Listening to the Journals

I love reading and writing, but sometimes my eyes need a break. That's when the word processor goes off and my media player gets turned on.

Almost since it's inception, I've been a big fan of podcasting. Originally, a podcast was a digital recording of a radio show that was then made available over the Internet for download. You could also subscribe to podcasts through a syndication feed so that your favourite show was always ready for listening. These days, it's not just radio shows that are available via podcast. Many magazines and journals create podcasts to complement their print or online content, and medical journals are at the forefront of this revolution.

Usually a podcast from a medical journal will include an overall description of what you can expect to find in the current print edition, as well as a more in-depth look at one or two of the feature stories from the issue. This may include interviews with one or more of the study authors and analysis by other leading professionals in the field.

As a medical writer, listening to podcasts is a great alternative way to stay on top of breaking medical news and discoveries, as well as current opinion. I usually include a mix of medical and science journals in my subscriptions, as well as some general interest science magazines. I listen to them while driving, making dinner, waiting for the train, or over a cup of tea in the afternoon.

Some of the podcasts that I've been enjoying recently include:

The Lancet
New England Journal of Medicine
Journal of the American Medical Association
Science
Nature
New Scientist
Scientific American
The Scientist

Some television news shows and stations have also embraced podcasting in what's now known as vodcasting, or video podcasting; but that's for another blog entry.