Top 100 Journals in Biology and Medicine

In conjunction with SLA’s Centennial, the BioMedical & Life Sciences Division conducted a poll to identify the 100 most influential journals of Biology & Medicine over the last 100 years:

The division was led in 2008 by Chair John Tebo, University of Cincinnati, and in 2009 by Chair Jean Crampon, University of Southern California. Three panels consisting of three experts each were recruited from the DBIO membership. Each panel composed a series of voter preference questions comparing journals in categories of biology or medicine that fell within its areas of expertise. Tony Stankus, the University of Arkansas was the recruiter of the expert teams, the arbiter of disputes over disciplinary boundaries, and final editor of the poll.

• Clinical Medicine & Allied Health Sciences expert panel: Sandy Kramer, Arizona Health Sciences Library; Patricia Thibodeau, Duke University Medical Center; and Laurie Scott, Queen’s University, Canada.
• Molecular and Cellular Biology including Journals of Biotechnology and the Leading Multiscience Publications expert panel : Steven Adams, Princeton University; Karen Tempest, CSL Limited, Australia; Mindy Thuna, the University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada.
• Natural History expert panel: Lori Bronars, Yale University; Eleanor MacLean, McGill University, Canada; Constance Rinaldo, Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.

The goal was for the final vote to yield a balanced assortment of 33 or 34 journals in each of the three areas. Tony Stankus then asked the 686 DBIO members of record, which were the 100 most influential journals in biology and medicine over the last 100 years. The winning titles are listed below. More information.

AJN: The American Journal of Nursing, (1900) Wolters Kluwer Health / Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

American Journal of Botany, (1914) Botanical Society of America & HighWire Press

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (1952) American Society for Nutrition & HighWire Press

American Journal of Human Genetics, (1948) Elsevier's Cell Press for the American Society of Human Genetics

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, (1868) Elsevier for the American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society & others

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, (1918) Wiley for the American Association of Physical Anthropologists

American Journal of Psychiatry, (1844) American Psychiatric Association & HighWire Press

American Journal of Public Health, (1911) American Public Health Association & HighWire Press

American Naturalist,(1867) University of Chicago Press for the American Society of Naturalists

Anesthesia & Analgesia, (1921) Wolters Kluwer Health / Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins & HighWire Press for the International Anesthesia Society

Animal Behaviour, (1953) Elsevier for the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, UK, and the Animal Behavior Society, US

Annals. Entomological Society of America, (1908) Entomological Society of America & BioOne

Annals of Emergency Medicine, (1972) Elsevier for the American College of Emergency Physicians

Annals of Forest Science, (1923) EDP Sciences, France

Applied & Environmental Microbiology, (1953) American Society for Microbiology

Archives of Ophthalmology, (1869) American Medical Association & HighWire Press

Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, (1926) College of American Pathologists

Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, (1918) Elsevier for the American Congress of Rehabilitation

The Auk, (1884) University of California Press & BioOne for the American Ornithologists Union

Biochemistry, (1962) American Chemical Society

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, (1947) Elsevier, Netherlands

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, (1791) Wiley for the Linnean Society of the UK

Biotechnology & Bioengineering, (1958) Wiley, US

Blood, (1945) American Society of Hematology & HighWire Press

BMJ: The British Medical Journal, (1840) BMJ Group, UK & HighWire Press

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, (1855) Wiley for the Linnean Society of the UK

Botany (formerly the Canadian Journal of Botany), (1929) National Research Council of Canada

Brain & Cognition, (1982) Elsevier in conjunction with several US and international cognitive neuropsychology societies

Canadian Journal of Forest Research, (1970) National Research Council of Canada

Cancer, (1948) Wiley for the American Cancer Society

Cell, (1974) Elsevier's Cell Press, US

Chest, (1935) The American College of Chest Physicians

Circulation, (1950) Wolters Kluwer / Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins & HighWire Press for the American Heart Association

Clinical Infectious Diseases, (1979) University of Chicago Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America

Conservation Biology, (1986) Wiley for the Society for Conservation Biology, US

Critical Care Medicine, (1973) Wolters Kluwer Health / Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins for the Society of Critical Care Medicine

Current Biology, (1991) Elsevier's Cell Press, US

Development, (1953) The Company of Biologists, a not-for-profit corporation, Cambridge, UK & HighWire Press

Developmental Biology, (1959) Elsevier for the Society for Developmental Biology, US

Ecology, (1927) Ecological Society of America

EMBO Journal, (1982) The Nature Publishing Group for the European Molecular Biology Organization, Germany

Evolution, (1947) Wiley for the Society for the Study of Evolution, US & BioOne

FASEB Journal, (1987) Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology & HighWire Press

Gastroenterology, (1943) Elsevier for the American Gastroenterological Association

Genetics, (1916) Genetics Society of America & HighWire Press

Human Gene Therapy, (1990) Mary Ann Liebert Publishers for the British Society for Gene Therapy and the European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy, and others.

