ABSTRACT
Medical journals can be classified into two main types: those that publish original research and those that do not. The former are called primary or 'record' journals because they record scientific advances. The second group, information journals, do not normally publish original work but rather digests or features based on other peoples' original work. Journals of information are very important for keeping up to date but it is vital that their contents are based on sound, reliable research work. Both types of journal have a place in supporting evidence-based medicine, but the research papers in journals of record, such as British Journal of General Practice or Family Practice, are the evidence for evidence-based general practice. Journals of record select articles by peer review, a process that is not confined to medicine but which is common to academic publishing worldwide.
