Journal of the Medical Library Association https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla <p>The <em>Journal of the Medical Library Association</em><em> (JMLA)</em> is the premier journal in health sciences librarianship, dedicated to advancing the practice and research knowledgebase of health sciences librarianship and providing <a href="/ojs/jmla/pages/view/equity" target="_self">equitable opportunities</a> for authors, reviewers, and editorial team members.</p><p><span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/93/">Read issues of the <em>JMLA</em> prior to January 2016 on PMC</a></span></p> en-US jmla@journals.pitt.edu (JMLA Editors) e-journals@mail.pitt.edu (OJS Technical Support) Fri, 21 Apr 2023 14:34:19 -0400 OJS 3.3.0.13 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 Looking back, looking forward https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1711 <p>The second half of 2022 was a time of much change at the <em>Journal of the Medical Library Association</em> (<em>JMLA</em>). We hope to lead this journal with transparency, and in this spirit, we wanted to give you an overview of what we have done since we were appointed as coeditors in chief (co-EICs) in June 2022.</p> Jill T. Boruff, Michelle Kraft Copyright (c) 2023 Jill T. Boruff, Michelle Kraft https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1711 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 122nd Annual Meeting, Medical Library Association, Inc., New Orleans, LA, May 3-6, 2022 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1707 <p>The Medical Library Association (MLA) held its 122nd annual meeting May 3-6, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting was entitled “MLA ’22: Reconnect. Renew. Reflect” and utilized a hybrid model with some events in person, and some virtually.</p> JJ Pionke, Ellen M. Aaronson Copyright (c) 2023 JJ Pionke, Ellen M. Aaronson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1707 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Thank you to the Journal of the Medical Library Association reviewers in 2021 and 2022 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1701 <p>We sincerely thank the 214 peer reviewers in 2021 and the 171 peer reviewers in 2022 who helped evaluate and improve the quality of work published in the <em>Journal of the Medical Library Association</em> (JMLA).</p> Jill T. Boruff, Michelle Kraft Copyright (c) 2023 Jill T. Boruff, Michelle Kraft https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1701 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Errata for Issue 110 (3) https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1671 <p>“Rigor and reproducibility instruction in academic medical libraries,” 2022;110(3):281-93. The PDF and metadata as published contained an incorrect author last name. The correct author name is Tisha Mentnech.</p> <p>“Determining COVID-19’s impact on an academic medical library’s literature search service,”2022;110(3):316-22. The PDF as published contained an incorrect author last name. The correct author name is David Petersen.</p> <p>“In Memoriam: Virginia M. Bowden,” 2022;110(3):381-82. The article was published with incorrect HTML title and author affiliation information. The correct affiliation for Janna C. Lawrence is Director.</p> Katelyn Arnold Copyright (c) 2023 Katelyn Arnold https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1671 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Virtual Services in the Health Sciences Library: A Handbook https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1640 <p>Health sciences libraries serving universities and medical facilities have long used technology to provide library services, but COVID-19 presented libraries with unique challenges. Libraries shut their doors and adapted to conducting reference, instruction, and outreach, remotely. For some libraries described in <em>Virtual Services in the Health Sciences Library: a Handbook,</em> those services had been done in the library; for others, the library had considered adding virtual services. For those libraries that have not made the jump, this text presents strategies to which all health sciences libraries would find a useful reference. Given its practical strategies and engaging text, this reviewer finds <em>Virtual Services in the Health Sciences Library: a Handbook</em> to be an inspiring and a highly recommended reference for health sciences libraries.&nbsp;</p> Barbara M. Pope Copyright (c) 2022 Barbara M. Pope https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1640 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400 2022 Janet Doe Lecture, health science libraries in the emerging digital information era: charting the course https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1626 <p>The great challenge medical library professionals are facing is how we evolve and respond to the emerging digital era. If we successfully understand and adapt to the emerging digital information environment, medical librarians/Health Information Professionals (HIPs) can play an even greater role in the advance in the health care of our nation and its residents. The opportunities and challenges are at the level we successfully responded to in the late 1960’s and the 1970’s under the leadership of the National Library of Medicine with its MEDLARS/Medline programs and Medical Library Assistance Act which enabled medical libraries to enter what I have referred to as <em>The Golden Age of Medical Libraries. </em>In this presentation, I focused on the transition of the health related print Knowledge-Based Information base to the emerging digital health related ecosystem. I review how this transition is being driven by evolving information technology. The development of “data driven health care” built on this emerging information ecosystem is being led by the National Library of Medicine’s 2017-2027 Strategic plan and the Medical Library Association’s programs in support of developing medical librarian/HIP’s training, skills, and services to support their users access and use of this rapidly expanding health information ecosystem. I then present a brief description of the digital health information ecosystem that is just starting to emerge and the emerging new roles and services HIPs and their libraries are developing to support effective institutional access and use.</p> Michael Kronenfeld Copyright (c) 2023 Michael Kronenfeld https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1626 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Shannon D. Jones, MLS, MEd, AHIP, FMLA, Medical Library Association President, 2022-2023 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1634 <p>In this profile, Shannon D. Jones, MLS, MEd, AHIP, FMLA, Medical Library Association President, 2022-2023, is described as someone who<em> “takes chances on people, valuing those others might not see as valuable" -MJ Tooey. </em>Jones embraces lifelong learning, and it shows up in her collegiate journey; she has been a student of leadership, a leader of institutions, especially within the Medical Library Association (MLA); and a leader in librarianship. She is a trailblazer, the second African American MLA president, and a champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Jones has been Director of Libraries &amp; Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for the past seven years and is also Director of Region 2 of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, National Library of Medicine.</p> Kelsa Bartley, Tamara M. Nelson, Jamia Williams, Aidy Weeks Copyright (c) 2022 Kelsa Bartley, MSI, AHIP, Tamara M. Nelson, MLIS, EdS, AHIP, Jamia Williams, MLS, Aidy Weeks MSLIS, AHIP https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1634 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Assessing Academic Library Performance: A Handbook https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1595 Jenessa M. McElfresh Copyright (c) 2022 Jenessa McElfresh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1595 Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500 Standards of practice for hospital libraries and librarians, 2022: Medical Library Association Hospital Libraries Caucus Standards Task Force https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1590 <p>The Hospital Library Caucus of the Medical Library Association (MLA) follows the practice established in 1953 of developing quality indicators and best practices in the newly developing and fast-changing world of hospital libraries. As these libraries increased in number and prominence, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO) included in 1978 a hospital library standard developed in collaboration with MLA. Subsequent changes in JCAHO, then The Joint Commission (TJC) knowledge management criteria as well as technological changes in the curation and delivery of evidence-based resources influenced standards changes over the years. The 2022 standards mark the most recent edition, replacing the 2007 standards.</p> Jill Tarabula, Donna S. Gibson, Bridget Jivanelli, J. Michael Lindsay, Ana Macias, Sondhaya McGowan, Lori Mills, Louise McLaughlin Copyright (c) 2022 Louise McLaughlin, Jill Tarabula, Donna S. Gibson, Bridget Jivanelli, Michael Lindsay, Ana Macias, Sondhaya McGowan, Lori Mills https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1590 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400 History of medicine in medical education: new Italian pathways https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1586 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> There is little doubt that there are currently obstacles in measuring the impact of the history of medicine within medical training. Consequently, there is a clear need to support a vision that can historicize Euro-Western medicine, leading to a greater understanding of how the medical world is a distinct form of reality for those who are about to immerse themselves in the study of medicine.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> History teaches that changes in medicine are due to the processes inherent to the interaction among individuals, institutions, and society rather than individual facts or individual authors.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> Therefore, we cannot ignore the fact that the expertise and know-how developed during medical training are the final product of relationships and memories that have a historical life that is based social, economic, and political aspects.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Moreover, these relationships and memories have undergone dynamic processes of selection and attribution of meaning, as well as individual and collective sharing, which have also been confronted with archetypes that are still able to influence clinical approaches and medical therapy today.</p> Silvia Iorio, Valentina Gazzaniga, Donatella Lippi Copyright (c) 2023 silvia iorio, Valentina Gazzaniga, Donatella Lippi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1586 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 In Memorium: Virginia M. Bowden https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1579 Janna C. Lawrence, AHIP Copyright (c) 2022 Janna C. Lawrence, AHIP https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1579 Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500 Clinical reporting for personalized cancer genomics requires extensive access to subscription-only literature https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1572 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> Medical care for cancer is increasingly directed by genomic laboratory testing for alterations in the tumor genome that are significant for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Uniquely in medicine, providers must search the biomedical literature for each patient to determine the clinical significance of these alterations. Access to published scientific literature is frequently subject to high fees, with access limited to institutional subscriptions. We sought to investigate the degree to which the scientific literature is accessible to clinical cancer genomics providers, and the potential role of university and hospital system libraries in information access for cancer care.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> We identified 265 journals that were accessed during the interpretation and reporting of clinical test results from 1,842 cancer patients at the University Health Network (Toronto, Canada). We determined the degree of open access for this set of clinically important literature, and for any journals not available through open access we surveyed subscription access at seven academic hospital systems and at their affiliated universities.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> This study found that nearly half (116/265) of journals have open access mandates that make articles freely available within one year of release. For the remaining subscription access journals, universities provided a uniformly high level of access, but access available through hospital system collections varied widely.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> This study highlights the importance of different modes of access to the use of the scientific literature in clinical practice and points to challenges that must be overcome as genomic medicine grows in scale and complexity.</p> Schnell D'Souza, Gregory Downs, Shawn Hendrikx, Rouhi Fazelzad, Gabriel Boldt, Karen Burns, Darlene Chapman, Declan Dawes, Antonia Giannarakos, Lori Anne Oja, Risa Schorr, Maureen Babb, Amada Hodgson, Jessica McEwan, Pamela Jacobs, Tracy Stockley, Tim Tripp, Ian King Copyright (c) 2023 Schnell D'Souza, Gregory Downs, Shawn Hendrikx, Rouhi Fazelzad, Gabriel Boldt, Karen Burns, Darlene Chapman, Declan Dawes, Antonia Giannarakos, Lori Anne Oja, Risa Schorr, Maureen Babb, Amada Hodgson, Jessica McEwan, Pamela Jacobs, Tracy Stockley, Tim Tripp, Ian King https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1572 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Early innovations in maritime telemedical services: the KDKF Radio Medico Station https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1567 <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“MAN PUT HIS TONGUE AGAINST REFRIGERATOR PIPE AND GOT IT FROZEN; HAVE THAWED IT OUT AND IT IS NOW BLISTERED AND SWOLLEN BUT NOT PAINFUL. ARRIVING HONOLULU FRIDAY; HOW CAN I HELP HIM MEANWHILE?” </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thus read a message relayed via radiogram across the ocean to the physician stationed at the Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) KDKF radio station, established by the Institute in 1920 on top of its thirteen-story seafarer services center at the southern tip of Manhattan. Though radio was in its infancy, radio telegraphy had already proven its revolutionary power, featuring prominently in far more serious maritime emergencies such as the sinking of Titanic. SCI’s KDKF radio station aimed to address a less dramatic but no less important problem in blue water navigation: access to medical care.</span></p> Johnathan Thayer, Stefan Dreisbach-Williams Copyright (c) 2023 Johnathan Thayer, Stefan Dreisbach-Williams https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1567 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1563 Megan Nance Copyright (c) 2022 Megan Nance https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1563 Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500 Finding Your Seat at the Table: Roles for Librarians on Institutional Regulatory Boards and Committees https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1559 Tyler Moses Copyright (c) 2022 Tyler Moses https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1559 Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500 Domains of professional practice: analysis of publications in the Journal of the Medical Library Association from 2010 to 2019 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1557 <p>The Medical Library Association (MLA) has defined 7 domain hubs aligning to different areas of information professional practice. To assess the extent to which content in the <em>Journal of the Medical Library Association</em> (<em>JMLA</em>) is reflective of these domains, we analyzed the magnitude of JMLA articles aligning to each domain hub over the last 10 years. Bibliographic records for 453 articles published in <em>JMLA</em> from 2010 to 2019 were downloaded from Web of Science and screened using Covidence software. Thirteen articles were excluded during the title and abstract review because they failed to meet the inclusion criteria, resulting in articles included in this review. The title and abstract of each article were screened by two reviewers, each of whom assigned the article up to two tags corresponding to MLA domain hubs (i.e., information services, information management, education, professionalism and leadership, innovation and research practice, clinical support, and health equity &amp; global health). These results inform the MLA community about our strengths in health information professional practice as reflected by articles published in <em>JMLA</em>.</p> Holly J. Thompson, Jill T. Boruff, Roy Brown, Alexander J. Carroll, John W. Cyrus, Melanie J. Norton, Katherine G. Akers Copyright (c) 2023 Holly Thompson, Jill T. Boruff, Roy Brown, Alexander J. Carroll, John W. Cyrus, Melanie J. Norton, Katherine G. Akers https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1557 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Unsolicited solicitations: identifying characteristics of unsolicited emails from potentially predatory journals and the role of librarians https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1554 <p>Email solicitations for manuscript submissions are a common tactic employed by predatory journals to attract potential victims. Both new and established researchers alike have fallen prey to this tactic, justifying the need for librarians to provide further education and support in this area.