Concept

The portal German Medical Science is the electronic interdisciplinary portal of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF). Developed in cooperation with the German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI) and the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED) it offers open access to medical articles that are high-ranking and quality reviewed. The portal German Medical Science offers all scientists from the field of medicine the possibility to publish their research results online. The project is sponsored by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Beyond the rapidity of publication and access, the portal German Medical Science fully uses the possibilities of electronic media. Possibilities were created to upgrade the articles by linking them to high-resolution pictures, extensive charts, sounds, films, complete research databases or other data. The integration of national and international reference databases (e.g. MEDLINE) and the access to master files of publications allow for any extension of the information scope. In addition, the internet media enables the development of document-oriented alternatives to "impact-factor".
The archival storage on DIMDI's highly secure servers guarantees for permanent access and citeability. All the articles published in the portal German Medical Science are available throughout the world online for anyone interested immediately, permanently and free of charge (open access).

Portal Structure

The portal German Medical Science covers the following publication areas:

1. Medical Journals: e-journals of individual expert associations are made available under their own title with scientific original papers and surveys from the respective field of activity, GMS German Medical Science - an Interdisciplinary Journal publishes high-ranking peer-reviewed interdisciplinary original papers and surveys from the entire spectrum of medicine on an interdisciplinary level. Additionally the "Mitteilungen der AWMF" and the journal of the German Medical Library Association are published in this area.
2. The portal additionally serves as publication platform for electronic proceedings.
3. The third area is dedicated to the publication of medical reports.

Journals within the portal German Medical Science

The portal German Medical Science gives scientists the possibility to establish their own online journal for their special field of interest. The portal German Medical Science has developed a web-based Manuscript Operating System (MOPS) that makes it possible for any interested specialist group to operate an own scientific publication organ. Each e-journal published under the umbrella of the portal German Medical Science has to be in agreement with the author's rights policy and the license terms of the portal German Medical Science. See Author's Rights and Apply for a new journal.

Medical Meetings

A quick publicaton of meetings/congress articles promotes the communication and teamwork among researchers and helps to avoid an overlapping of the results.

The portal German Medical Science publishes abstracts and full-texts of scientific meetings.
Main advantages of a publication within the portal German Medical Science:

• More attention and observation for the conference via worldwide open access.
• Each abstract or full-text gets its own citeable proof.
• An explicit addressing enables quick and easy access to any abstract or full-text.
• Quick and convenient search features are available.
• Furthermore, the portal German Medical Science offers a Print-on-Demand-Service to publish printed exemplars of conference proceedings reasonably and quickly.

Scientific Committee

The scientific committee of the portals German Medical Science consists of representatives of the members of AWMF: