Medical Sociology online – referred to as MSo – is both a portal for news and information relating to medical sociology and the home of the archive of Medical Sociology Newsletter (MSN) and Medical Sociology online (MSo) a ‘free access’, peer reviewed journal.
Volume 1, Issue 1 of the then titled ‘B.S.A. Medical Sociology Group’s Newsletter’ was published in Autumn 1973, and claimed to have “…nearly 400 on the mailing list”. Three Volumes were published under this title, finishing with Volume 3, Issue 3 in Late 1976.
From Volume 4 the title was simply ‘Medical Sociology Newsletter’, later shortened further to ‘Medical Sociology News’ (MSN). A further 28 Volumes were published under this name from February 1977 until Volume 31, Issue 3 in Winter 2005. From Volume 26, Issue 2 in June 2000, as well as a printed newsletter, MSN was also made available online.
The focus of early issues was very much on ‘news’, but over time more and more short articles and commentaries were included. From the start, Book Reviews were a major part of each issue and many carried publishers advertisements for new volumes. Early issues of the newsletter included the full Minutes from the Medical Sociology Group’s Annual General Meeting. Calls For Papers, Conference and meeting announcements were, from the start, a major feature and from 1988 the majority of Plenary Papers from the annual MedSoc Group Conference were published alongside some more lighthearted accounts of the event!
In November 2006 the first issue of ‘Medical Sociology online’, a wholly web-based journal, was published. This marked a change in emphasis from MSN. The stated aim of the journal was to promote the work of all sections of the medical sociology academic community, including postgraduate students and first time authors, as well as those established in the field. It published quality, peer-reviewed research articles, commentaries and book reviews in the field of medical sociology along with papers from the annual MedSoc Group Conference.
The final issue (Volume 8 Issue 2) can be found here and the Archive, with 41 years of Issues dating back to 1973, can be found here.
From July 2011 until June 2014 the editorship of MSo was held by a team from the Faculty of Health and Social Care of the Open University.
MSo is provided by the Medical Sociology Group
of the British Sociological Association