Annals of Family Medicine Selected for Indexing in Index Medicus and MEDLINE

Early Selection a Testament to Journal's Quality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2004 

Contact: 
Angela Sharma 
Annals of Family Medicine
(913) 269-2269
asharma@aafp.org

LEAWOOD, Kan. -The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has selected Annals of Family Medicine for inclusion in Index Medicus and MEDLINE on its first application.  Inclusion in Index Medicus, the NLM's premier bibliographic database covering more than 4,500 biomedical journals, is the premier mark of recognition for a biomedical journal.

Indexing in the Library's MEDLARS and MEDLINE databases will enable readers to search and retrieve all Annals articles from past and current issues.  While the full content of Annals has always been immediately available online to readers worldwide at www.annfammed.org at no charge, the NLM action will make Annals' titles and abstracts available to people conducting searches in the Library's powerful databases, including PubMed.

"We are delighted," said Annals editor Kurt Stange, M.D., Ph.D., noting that the NLM's decision to index Annals came after the publication of its fourth issue, the earliest a journal can be accepted for indexing. "It is a unique achievement for a journal to be accepted for indexing in the early stages of its publication."

Indexing makes Annals available to thousands of health professionals, scientists, patients, students, lawyers, librarians, medical journalists and others who annually search through MEDLINE's extensive database of more than 11 million medical journal articles. According to the NLM, more than 400 million searches are conducted annually using the MEDLINE database.

"One of the primary aims of Annals is to stimulate interaction among the diverse communities it serves - from clinicians and patients to researchers and policymakers," said Stange. "Making the content available through this robust database provides us with yet another way to share important new primary care knowledge free from the limitations of geographic, financial or disciplinary boundaries," Stange said.

"We have always believed Annals of Family Medicine was meeting an important need for a forum for rigorous primary care research," said Stange. "The indexing is a formal recognition of the quality of the journal and its relevance to a broad constituency."

An unprecedented collaborative effort of six family medical organizations, Annals provides a cross-disciplinary forum and a scientific foundation for an integrated, whole-person approach to health care. Recognizing the increasingly fragmented pattern of the current health care system, Annals strives to nurture research that bridges the boundaries between disciplines.  The journal's editorial focus is grounded in the central tenets of family practice - comprehensiveness, coordination, continuity and patient focus.

Annals of Family Medicine debuted in May 2003.  With its fourth issue in January/February 2004, the journal nearly doubled in size, increasing in length from 64 to 96 pages to accommodate the large number of high-quality manuscripts being submitted.

The MEDLINE database includes more than 4,500 biomedical journals published in the United States and 70 foreign countries.  The NLM's Literature Selection Technical Review Committee, composed of biomedicine authorities such as physicians, researchers, educators, editors, health science librarians and historians, reviews and recommends journal titles for the NLM to index. In considering journals for indexing, they consider their scope and coverage, quality of content, quality of editorial work, production quality, audience and types of content.

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Annals of Family Medicine is a peer-reviewed research journal that provides a cross-disciplinary forum for new, evidence-based information affecting the primary care discipline.  Launched in May 2003, the journal is sponsored by six family medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Family Practice, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors and the North American Primary Care Research Group.  The journal is published six times each year and contains original research from the clinical, biomedical, social and health services areas, as well as contributions on methodology and theory, selected reviews, essays and editorials.  A board of directors with representatives from each of the sponsoring organizations oversees Annals. Complete editorial content and interactive discussion groups can be accessed free of charge on the journal's Web site, www.annfammed.org.