As the Ingelfinger rule is relaxed and new sources of medical information appear on-line, we will be confronted with masses of medical content of unclear provenance and quality. Professionals and the public will need reputable sources to separate the valid from the bogus. The rise of the Internet is likely to enhance the value of journal publication as an imprimatur of quality. It is now possible for authors of articles, other experts and readers to engage in an on-line dialog after publication. Journal articles will evolve into foci for ongoing discussion of important topics.
Journals serve an important role as repositories of medical information.
The role of journals as repositories of medical information will also be enhanced by the Internet. The main obstacle to using journals as a primary reference source has been the necessity to use a library in order to access articles. Pulling a textbook off a shelf is substantially easier. It is now available for free from multiple sources on the Internet. The entire medical literature will soon be easily accessible from the desktop, and will, indirectly, enhance the value of biomedical journals as primary reference sources.