Index Medicus (IM) is a comprehensive index of medical scientific journal articles, published since 1879. It was initiated by John Shaw Billings, head of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, United States Army. This library later evolved into the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), which continues publication of the Index.
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Publication began in 1879 and continued monthly through 1926, with a hiatus between 1899 and 1902.[1][2] During this hiatus, a similar index, the Bibliographia medica, was published in French by the Institut de Bibliographie in Paris.[1] The Index Medicus was amalgamated with the American Medical Association's Quarterly Cumulative Index to Current Literature (QCICL) as the Quarterly Cumulative Index Medicus (QCIM) in 1927 and the AMA continued to publish this until 1956.[1] From 1960 to 2004 the printed edition was published by the National Library of Medicine under the name Index Medicus/Cumulated Index Medicus (IM/CIM).[1] An abridged version was published from 1970 to 1997 as the Abridged Index Medicus.[3] The abridged edition lives on as a subset of the journals covered by PubMed ("core clinical journals").[4]
The last issue of Index Medicus was published in December 2004 (Volume 45). The stated reason for discontinuing the printed publication was that online resources had supplanted it,[5] most especially PubMed, which continues to include the Index as a subset of the journals it covers.[6]
Inclusion into the Index is not automatic and depends on a journal's scientific policy and scientific quality.[7] These criteria are evaluated by the "Literature Selection Technical Review Committee" and the final decision is made by the NLM director.[7] The review process may include outside reviewers and journals may be dropped from inclusion.[8]