Prevalence and patterns of journal use among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary care teaching hospital – A cross-sectional analytical study

Background: Medical students are expected to be self-directed learners and constantly update their knowledge. Apart from the books, journals also help in this knowledge gathering exercise. This study was conducted with an objective to assess the journal usage pattern among undergraduate medical students and to consider implementing a training program on journal use based on the survey findings. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among the undergraduate medical students using anonymous self-administered online questionnaire. The e-mail address and WhatsApp number of the students were initially collected with the help of student volunteers from each batch, and then, an online link to the survey was sent to all of them by these volunteers. Results: Around 37% (190/505) of the respondents reported having used journals, and nearly three-fourths of them were introduced to journals by their faculties. Research articles were the most sought after article type among the students. The Medline database was very commonly used by the students. Around 80% of the respondents opined that journal usage may be included as a training program at the undergraduate level. Conclusion: Perception regarding including journal usage as a training program at the undergraduate level was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with journal use among students.