PJ Online is changing to keep up with professional developments. Francesca Rivers, of the PJ Online team, explains how to get the most from the site
Relaunched in July 2008, PJ Online, the official website of The Pharmaceutical Journal and gateway to the world of pharmacy and medicines, contains all the content of The Journal as well as that of its sister publications Clinical Pharmacist (Hospital Pharmacist’s new incarnation), Tomorrow’s Pharmacist, and Retail Round-up (to be rebadged PJ Business Knowledge from March 2009).
Get in touchWe look forward to hearing from you and helping you get the best from PJ Online. If you have any queries contact us at editor@pjonline.com or on 020 7572 2428. |
The website’s new format is a dramatic move away from the style of the previous site (www.pharmj.com), and is an adjustment for those accustomed to the old site.
The new design allows daily uploading, which means users can benefit from news published as and when it breaks.
The new site also includes extra news and events, in addition to the material included in each week’s print issue of The Journal.
Extra features under the “Join in” banner such as discussion forums, the facility to comment on published items and the “Ask the expert” service allow users of PJ Online to be part of a community whose members can contribute comments and share ideas.
Access to PJ Online is changing
IP rangeYou may need to ask your IT department for your IP range. If you are unable to supply an IP address or if you have any other queries regarding your subscription, please do not hesitate to contact us (editor@pjonline.com or on 020 7572 2428) |
On 16 March 2009, new access rights to PJ Online will be introduced.
Anybody can be a guest to the site and be able to view events, jobs and the past 30 days of news and views.
Simple (and free) registration with the site will also make it possible for visitors to comment on items, contribute to discussion forums and receive electronic newsletters and emails alerting them to jobs and content of interest.
Access to the entire site, including premium content such as all learning and development articles, will only be available to members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and paid subscribers.
Shortly, access to certain sections of the site — exclusive to members of particular groups — will be at the discretion or invitation of the specific user group. The editor of PJ Online is in discussion with a number of user groups and their presence will become visible over the coming months.
Members of the Society
Access to PJ Online’s premium content will be free to all members and registrants of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, including preregistration trainees and registered pharmacy technicians.
PJ Online’s premium content includes all archived information on the site, as well as the learning and development section, with its wealth of CPD articles and online Lifelong Learning modules.
Members can access this premium content by registering on PJ Online, using their Society registration number on the online form and choosing their own username and password. Once registered, members will need to enter their username and password each time they use the site.
Once the Society’s functions have separated in 2010 and the General Pharmaceutical Council is established, only full members of the Society will have guaranteed free access. Other groups’ access will be by negotiation and depend on their status within the professional body.
Schools of pharmacy
From 1 March 2012 accredited schools of pharmacy in the EU are eligible for a university corporate subscription to PJ Online for £1000 plus VAT per annum. This grants full access via IP range and up to five registered email addresses incorporating user name and password for off-site use. Universities may also register more individuals to access PJ Online off site and we can quote for this on an individual university basis.Schools of pharmacies in other parts of the world should apply to opsteam@rpharms.com for an individual quote.
When academics or students type www.pjonline.com from a computer within their institution’s IP range they will be recognised automatically and given full access.
To be able to comment on items each individual user must also register on the website. Once registered, users will need to enter their chosen username and password each time they wish to use the interactive features of the site.
Subscriptions
Other people are eligible to access the premium content of PJ Online even if they are not a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society or at a Society-registered school of pharmacy. In this instance they will need to buy a subscription: there are two types of subscription available, each with separate rates and discount packages:
Institutional/corporate subscription
Institutions can arrange an institutional subscription by supplying their IP range. When accessing www.pjonline.com from a computer within the institution’s IP range employees or members will be automatically recognised and given full access.
To be able to comment on items each user must also register on the website, entering their chosen username and password each time they wish to use the interactive features of the site.
Individual subscription
Anyone can buy an individual subscription to PJ Online by contacting RPS Publishing and supplying an e-mail address. Once registered, individuals will need to enter a username and password each time they access the site.
Queries about PJ Online subscriptions are welcome (e-mail opsteam@rpharms.com).
User feedbackThe PJ Online support team is always keen to hear feedback from users of the site, and we are grateful for the comments we have received since 2008’s launch — from needs and wants to praise and protest. We are working hard to improve the site and make it as user-friendly and responsive as possible. Common grievances with the site have related to navigating the new layout, and searching the archive of available material. We have been listening! Three major enhancements are currently on their way: Search engineWe have repaired a number of early glitches in PJ Online’s search engine, so searching the site should already be getting easier. Headlines can now be used to locate items (although you should bear in mind that print headlines and online headlines are not always identical). Further improvements and additions are on the way, including the facility to search within a set of results and to choose for yourself the order in which results appear. Seven-day contentWe will shortly be introducing a feature grouping together the previous seven days’ worth of uploaded items, so the website’s content can be viewed in weekly chunks. Those who were used to viewing The Journal online via the old site will find the new feature a useful way to browse all the content from each week’s issue — along with all of the additional weekly content that PJ Online boasts. We will let you know when this facility arrives. Watch out for a notice among the weekly highlights on the site’s homepage. More continuing professional developmentWe are currently working on uploading the entire back library of CPD articles from the previous version of PJ Online. This will bring in a further 200 pieces of CPD content from The Journal and Hospital Pharmacist. |
On Line Usage
Fear not!
Should you choose not to join the new professional body, there is also the option to take out an individual subscription to the site.
Francesca Rivers
PJ Online support
Subscription - All PJ content for public consumption or not ?
Public consumption
In the 23 years that I've worked on The Pharmaceutical Journal and on PJ Online, I can't think of a single thing we have published that could be called unsuitable for public consumption.
There may have been a few things that some members of the profession would have preferred to be kept secret, but that's another matter.
What sort of content are you concerned about?
Editor
PJ Online
Professional content
Target audiences
I take your point, Luso, but the target audience of both the PJ and PJ Online is the same - members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.
But both the print publication and the online production are available to the public on request. It is not reasonable to suggest that lay people are liable to misunderstand information or to deny them access to it.
We have moved on a long way since the time when people got given a bottle of tablets labelled "The tablets - take one twice a day".
Editor
PJ Online
Target audience
I did not suggest that lay people should be denied information. My point was that information has to be tuned to their level so that they are able to understand it. I raised this issue so that consideration can be given on how this can be achieved. Other healthcare websites have gone around this by including sections for Health Professionals and lay people. A good example is the website "Clinical Knowledge Summaries ( CKS)" formerly "Prodigy Guidelines". There, you will find a section for Healthcare Professionals and a separate section for patients. The content for these two sections are similar but tuned to different levels.