Re: BMC titles indexing in NLM PubMed

[Mark Funk <mefunk@mail.med.cornell.edu>]

Dr. Koudinov, like many of our library users and even many librarians, is
confused over the difference between MEDLINE and PubMed. Despite a
blurring in the public's mind, there is a difference.

MEDLINE is the online version of Index Medicus. The journal selection
process referred to by Dr. Koudinov is for inclusion in Index
Medicus/MEDLINE. It is not easy to be selected for inclusion in this
database. I was a member of the NIH chartered committee that reviews
journal for inclusion, the Literature Selection Technical Review
Committee, for four years.

PubMed is a larger database, in which MEDLINE is a subset. In the journal
selection FAQ that Dr. Koudinov references
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/j_sel_faq.html is this important
paragraph. Note the last asterisked sentence in particular:

========

16) What is the Difference Between MEDLINE and PubMed? MEDLINE is NLM's
database of indexed journal citations and abstracts now covering 4,700
journals published in the United State and more than 70 other countries.
Available for online searching since 1971, MEDLINE includes references to
articles indexed from 1966 to the present. All citations in MEDLINE are
assigned MeSH Terms and Publication Types from NLM's controlled
vocabulary. MEDLINE citations and abstracts are available as the primary
component of NLM's PubMed database, which is searchable via the Internet.

In addition to MEDLINE, PubMed provides access to:
* The out-of-scope citations (e.g., articles on plate tectonics or 
 astrophysics) from certain MEDLINE journals, primarily general 
 science and chemistry journals, for which the life sciences articles 
 are indexed for MEDLINE.
* Citations that precede the date that a journal was selected for 
 MEDLINE indexing.
* Some additional life science journals that submit full text to 
 PubMedCentral and receive a qualitative review by NLM.
========

It is this last sentence that explains the inclusion of some BMC journals
(and others) that do not yet qualify for Index Medicus/MEDLINE indexing.
Note the difference between a PubMed article citation (BMC's Cell and
Chromosome) and a MEDLINE article citation (Lancet):

Chromosome loops arising from intrachromosomal tethering of telomeres
occur at high frequency in G1 (non-cycling) mitotic cells:  Implications
for telomere capture. Cell Chromosome. 2004 Sep 29;3(1):3. PMID: 15453908
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Comparison of five antimicrobial regimens for treatment of mild to
moderate inflammatory facial acne vulgaris in the community:  randomised
controlled trial. Lancet. 2004 Dec 18;364(9452):2188-95. PMID: 15610805
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Journals in MEDLINE receive the in-depth indexing process of assigning
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Journals in PubMedCentral only are not
indexed, which means searchers must rely on key words to retrieve
articles.

PubMedCentral explains how a publisher may add a journal to the database
at http://www.pubmedcentral.com/about/pubinfo.html There is an evaluative
process, and some technical qualifications for electronic submission of
articles must be satisfied, but the journals do not go through the same
selection process as for Index Medicus/MEDLINE.

There are no special arrangements or quality compromises. There is just
confusion in many people about the difference between PubMed and Index
Medicus/MEDLINE.

--
Mark Funk
Head, Collection Development
Weill Cornell Medical Library
1300 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
212-746-6073
mefunk@mail.med.cornell.edu