Understanding the nuances of the health industry is a crucial aspect of working as a health writer.

Many of us regularly refer to the many dozens of medical journals and health news websites that exist online, but what about medical magazines?

The global magazine industry is facing challenges, with more and more magazines shutting up shop or changing pace and offering breaking news online as opposed to printed editions. Additionally, many medical magazines are only or also available in online formats.

As you probably know, the style of content published in a magazine differs from news and journal content; news websites publish breaking news all day every day, and journals publish mainly research. Magazines, on the othet hand, publish issues or volumes with longer feature articles. This can be a nice change from the the pace of news sites and also gives you some variety in the type of content you’re regularly reading.

Accessing magazines isn’t as convenient as quickly reading the latest on a news or journal website – plus, some may require a paid subscription which can be off-putting.

However, medical magazines can be a great source of information to help you keep your health knowledge current with trends, news and opinions. Plus, flicking through a printed magazine with a cup of tea is gives you a break from your digital devices yet still enables you to work or learn (though many of the magazines listed below have digital versions).

If you’re writing as a subject matter expert within a niche area of health, medical magazines can also equip you with supplementary health information. By reading magazines you may even find ideas for blog articles or websites that accept health article pitches.

1.New Scientist

Although New Scientist is a popular science magazine for a general audience, the health section of New Scientist is a great source of latest news and developments in medicine. You can find well-written articles exploring research that is trending and be the first to know the latest research discoveries.

As New Scientist is published weekly, there are plenty of articles to read regularly and there are local UK, USA or Australian editions.

Subscription: Annual fee

2.Stanford Medicine Magazine

Stanford Medicine is published by the Stanford University School of Medicine to share their research, opinions and news to educate the general public.

Each edition focuses on a specific topic, for example Fall 2015 published articles on ‘Childhood’ and Summer 2015 focused on ‘Skin deep’. Their online magazine also publishes podcasts, blog posts and videos that explore each issue’s topic, which are interesting, thought provoking and insightful. But beware – it’s easy to spend hours reading!

Cost: Free

3.Hopkins Medicine Magazine

The Hopkins Medicine Magazine publishes newsletters and periodicals on a variety of research issues and medical advances by experts from the John Hopkins medical community. The magazine focuses on patient care, research and education.

Although the magazine is intended to keep alumni updated and connected, their news and features articles are a great way to keep your knowledge current with the latest treatments and medical research from one of the top US medical schools.

Cost: Free

4.NIH MedlinePlus

NIH MedlinePlus is an online magazine published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Library of Medicine (NLM). The magazine covers a range of health information, from features about diseases, breakthroughs in research and interviews of well-known patients.

Although intended for a general audience, it’s still a useful resource for health writers if you’re looking to brush up your knowledge with well-written summaries of conditions or therapies.

Cost: Free

5.Scientific American

Like New Scientist, Scientific American is a popular science magazine but you’ll find plenty of health and medical-related stories within. Scientific American is the longest continuously published magazine in the USA and has been bringing its readers unique insights about developments in science and technology for more than 170 years.

Scientific American has 3.5 million print and tablet readers worldwide, 5.5 million global online unique visitors monthly, and a social media reach of 3.5+ million. It’s available in both printed and digital formats.

Subscription: Annual fee

6.Harvard Medicine Magazine

Harvard Medicine was first published in 1927 as the Harvard Medical Alumni Bulletin and continues to publish research written by experts from Harvard Medical School to advance human health. Their research may be a useful source of evidence to support your writing and reading their articles can provide you with valuable insight and expert opinions.

The publication covers a range of medical specialities by having each issue focus on a different area of medicine. For example, Autumn 2015 focused on ‘Voices’, with articles contributed by experts from Harvard Medical School on ‘Cord changes’ and ‘Words to live by’. Each issue also include feature articles and latest research achievements.

Cost: Free