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A journal is a regularly published scholarly, peerreviewed or refereed publication in print or online format. There are many journals important to the field of epidemiology. This entry reviews the history of epidemiological journals and identifies those considered by the Medical Library Association to be essential and minimal core journals.

History

Journals explicitly focused on epidemiology are a relatively new phenomenon; prior to their development, epidemiological articles were published in a variety of public health and clinical journals. When, in 1965, the American Journal of Epidemiology changed its name from The American Journal of Hygiene, it stated in an editorial that

  • so far as we are aware there is no journal in the English language which has the word epidemiology in its title. Epidemiology is both a method and a substantive field …. a journal devoted to epidemiology will fill a distinct need. (‘Change in Name,’ 1965, p. 1)

The editorial further stated that the change in name reflected a change in scope, extending coverage to studies of the epidemiology of noninfectious conditions to make the journal become more broadly representative of the field of epidemiology.

Today, several dozen journals are published that focus specifically on epidemiology, clinical epidemiology, and biostatistical methods in disease surveillance and description. Many focus on particular fields within epidemiology, reflecting the development of narrow fields of investigation within epidemiology: This specialization is reflected in titles such as Genetic Epidemiology (Wiley), Opthalmic Epidemiology (Taylor & Francis), and Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology (Blackwell). The PubMed Journal Database, which includes the journals indexed in the National Library of Medicine's widely used PubMed database, includes 57 journals in a variety of languages classified as belonging to the subject ‘epidemiology,’ including both general journals such as the American Journal of Epidemiology and specialized journals on epidemiologic subtopics such as Neuroepidemiology and Genetic Epidemiology.

Core Journals

According to the Public Health/Health Administration (PH/HA) Section of the Medical Library Association, the following are the ‘Essential Core’ journals in the field of epidemiology (with publishers in parentheses). These are defined by PH/HA as those titles ‘essential for a collection that supports a program with subject specialization in this area.’ In the list of journals provided below, those marked with an asterisk (∗) are considered ‘Minimal Core,’ designating them as first-purchase recommendations for those developing an epidemiology journal collection.

  • American Journal of Epidemiology (Oxford University Press)
  • Annals of Epidemiology (Elsevier Science)
  • Cancer Causes and Control (Springer-Verlag)
  • Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (American Association for Cancer Research)
  • Epidemiologic Reviews (Oxford University Press)
  • Epidemiology (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)
  • International Journal of Epidemiology (Oxford University Press)
  • Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (Elsevier Science)
  • Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (BMJ Publishing)
  • Lancet Infectious Diseases (Elsevier Science)

In addition to the above titles, nearly all medical and public health journals include some articles pertinent to epidemiology. Clinical epidemiology is indispensable to clinical medicine as its principles form the basis for the evaluation of clinical trials and evidence-based medicine. Hence, major medical journals such as The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet are also of primary importance to epidemiologists, as are the major public health journals such as American Journal of Public Health and Public Health Reports. Another important source of epidemiological information is Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR), published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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