</p> <p>This commentary provides a succinct overview of predatory journals; briefly describes the problem of predatory journal email solicitations; explains the role librarians can play in their identification; and lists some red flags and tactics librarians can tell researchers to look out for, as informed by the literature and the author's analysis of 60 unsolicited journal emails she received in her own institutional inbox.</p> Paije Wilson Copyright (c) 2022 Paije Wilson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1554 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Shaping the past: how donors influenced Becker Library’s rare book collections https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1551 <p>Rare book collections do not form in a vacuum; they are shaped by the individuals who assemble and curate them. This is certainly the case with the rare book holdings of Becker Medical Library at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. This paper examines some of the most significant donors to Becker’s rare book collections in order to explore how these collections are a reflection of the interests and priorities of the physicians who assembled them, and also raises the issue of how the makeup of these collections create a Western-focused narrative regarding the history of medicine. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> Elisabeth Brander Copyright (c) 2022 Elisabeth Brander https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1551 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Erratum to “How accurate are gender detection tools in predicting the gender for Chinese names? A study with 20,000 given names in Pinyin format,” 2021;110(2):205–11. https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1544 <p>The PDF version of this article reflected an older version of the article with an incorrect URL for reference 17, while the HTML version was correct. The PDF has been updated to the correct version.</p> Charlene Dundek Copyright (c) 2022 Charlene Dundek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1544 Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400 Searching for evidence in public health emergencies: a white paper of best practices https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1530 <p class="AbstractParagraph"><strong>Objectives: </strong>Information professionals have supported medical providers, administrators and decision-makers, and guideline creators in the COVID-19 response. Searching COVID-19 literature presented new challenges, including the volume and heterogeneity of literature and the proliferation of new information sources, and exposed existing issues in metadata and publishing. An expert panel developed best practices, including recommendations, elaborations, and examples, for searching during public health emergencies.</p> <p class="AbstractParagraph"><strong>Methods: </strong>Project directors and advisors developed core elements from experience and literature. Experts, identified by affiliation with evidence synthesis groups, COVID-19 search experience, and nomination, responded to an online survey to reach consensus on core elements. Expert participants provided written responses to guiding questions. A synthesis of responses provided the foundation for focus group discussions. A writing group then drafted the best practices into a statement. Experts reviewed the statement prior to dissemination.</p> <p class="AbstractParagraph"><strong>Results: </strong>Twelve information professionals contributed to best practice recommendations on six elements: core resources, search strategies, publication types, transparency and reproducibility, collaboration, and conducting research. Underlying principles across recommendations include timeliness, openness, balance, preparedness, and responsiveness. </p> <p class="AbstractParagraph"><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The authors and experts anticipate the recommendations for searching for evidence during public health emergencies will help information specialists, librarians, evidence synthesis groups, researchers, and decision-makers respond to future public health emergencies, including but not limited to disease outbreaks. The recommendations complement existing guidance by addressing concerns specific to emergency response. The statement is intended as a living document. Future revisions should solicit input from a broader community and reflect conclusions of meta-research on COVID-19 and health emergencies.</p> Stacy Brody, Sara Loree, Margaret Sampson, Shaila Mensinkai, Jennifer Coffman, Mark Heinrich Mueller, Nicole Askin, Cheryl Hamill, Emma Wilson, Mary Beth McAteer, Heather Staines, Best Practices for Searching During Public Health Emergencies Working Group Copyright (c) 2023 Stacy Brody, Sara Loree, Margaret Sampson, Shaila Mensinkai, Jennifer Coffman, Mark Heinrich Mueller, Nicole Askin, Cheryl Hamill, Emma Wilson, Mary Beth McAteer, Heather Staines, Best Practices for Searching During Public Health Emergencies Working Group https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1530 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Effectiveness of a question formulation rubric with second-year medical students: a randomized controlled trial https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1529 <p class="AbstractParagraph"><strong><span class="TitleInline">Objective:</span></strong> The FAC (Focus, Amplify, Compose) rubric for assessing medical students’ question formulation skills normally accompanies our Evidence Based Practice (EBP) training. The combined training and assessment rubric have improved student scores significantly. How much does the rubric itself contribute to improved student scores? This study sought to measure student improvement using the rubric either with or without a linked 25-minute training session.</p> <p class="AbstractParagraph"><strong><span class="TitleInline">Methods:</span></strong> Randomized Controlled Trial. The authors tested the hypothesis that a 25-minute training session combined with use of a rubric would lead to higher scores than a brief explanation of this rubric alone. All 72 participating second-year medical students had a question formulation rubric briefly explained to them following a pre-test. Students in the intervention groups were taught how to formulate EBP questions for 25 minutes using the rubric followed with another 30 minutes of EBP search training. Students in the control group only received the 30 minutes of EBP search training in their small group labs. All 72 students took the post-test in which they formulated a question in response to a clinical vignette. Statistical analysis to test the hypothesis consisted of a two-sample paired t-test to measure between-group differences.</p> <p><strong>Discussion:</strong> The rubric itself unexpectedly contributed similarly to the Intervention groups students’ improvement, thereby saving scarce curricular time.</p> Dr. Jonathan D. Eldredge, Dr. Melissa A. Schiff, Dr. Jens O. Langsjoen Copyright (c) 2023 Dr. Jonathan D. Eldredge, Dr. Melissa A. Schiff, Dr. Jens O. Langsjoen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1529 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Erratum to “Performance of gender detection tools: a comparative study of name-to-gender inference services,” 2021;109(3):414–21 and “Using genderize.io to infer the gender of first names: how to improve the accuracy of the inference,” 2021;109(4):609–12. https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1528 <p>The reference for Gender API in both of these manuscripts linked to the wrong Gender API tool. The correct URL is &lt;https://gender-api.com/en/&gt;. The original articles have both been updated to reflect this change.</p> Paul Sebo Copyright (c) 2022 Paul Sebo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1528 Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400 The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1515 Marilia Y. Antunez Copyright (c) 2022 Marilia Y. Antunez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1515 Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500 The case of the disappearing librarians: analyzing documentation of librarians’ contributions to systematic reviews https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1505 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> The study aimed to analyze the documented role of a librarian in published systematic reviews and meta-analyses whose registered protocols mentioned librarian involvement. The intention was to identify how, or if, librarians’ involvement was formally documented, how their contributions were described, and if there were any potential connections between this documentation and basic metrics of search reproducibility and quality.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> Reviews whose PROSPERO protocols were registered in 2017 and 2018 and that also specifically mentioned a librarian were analyzed for documentation of the librarian’s involvement. Language describing the librarian and their involvement was gathered and coded, and additional information about the review, including search strategy details, was also collected.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 209 reviews were found and analyzed. Of these, 28% had a librarian co-author, 41% named a librarian in the acknowledgements section, and 78% mentioned the contribution of a librarian within the body of the review. However, mentions of a librarian within the review were often generic (“a librarian”) and in 31% of all reviews analyzed no librarian was specified by name. In 9% of the reviews, there was no reference to a librarian found at all.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Even among this set of reviews, where librarian involvement was specified at the protocol level, librarians’ contributions were often described with minimal, or even no, language in the final published review. Much room for improvement appears to remain in terms of how librarians’ work is documented.</p> Amelia Brunskill, Rosie Hanneke Copyright (c) 2022 Amelia Brunskill, Rosie Hanneke https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1505 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400 Jot: guiding journal selection with suitability metrics https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1499 <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers grapple with a challenging and consequential decision each time they choose a journal for manuscript submission. There are several online tools that attempt to identify appropriate journals for a manuscript, but each of these tools has shortcomings in terms of the journal data they provide and the exploration functionality they offer—and not one of these tools is open source. Jot is a free and open-source web application that matches manuscripts in the fields of biomedicine and life sciences with suitable journals, based on a manuscript's title, abstract and (optionally) citations. Jot gathers a wealth of data on journal quality, impact, fit, and open access options that can be explored through a dashboard of linked, interactive visualizations. Visit Jot at </span><a href="https://jot.publichealth.yale.edu"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://jot.publichealth.yale.edu</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or run your own Jot server using our open-source Python package '</span><strong>journal_targeter'</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">, available from the Python Package Index (PyPI).</span></p> Stephen G. Gaffney, Jeffrey P. Townsend Copyright (c) 2022 Stephen G. Gaffney, Jeffrey P. Townsend https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/1499 Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500