Medical Guides at FreeMedicalJournals.com (FMJ) are created to provide readers with access to reliable and understandable information regarding health issues and their underlying scientific evidence. FMJ is committed to providing objective, helpful and informative articles rather than attempting to diagnose individuals or develop treatment plans for specific cases.
Responsibility of humans in the editorial process
Every Medical Guide must receive human editorial review before publication. Guides covering diagnosis, treatment, medicines, pregnancy, children or patient safety must also be reviewed by a suitably qualified medical professional before they are published. That reviewer must have expertise relevant to the subject and be someone other than the author. While digital tools such as those designed to assist with organization of research materials, language revision, formatting, and illustration development are allowed, they cannot independently evaluate the clinical relevance of the research results and therefore, cannot have ultimate editorial oversight.
In addition to approving the final version of each Medical Guide prior to posting, the identified author(s) shall be accountable for all aspects of the written document including the accuracy of the information contained within, the appropriateness of references cited, and the validity of the conclusions drawn from the available data. The medical reviewer checks the final text, supporting evidence, clinical claims, limitations and safety advice. Any concerns raised during that review must be resolved before publication. The published guide must name its medical reviewer, link to their profile and give the medical review date. A byline, professional title or automated check does not count as medical review. Review credit is added only after the named person has reviewed the final article.
Creation of a Medical Guide
Before publishing a Medical Guide, the author/editor must complete the following steps:
- Define clearly the questions that the Medical Guide is intended to address.
- Conduct a comprehensive search of all relevant current guidelines and peer-reviewed literature.
- Clearly delineate between established evidence and areas where there remains significant uncertainty or where opinions of experts may vary significantly.
- Include essential limitations, warnings and situations which necessitate direct consultation with a healthcare provider.
- Document the references used to support all critical assertions related to medical care.
- Ensure that neither the title of the Medical Guide nor the abstract or summary section exceeds the boundaries set forth by the available evidence.
Priority is afforded to current clinical practice guidance, systematic reviews, peer-reviewed studies with high levels of quality and publicly funded information on public health or medications. A single study will not be considered definitive if there exists conflicting evidence in the larger body of research.
Safety & Independence
The purpose of Medical Guides is educational. Therefore, no Medical Guide should lead a reader to believe he/she/they have a specific illness or should serve as a replacement for recommendations from a clinician familiar with his/her/their individual situation.
It is expected that both authors and reviewers will disclose any potential financial or professional interest that could potentially influence their analysis of medical evidence. In this regard, advertising, sponsorships, affiliations with products or services or other forms of commercial relationship will not be permitted to impact a Medical Guide’s findings relative to medical treatment options.
Post-Publication
Once published, Medical Guides may be updated as necessary when new evidence emerges regarding either new treatments or methods of delivery, or changes occur in clinical guidelines, safety advisories, or regulatory requirements affecting product availability. If a Medical Guide contains errors or inaccuracies which would alter its original intent based upon subsequent discoveries, corrections should be noted on the web page. Readers are encouraged to notify FMJ at contact@freemedicaljournals.com if they suspect any error. Please refer to our Content Update Policy and Corrections and Editorial Complaints Policy for additional details.