Immunology, (1958) Wiley for the British Society for Immunology

International Journal of Plant Sciences, (1875) University of Chicago Press

JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, (1883) American Medical Association & HighWire Press

Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, (1929) Elsevier for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Journal of Anatomy, (1867) Wiley for the Anatomical Society of Great Britain & Ireland

Journal of Bacteriology, (1916) American Society for Microbiology & HighWire Press

Journal of Biological Chemistry, (1905) American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology & HighWire Press

Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, (1903) The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, a not-for-profit corporation, US & HighWire Press

Journal of Cell Biology, (1955) Rockefeller University Press & HighWire Press

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, (1941) The Endocrine Society, US & HighWire Press

Journal of Ecology, (1913) Wiley for the British Ecological Society

Journal of Experimental Biology, (1923) The Company of Biologists, a not-for-profit corporation, Cambridge, UK & HighWire Press

Journal of Experimental Botany, (1950) The Society for Experimental Biology, UK & Oxford Press

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology, (1967) Elsevier,

Journal of Experimental Zoology, (1987) Wiley

Journal of Fish Biology, (1969) Wiley for the Fisheries Society of the British Isles

Journal of Herpetology, (1958) Society for the Study of Reptiles & Amphibians & BioOne

Journal of Human Evolution, (1972) Elsevier

Journal of Immunology, (1916) American Association of Immunologists & HighWire Press

Journal of Mammalogy, (1919) Allen Press & BioOne for the American Society of Mammalogists

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, (1958) American Chemical Society

Journal of Molecular Biology, (1959) Elsevier

Journal of Natural History, (1841) Informa plc/ Taylor & Francis

Journal of Paleontology, (1927) Allen Press, BioOne & HighWire Press for the Paleontological Society

Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, (1909) Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics

Journal of Plant Research, (1887) Springer for the Botanical Society of Japan

Journal of Shellfish Research, (1981) National Shellfisheries Association, US, & BioOne

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, (1976) Elsevier for the American Academy of Dermatology

Journal of the American College of Surgeons, (1905) Elsevier for the American College of Surgeons

Journal of the American Dental Association, (1913) American Dental Association & HighWire Press

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, (1953) Wiley for the American Geriatrics Society

Journal of Urology, (1907) Elsevier for the American Urological Society

Journal of Virology, (1967) American Society for Microbiology & HighWire Press

Journal of Zoology, (1833) Wiley for the Zoological Society of London

The Lancet, (1823) Elsevier's Lancet Group

Limnology & Oceanography, (1956) American Society for Limnology & Oceanography

Molecular & Cellular Biology, (1981) American Society for Microbiology & HighWire Press

Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, (2002) American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology & HighWire Press

Nature, (1869) Nature Publishing Group

Nature Biotechnology, (1983) Nature Publishing Group

Nature Genetics, (1992) Nature Publishing Group

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, (1994) Nature Publishing Group

Neurology, (1951) Wolters Kluwer Health / Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins & HighWire Press

New England Journal of Medicine, (1812) Massachusetts Medical Society & HighWire Press

Nucleic Acids Research, (1974) Oxford University Press & HighWire Press

Pediatrics, (1948) The American Academy of Pediatrics

Plant Ecology, (1949) Springer, Netherlands Office

Plant Physiology, (1926) American Society for Plant Biologists & HighWire Press

PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (1914) National Academy of Sciences

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B - Biological Sciences, (1905) Royal Society of London & HighWire Press

Radiology, (1918) Radiological Society of North America & HighWire Press

Science, (1880) American Association for the Advancement of Science & HighWire Press

Systematic Botany, (1976) American Society of Plant Taxonomists & BioOne

Virology, (1955) Elsevier

Rev. April 2009