If you want to find the latest in medical breakthroughs, your best bet is to head to the medical journals online. Be prepared, however, because going to the next step in medical researching often requires at least a basic understanding of medical terminology. Apparently, however, more people are taking up the challenge.

What are MEDLINE and PubMed?
Many medical journals have made at least some of the information they publish available on the Web, while others post some copy on the Web exclusively. Here are some of the sites that will help you access medical journals.

PubMed is the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) search service that provides access to more than 11 million citations in the medical databases MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE and HealthSTAR, with links to participating online journals. MEDLINE is the collection of references and abstracts from 4,300 biomedical journals. PreMEDLINE was introduced in 1996 to speed the flow of information to those searching the databases of the NLM. It provides basic citation information and abstracts that are later reviewed and indexed for MEDLINE. Note: Not every item that appears in PreMEDLINE may survive the rigorous review process. Access to both MEDLINE and PreMEDLINE is free through the PubMed service or through MEDLINEplus.

Medical Matrix collects peer-reviewed and annotated medical resources and packages them into medical disease categories, such as oncology and cardiology. The site also offers sections about clinical trials, major journals, MEDLINE and health care policy. It is geared for health care professionals.

Medical journals online
Several medical journals have made available abstracts and editorials from current and past issues. Some allow readers to purchase an article for a small fee. A partial list of some of the major journals includes:

Journal of the American Medical Association

New England Journal of Medicine

Pediatrics