Methods Refocused

Background

Methods of Information in Medicine (Methods) is the “longest running journal devoted to information in biomedicine and health care.”[1] Since its foundation in 1962, Methods has stressed the methodology and scientific fundamentals of organizing, representing, and analyzing data, information, and knowledge in biomedicine and health care. Publications covered a broad spectrum in the fields of biomedical and health informatics, medical biometry, and epidemiology.

During the last decade, the field of biomedical and health informatics, including adjacent areas, such as eHealth and digital health, has been growing, and this is reflected in the establishment of several new journals. At the same time, we, as editors, have observed an increase in the number of submissions that are not fully within the scope of Methods, suggesting the need for improved communication of the journal's focus toward our community. We have therefore decided to limit the scope of the journal and to focus on methods in health informatics, thereby including clinical informatics, consumer health informatics, public health informatics, and clinical research informatics but excluding bioinformatics and imaging informatics.[2]

Publication History

Article published online:
07 September 2020

• References

• 1 McCray AT, Gefeller O, Aronsky D. et al. The birth and evolution of a discipline devoted to information in biomedicine and health care. As reflected in its longest running journal. Methods Inf Med 2011; 50 (06) 491-507
• 2 Kulikowski CA, Shortliffe EH, Currie LM. et al. AMIA Board white paper: definition of biomedical informatics and specification of core competencies for graduate education in the discipline. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2012; 19 (06) 931-938