BMJ started out 180 years ago as a medical journal, publishing articles on stillborn children, amputation at the shoulder and the climate of the Isle of Wight.
Now, as a values-driven company and global brand, we work toward our vision for 'a healthier world.' We do this by partnering with more than 8,000 medical organisations worldwide so they can provide their users with the best available resources.
We make our content available in 14 languages, and create evidence-based subscription-based products to help clinicians better tackle today’s most critical healthcare challenges.
It is inspiring to see the rapid growth of students and qualified doctors around the globe progressing their careers and achieving accreditation with our e-learning modules and events.
Our expertise extends from publishing and medical education to clinical decision support and events to enhance day to day decision-making and healthcare delivery. Whilst our focus remains unchanged, we continuously adapt to the changing research landscape by remaining innovative and competitive.
BMJ is a global healthcare knowledge provider with a vision for a healthier world. We share knowledge and expertise to improve healthcare outcomes.
We publish more than 65 medical and allied science journals. Nearly half of our indexed journals rank within the top 10 of their category.
We are well renowned for publishing The BMJ (mostly referred to as the British Medical Journal). Its Journal Impact Factor rose from 39.890 in 2020 to 93.333,11 moving it into fourth place in the Medicine, General and Internal ranks. (Impact Factors are used to measure the importance of a journal by calculating the number of times selected articles are cited within the last few years. The higher the impact factor, the more highly ranked the journal. It is one tool you can use to compare journals in a subject category.)
However, the impact of academic research cannot be defined by any single metric. As a DORA signatory, BMJ believes that the journal impact factor (JIF) is best shared alongside other metrics that can help an author decide where to publish. These include Citescore, Total Altmetric mentions, and time to first decision amongst others. They are made available on our journal sites and demonstrate how BMJ is meeting researchers’ needs for timely publication, reach and influence.
The foundation of our work is research, and we work tirelessly to improve research integrity and dissemination. We do this by ensuring rapid access to the best evidence and increased involvement and access for patients.
We also actively promote ethical conduct among scientists around the world and encourage researchers and institutions to share their research or raise concerns.
Within the past 50 years, we have also pioneered the migration to digital publishing and the development of open access. We also stretch our thinking by engaging with experts to explore different ways in which the future may unfold.
During 2020, the majority of our journals migrated to ‘Transformative Journal’ status. This means that they are committed to the goal of transitioning the research they publish gradually to open access.