Lancet, The

Published since 1823, the Lancet is a weekly printed and electronic medical journal. In the words of Lancet editor Richard Horton, "[Founder] Thomas Wakley and his successors have aimed to combine publication of the best medical science in the world with a zeal to counter the forces that undermine the values of medicine, be they political, social, or commercial."

A subscription to The Lancet consists of a year's issues (51) of the print journal, delivered anywhere around the world, as well as full access to the Lancet website and full-text content at no extra charge. In order to subscribe, and to find out about costs depending on country of residence, users must participate in a free online registration process that also provides a number of free services (searchable archives of past issues, access to selected full-text articles (HTML and PDF format) and news items, 'Pay per view' article access, access to the Electronic Research Archive (ERA), email content alerts with links, and a range of subscription options).

The Lancet offers a number of means of accessing the journal. A mobile edition (launched in 2004) enables subscribers to download selected content from the latest issue of The Lancet to read on mobile devices such as personal data assistants (PDAs), wireless PDAs, or smartphones. The Lancet Mobile edition includes a table of contents; article abstracts; full text of editorials, commentaries, and news articles; and free PDA software from Roundpoint.

In addition, the Lancet Electronic Research Archive (ERA) is part of an effort to make international health education resources accessible to clinicians in resource-poor countries. First, the ERA enables authors to self-archive research relevant to medicine in the developing world, with subsequent comments on the research posted alongside. In addition, while all papers published in the journal are peer-reviewed, the publisher indicates that "some topics benefit from more wide-ranging comment before publication. To ensure these papers receive the extra review they deserve we will post them on the e-print server." Access to ERA is unrestricted online as part of a goal to "create a searchable public library of research in international health".