The journal was established in 1806 as the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions published by the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London. It was renamed to Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1907, following the merger that led to the formation of the Royal Society of Medicine[4][5][6] and with volume numbering restarting at 1, before obtaining its current name in 1978.[1]
The journal describes itself as having "an international and multi-specialty readership that includes primary care and public health professionals".[2] It claims to act as "a forum for debate, education, and entertainment for clinicians interested in UK medicine and relevant international developments and research. The aim of the journal is to influence clinical practice and policy making across the whole range of medicine".[2] Each issue contains original research articles, editorials, reviews, and essays. The essay section brings together "think pieces" on current medical issues and medical history. The journal also includes book reviews. Each issue also features a selection of commentaries from the James Lind Library, an online resource for patients and professionals that documents the evolution of fair tests of treatments in health care.[8]
In 2006, the journal introduced open peer review, a system in which authors and reviewers know each other's identities on the assumption that this improves openness in scientific discourse. This made it one of the few medical journals in the world with open peer review.[9]
Editions
The journal is published monthly.[10] The full text of each issue is available to subscribers online on the journal's website at the beginning of each month.[11]
Open access
In March 2006 all research articles published, as well as all other content more than three years old, were made available for free online. An agreement with PubMed Central was also announced, in which a digitised archive of the journal and its predecessor would be created, with issues dating back to 1809 available online for free.[11]
^"Special General Meeting of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London", Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, 90: cxxi–cxxiv, 14 June 1907, PMC2038538
^MacAlister, J.Y.W (1907), "Union of Medical Societies", Medico-Chirurgical Transactions; Report of the Committee of Representatives, 90: cxxxvi–cxlvii, PMC2038529, PMID20897096
^"The Royal Society of Medicine: The First General Meeting of the Fellows Under the New Charter", Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, 90: cxlviii–clxii, 13 June 1907, PMC2038540
