PubMed, PubMed Central, and Medline

1 id="pubmed-pubmed-central-and-medline">PubMed, PubMed Central, and Medline

PubMed #

PubMed contains millions of citations and abstracts to biomedical literature from Medline, PubMed Central (PMC), and Bookshelf. It does not include full text articles, although it may link to a full text article in PubMed Central or on the publisher’s website. There is no direct application for including content in PubMed; all content must be accepted into one of the other two databases to be included.

PubMed Central (PMC) #

PMC is a full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences literature. Inclusion is selective, and publishers/journals must pass both content and technical reviews to be accepted. When a publisher applies to PMC for the first time, there is an extensive review of publisher policies and practices. Once a publisher has a journal accepted to PMC, the review process for a new journal is much shorter. Publishers currently with PMC may have up to 2 active applications for new journals; new publishers can submit only one new journal for evaluation and must meet PMC’S data production requirements for at least 6 months before a second journal can be submitted.

PMC Content Requirements #

• ISSN
• Available online at a publisher or third-party site
• Minimum 25 published peer-reviewed articles (e.g., original research or review articles, case reports)
• Primary content must be largely in English at the time of the review due to limited resources. Multilingual journals are encouraged to publish English-language abstracts and titles for articles in another language. After acceptance, PMC will accept all journal content regardless of language.

PMC Technical Requirements #

• Full-text XML articles that follow the NLM DTD
• Timely and complete delivery of files to the NLM (to the NLM FTP site)
• Quality of files
• Prompt response and resolution of data errors

There is not currently an import/export feature in OJS that provides the full-text XML export needed to submit to PMC. You may choose to work with a commercial vendor to convert your documents to XML (many will also handle delivery to PMC and assist with correcting technical and editorial errors). Alternatively, see Learning OJS 3: Production and Publication for guidance on creating your own XML files.

Medline #

Medline is the National Library of Medicine’s bibliographic database of journal articles in the life sciences, concentrating on biomedicine. It is the primary source for content in PubMed. Medline is selective, and publishers and journals must pass a content review by the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee (LSTRC) to be accepted. The LSTRC meets three times per year to review and recommend journals for inclusion. If accepted, journals must pass a technical review of the XML and meet the Access and Preservation Requirements within 6 months. Medline collects metadata-only records rather than the full text.

Medline Pre-application Requirements #

• ISSN
• Published at least 12 months in format to be evaluated (e.g., electronic)
• Minimum 40 peer-reviewed articles (original research or review articles, clinical case reports)
• Peer-reviewed content must contain abstracts
• English language titles and abstracts (must be published for 1 year before application)
• Publisher should have a 2-year history of quality scholarly publishing in the life sciences

Medline Technical Requirements #

• Article metadata in XML format, following the PubMed Publisher DTD.
• Access and Preservation of Content
  • Accessible at a publisher or other third-party site
  • Preserved with a certified third-party repository or PMC (must apply within 3 months and comply within 12 months of conditional acceptance to Medline). See PKP’s documentation on preservation options for OJS journals.

OJS generates an XML file of article metadata using the PubMed XML Export Plugin in Tools > Import/Export.

PMC and Medline Application Information #

• Journal title and ISSN(s)
• Date of first publication and publication frequency
• Journal website URL
• Links to the editorial board; editorial policies; peer review process; and policies on Conflict of Interest, Human and Animal Rights, and Informed Consent
• Publisher name and information about its management, qualifications, and publishing policies