PLoS Medicine: Journals, Academics, and Pandemics

The PLoS Medicine Editors . May 25, 2010

PLoS Med 7(5): e1000282. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000282

“…..Two articles published recently in PLoS Medicine highlight the problem of how to effectively share information in the wake of a rapidly spreading disease, and prompted us to ask the question “How well are journals doing?” with regard to this important goal.

The answer, sadly, seems to be “not well enough.” Although the potential of the Internet for improving the dissemination of information is now taken for granted, it would seem that the attitudes of those involved in sharing this information have not kept pace with the technology.

Accordingly, it is fair to ask whether the flow of information in the face of a crisis is truly enabled by publication in medical journals (even online journals) or whether we need new avenues for rapid data sharing….”

Xing W, Hejblum G, Leung GM, Valleron A-J (2010)

Anatomy of the Epidemiological Literature on the 2003 SARS Outbreaks in Hong Kong and Toronto:
A Time-Stratified Review. PLoS Med 7(5): e1000272. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000272..

Skowronski DM, De Serres G, Crowcroft NS, Janjua NZ, Boulianne N, et al. (2010)
Association between the 2008–09 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine and Pandemic H1N1 Illness during Spring–Summer 2009:
Four Observational Studies from Canada.
PLoS Med 7(4): e1000258. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000258..

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