement in tenure-track positions.

Nonetheless, in the later years, the proliferation was redundant, low-quality research (i.e. research waste) in journals with weakened or non-existent quality assurance mechanisms has questioned this model of disseminating knowledge. Moreover, journals have been called to join open science and improve diversity. Finally, the irruption of AI and large language models is revolutionising the way we think about data and text processing.

Planned presentation topics: In this Seminar, two experienced editors propose an overview of the past, present and future of journals in light of the current needs of researchers and controversies in the publishing world. The contents include:

• The past: The first medical journals of the 19th century. Vancouver Group/ICMJE. COPE. Impact factor. DORA statement.
• The present: The editorial process. Different types of editing. Peer review.
• The future: Open Science, including open access and data sharing. Open peer-review. Diversity and inclusion. Predatory journals and paper mills. Large language models and AI.

Competing interests:

JVAF is the Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine and Clinical Editor for the BMJ. He is also a Clinical Editor for the Cochrane Urology Group and Managing Editor for the Cochrane Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders Group.

GM is the Editor-in-Chief of the Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen (ZEFQ) and Co-Editor of the journal PFLEGE.