Welcome to thebmj.com.
The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) is an international peer reviewed medical journal and a fully online first publication. The website is updated daily with original articles, podcasts, videos, and blogs and organised into four main content streams—research, education, news and views, and campaigns. In addition, the site is fully searchable, with an archive back to 1840 and numerous topic collections on clinical and non-clinical subjects. Articles of relevance to specific countries and regions are grouped together on country portals.
Although the editorial office is located in London, we have editors throughout the world, including in Europe, North America, South Asia, China, and Australia.
Original research is published in full on thebmj.com, with open access and no limits on word counts. Our mission is to lead the debate on health and to engage, inform, and stimulate doctors, researchers, and other health professionals in ways that will improve outcomes for patients. We aim to help doctors make better decisions.
In May 1995 The BMJ became the first online general medical journal and celebrated its 20th anniversary online in 2015. Continuous daily publication on thebmj.com started in July 2008, with all content posted online before appearing in print.
Although most doctors now read us online, The BMJ has a long history in print and has been published without interruption since 1840, when it began as the Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal. The print journal is now published in three editions: one weekly edition targeting hospital clinicians, primarily in the UK; a second weekly edition for GPs; and a third monthly edition aimed at academics and a more international audience. Together, their circulation totals about 122,000 copies and all are printed on 100% recycled paper and mailed in a recyclable wrapper.
The journal has an impact factor of 19.967 (June 2016) and is ranked fourth among general medical journals. Its articles make news around the world on a daily basis and are routinely cited in clinical guidelines.
Over the years The BMJ has received many accolades including Editor of the Year (2014) and Magazine of the Year (2015) at the prestigious Periodical Publishers Association Awards.
In June 2014 The BMJ received a special received a Patients Included certificate, to acknowledge and encourage the journal's focus on the involvement of patients in medical publishing.
The BMJ accepts revenue from a range of sources to ensure wide and affordable access while maintaining high standards of quality and full editorial independence. The sources of income include subscriptions from institutions and individuals; classified advertising for jobs and courses; display advertising for pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products; events (exhibitions, sponsorship, and visitor fees); sale of reprints, rights, and royalties; sponsorship; and open access publication fees.
Where content has been supported by sponsorship—for example, as a result of an unrestricted educational grant—this is clearly indicated.
The BMJ is published by BMJ (BMJ Publishing Group Ltd), a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association. The BMA grants editorial freedom to the editor of The BMJ (currently Fiona Godlee). The views expressed in the journal are those of the authors and may not necessarily comply with BMA policy. The BMJ follows guidelines on editorial independence produced by the World Association of Medical Editors and the code on good publication practice produced by the Committee on Publication Ethics, and the EQUATOR network resource centre for good research reporting.
BMJ advances healthcare worldwide by sharing knowledge and expertise to improve experiences, outcomes, and value. BMJ's values are: