Clinical claims are only as strong as the data supporting those claims. As a result, FreeMedicalJournals.com (FMJ) will expect all Medical Guides to reference the sources upon which they base their claims regarding diagnosis, treatment, risk, prognosis, prevention, and/or safety.
Our Preferred Source List
When applicable and up-to-date, authors should first rely upon:
clinical guidelines from recognized professional or public health organizations;
systematic reviews and well-conducted evidence reviews;
peer reviewed research published in reputable medical journals that are included in major medical databases;
official medicine information and safety alerts issued by regulatory agencies;
publications from organizations including, but not limited to, The World Health Organization, National Health Services, Public Health Agencies; and,
original research if a Guide includes a specific finding.
It must be evident that the cited resource aligns with the claim. A press release, web site of a commercial entity, un-sourced summary, or social media posting is insufficient to support a clinical recommendation. While news reporting provides contextual background, it cannot be used alone to serve as the primary evidence for providing medical guidance.
How Citations Should Be Presented
Whenever feasible, citations should be placed sufficiently proximate to the relevant text so that readers can easily determine what evidence supports the relevant text. Instead of linking to a search results page or secondary report/summary of the referenced resource, whenever possible FMJ recommends linking directly to the guideline/paper/regulatory notice/publication.
The author(s) should verify the publication date, the demographics/population sampled, and whether a study utilized appropriate methodology to assess the conclusions drawn. Authors should also verify whether subsequent studies have altered conclusions made in previous studies. When evidence is limited, conflicting, indirect, or based primarily on expert consensus, this should be explicitly stated within the Guide.
Balance and Context
An author should not select a source solely to support a desired conclusion. A Medical Guide reflects the overall body of credible evidence and cites significant disputes or limitations within the evidence. The author(s) should provide relative risks and accompany them with absolute numbers when these are both available/trustworthy and would benefit readers.
While testimonials and individual accounts can help illustrate a topic, they do not constitute proof that treatments are effective or safe. Preprints that have not been peer reviewed must be clearly labelled as such.
Link Maintenance and Concern Regarding Source Credibility
Hyper-links may become lost or removed at some point in time. Broken hyper-links do not diminish the validity of the statement being supported. However, the editorial staff will attempt to locate an archived version or replace the lost hyperlink with an authoritative version. Individuals believing that a referenced source was misrepresented in a Medical Guide may submit comments via email to contact@freemedicaljournals.com citing the relevant page and referencing the evidence they wish to see addressed.