An Understanding of New Concepts and Publication Ethics in the Use of Online Medical Journals and their Database Web Sites Chong Woo Bae, Chang Kok Hahm 1Department of Pediatrics, Kyunghee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. baecw@khnmc.or.kr
2Department of Radiology, Hanyang University College of Medicinea, Seoul, Korea. Abstract Nowadays, we have much more convenient access to every medical journal through web sites, compared to the paper-based publications of the past. Beyond simply reading, we can compose, submit, inspect, review, and store data through these web sites. Furthermore, medical journals do not operate independently, but are rather integrated through online journal databases: therefore, an era of ubiquitous access to medical information for any purpose, has arrived. Thousands of new papers are pouring out in the flood of information everyday, so that it is very important for authors to make their research outcomes known to science scholar online especially in the options or selections of his or her own purpose of study. Therefore, a thorough understanding of database usage is necessary in order to meet authors' and readers' goals. The Journal of the Korean Medical Association (JKMA) began operating an online database (www.kjma.org) in July 2010, to keep pace with international digital journal standards. Digital publication is a very encouraging improvement in meeting contemporary reader's' needs over the previous paper-based system. The tools and content of the journal web site will both be continuously updated. Our society ought to not only catch up with other society's but further develop our online presence in innovative ways. The authors here introduce and summarize the latest trends and ethical issues in online publication needed to manage and use the online medical databases appropriately. Key Words: Medical publication, Publication ethics, Web site, e-journal