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F1000 Medicine is now free to explore!

Faculty of 1000 Medicine is now freely available for clinicians, medics, scientists and journalists to browse and search! Also free is our sister service, Faculty of 1000 Biology.

Designed to make sense of the vast and growing body of scholarly literature in the fields of medicine and biology, our award-winning F1000 services comprise over 4,500 of the world's most distinguished and respected clinicians and researchers who highlight recent key articles and provide their opinion on why these articles are important to the community.

By making browsing and searching our content freely available, we at F1000 are offering you the opportunity to get a flavour of the cutting-edge articles that make a difference to clinicians in their everyday practice and biomedical scientists in their research, saving you invaluable time by highlighting their significance.

Read more or take a free trial.

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Posted by Adie Chan on Friday Jun 20, 2008, Category: Editorial News | Permalink

Worshiping False Idols: The Impact Factor Dilemma

"...although the journal impact factor was born innocently enough ... Garfield's impact factor is now being used by others in ways that threaten to destroy scientific inquiry as we know it" says Roger Brumback in a recent article published in the Journal of Child Neurology {1}.

We think this is yet another interesting piece of literature highlighting the scientific community's dissatisfaction with the continued use of the impact factor to judge the quality of scientists and their work, as well as rank the institutions to which they belong.

The paper looks at the humble beginnings of the impact factor, how it has developed over the last 50 years or so and how its current use is affecting the scientific community. Brumback goes on to write, "Now would seem to be the appropriate time for the academic community to demand valid metrics to assess published scientific material".

He also states, "At a time when both the scientific community and the general public are lamenting the lack of transparency in science (particularly in relation to industry-supported research), it is unconscionable for academicians to deliver their careers into the hands of a for-profit company like Thomson Scientific that secretively derives a number to pigeonhole their research efforts".

The fact that this debate is being discussed in such a lively manner in some of the 'smaller impact' journals speaks volumes for its wide ranging appeal and highlights the need for a satisfactory alternative/compromise to be developed as soon as possible.

References:
{1} Brumback, Journal of Child Neurology 2008, 23:365-367. "Worshiping False Idols: The Impact Factor Dilemma" [PMID:18401031].

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Posted by Sean Porazinski on Friday Jun 06, 2008, Category: Impact factor versus... | Permalink

Thanks for visiting us at the ATS

This month saw F1000 Medicine exhibit for the first time at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Conference, held in Toronto from 16th-21st May. It was a great success and we received lots of interest and positive feedback about the service.

We would like to thank all of the Faculty Members that stopped by to say hello and wish us good luck. Your continued support and participation in the service is very much appreciated.

Thank you!

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Posted by Natalie Davall on Monday Jun 02, 2008, Category: General | Permalink

Faculty Members awarded prestigious Dr. Paul Janssen award for biomedical research

Two of F1000 Medicine´s Rheumatology Faculty Members, Professor Marc Feldmann and Sir Ravinder Maini, of the Kennedy Rheumatology Institute at Imperial College London, have been awarded the 2008 Dr Paul Janssen award!

This award acknowledges achievements in biomedical research that will have a significant impact on human health. Professor Marc Feldmann and Sir Ravinder Maini have both played a crucial role in the discovery of tumor necrosis factor-alpha as a therapeutic target for Rheumatoid Arthritis {1}.

F1000 Medicine would like to congratulate Professor Marc Feldmann and Sir Ravinder Maini on this fantastic achievement and we wish them all the success for the future.

Reference:
{1} http://www.itnews.it/news/2008/0513060402066/professors-marc-feldmann-and-sir-ravinder-maini-named-winners-of-the-2008-dr-paul-janssen-award-for-biomedical-research.html

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Posted by Natalie Davall on Monday Jun 02, 2008, Category: Faculty News | Permalink

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