The Current Opinion series of journals was developed out of the recognition of the continuing and growing need for review publications as a way for researchers and clinicians to gain knowledge about the current literature and to acquire the views of experts on current advances in the various specialities and subspecialities of medicine. The particular system developed. for publishing the Current Opinion journals takes into account the need for literature reviews to provide the following:

• a thorough, up-to-date assessment at the time of publication
• a reliable method of updating on a regular schedule
• comprehensive coverage of the primary literature with bibliographic back-up

The Current Opinion journals provide full coverage of a complete medical discipline in six bi-monthly installments. Each subject covered is divided into approximately 12 major sections, and each of these sections is reviewed once a year. The amount of space devoted to each section is related to its importance and the volume of original publishing in the field during the previous year. Each issue of the journal covers one or two separate sections.

Within each section, current information is presented in the following interrelated forms:

1 Review and Update Articles: In these concise articles, specialists express their frank opinions on the range of developments in their field over the previous year.

2 Annotated References: With each individual review a comprehensive bibliography of papers published in the preceding year that deal with the specific topic in discussion is presented. The annotations provide critical comment on those papers of special interest and give a brief guide to the content of each.

3 Complete Bibliography of the Current World Literature: All papers published in the previous year in the sections covered by the current issue are listed at the back of the journal. This list of papers is drawn from an extensive range of journals, including basic science, general medicine, and specialty journals, and is divided according to subject area.

4 Specially Invited Commentaries: In-depth papers focusing on wider or more topical issues in each subject area are commissioned on a regular basis.

The journal aims to present, within this framework, the opinion of experts in different topics on the current state of each discipline as seen through recent literature. By presenting the material in six issues over the course of the year, the journal is able to provide a rolling, continuous updating service that is, at once, both readable and more comprehensive than annual or single topic reviews.

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