ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 592 / C &RL News P rin t still favored medium fo r biom edical information T he 91st annual m eeting o f the Medical Library Association, held May 3 1 -Ju n e 6, 1991, in San Francisco, will long be rem em bered for its provoca­ tive and stimulating opening session. Two distin­ guished physicians, George D. Lundberg II , M .D . and Stephen P. Lock, M .D ., editors o f the promi­ nent medical journals The Journ al o f the American M edical Association (JAMA) and the British M edi­ cal Journ al, respectively, addressed a topic o f great importance to health sciences librarianship— the future o f biomedical information. T he dialogue begun by the speakers was further augmented by questions posed from a panel of prominent medical librarians, including Rachael Anderson, Ruth Holst, J. Michael Homan, Nina W. Matheson, and Bernie Todd Smith. B oth Lundberg and Lock believe that informa­ tion, particularly in printed form, is now and will continue to b e essential to the advancement o f medicine. Lundberg predicted that at the end o f this millennium, physicians, medical students, clini­ cal scientists, and allied health workers will con­ tinue to receive most o f their new medical knowl­ edge from printed periodicals. Alternate forms of information, such as videotapes, C D -R O M , and formal education, will merely supplement rather than supplant traditional methods. W hat then is the concern for the future o f bio­ medical information? According to Lundberg, “ethi­ cal issues” will determine the real future o f scien­ tific information. Lock agreed, stressing the importance o f the integrity o f editors and authors. H e was more pessimistic about the future, however, believing that “as long as society continues to reward scien­ tists on the basis o f the ‘quantity’ o f what they publish rather than ‘quality,’ the situation will con­ tinue to remain a mess.” Lundberg and Lock contend that editors and authors must share the ethical responsibility of biomedical information and publication. They main­ tain that editors o f professional publications must be the “conscience o f their professions.” Critical areas o f concern for both editors and authors in­ clude confidentiality, conflicts o f interest, the peer review process, corrections and retractions, and instructions to authors. Lock and Lundberg have initiated procedures to improve the integrity o f scientific publication. Two strategies they both emphasize are “peer review” and a greater awareness o f “conflict o f interest.” Lock believes that “structured abstracts,” which were recently introduced in both the British M edi­ cal Jou rn al andJAMA, will help alleviate some o f the fraudulent problems occurring in scientific pub­ lishing. N one o f these measures guarantee accuracy in scientific publication, but they are a start in the right direction, and they are the best they can do right now. Both editors agreed that “blind reviews” are the next step to pursue. They also maintain that it is the role o f an editor to provide a forum for discussion. Editors must be concerned with pub­ lishing articles that are “in the public interest” rather than those that are primarily in “self interest.” T he medical journal also has an obligation to pro­ vide facts, a forum, and to take an editorial position on topics and then “campaign.” This is where edi­ tors, according to Lock, can get into trouble: "They must base their campaigns on facts not on em otion. ” — Kathryn Hoffman, Director, University o f Texas Southwestern M edical C enter at Dallas Library Ed. note: Kathryn Hoffman served as the associ­ ate chair on the 1991 National Program Com m ittee o f the Medical Library Association. ■ ■ MLA tapes available All major sessions o f M LA’s m eeting were taped and are available from: Audio Transcripts Ltd., 335 S. Patrick St., Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 2 2314; (703) 549-7334. T h e single cassette price is $12.00. Programs o f interest to A C R L members are: • Plenaiy Session I: “T h e Future o f B io­ medical Information.” (Tape G S2, two cassettes.) • Plenary Session III : “Scientists’ Needs and Opportunities for Communication.” (Tape G S4.) • T h e Unified Medical Language System (U M LS). Knowledge Sources: Applications to Libraiy and Information Science. (Tape 26, two cassettes.) • Introduction to Publishing for Health Sciences Librarians: An Expert Panel Presenta­ tion. (Tape 27, two cassettes.) • SatelLife: Building Electronic Bridges to Medical Libraries in the Developing World. (Tape 29, two cassettes.) • Librarians, Legislation, Lobbying: W e Can Make a D ifference. (Tape 30, two cas­ settes.) • Frau din Scientific Publishing. (Tape 15.) • Stu dent C om pu ter Laboratories and Networking. (Tape 04.) • W heat from the Chaff: Librarians as In­ formation Evaluators. (Tape 10.) We’ll give you a spectacular view of the science world. 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Institute for Scientific Information® 3501 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 U.S.A. Telephone: (215)386-0100, Fax: (215)386-6362 ISI European Branch: 132 High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1DP U. K. Telephone: +44-895-270016 Fax: +44-895-256710 Telex: 933693 UKISI T h e ISI Indexes.-.G atew ay to th e Literature of S c ie n c e