About GMS

About German Medical Science (GMS)

German Medical Science (GMS) is an open-access publishing service that provides permanent, free access to high-quality, peer-reviewed medical research. Researchers in the medical field can publish their findings and data in the form of journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters.

To the best of its technical and organisational abilities, GMS commits itself to

• ensure permanent open access to the publications,
• ensure citability through persistent identifiers (DOI and/or URN),
• index the publications and distribute them in national and international reference databases, and
• archive the publication files for the long term (digital preservation).

GMS is a cooperation between the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) and ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences.

Since 2025, all GMS publications have been published on ZB MED’s PUBLISSO platform. The former GMS portal will remain available as an archive site at https://www.egms.de.

• The complete volumes of all current GMS journals can be found at https://journals.publisso.de/en/journals/overview
• Conference publications from 2025 onwards can be found at https://conferences.publisso.de/en/conferences
• Living Handbooks can be found at https://books.publisso.de/en/publisso_gold/publishing/books/overview
• The “List of MAK and BAT Values” as well as the journal “The MAK Collection for Occupational Health and Safety” of the German Research Foundation’s MAK Collection can be found at https://series.publisso.de/en/pgseries/overview/mak

Organisation and funding

The steering committee of GMS determines the strategic direction and evaluates the inclusion of new publications. The steering committee consists of representatives from AWMF and ZB MED:

Dr. Manfred Gogol
Executive Committee, Treasurer
Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF)

Prof. Dr. Dietrich Rebholz-Schuhmann
Scientific Director
ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences

To create an economically sustainable organisational structure the GMS gGmbH was established on behalf of the AWMF:

GMS gGmbH
Ubierstr. 20
40223 Dusseldorf
Germany

Director:
Dennis Makoschey
c/o AWMF Office
Birkenstr. 67
10559 Berlin
Germany

GMS gGmbH charges publication fees to the institutions that publish a journal, conference proceedings, or a Living Handbook. Some GMS journals charge article processing charges (APCs) to their authors in order to cover these publication fees. Information on the terms and conditions can be found on the respective journal pages (https://journals.publisso.de/en/journals/overview).

The GMS Editorial Office established by ZB MED oversees the production of the publications:

GMS Editorial Office
ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences
Gleueler Str. 60
50931 Cologne
Germany
gms@zbmed.de

Publishing with GMS

If you want to establish a new journal or transform an existing journal into an open-access publication, please contact the GMS Editorial Office (gms@zbmed.de).

For information on submitting manuscripts to existing GMS journals, please visit the respective journal websites: https://journals.publisso.de/en/journals/overview.

For more information on the publication of conference proceedings and abstracts, please visit https://www.publisso.de/en/publishing/publishing-conference-papers.

If you want to contribute a chapter to an existing handbook or to create a new handbook, please find more information on the Living Handbooks at https://www.publisso.de/en/publishing/books.

Open access and copyright

As open-access publications all GMS publications are issued under the terms of a Creative Commons license (https://creativecommons.org/). The relevant license information is included with each publication. Provided that the authors and source are attributed, publications may be

• reproduced,
• distributed, and
• made publicly available.

The authors retain all rights to their publications. They grant GMS only a non-exclusive right to publish the works online and to store them electronically in databases. These conditions are explained in more detail in the GMS Author’s Contract.

History

GMS originated from a joint project between the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF), and ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences, and the German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI; now: Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices). During its initial development phase, GMS received funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).

In 2003, the GMS portal went live with journal and conference publications. In 2013, the GMS portfolio was expanded to include Living Handbooks, scientific handbooks that can be updated continuously by chapter.

With the withdrawal of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) from the partnership in mid-2025, the journals and conference publications were also moved to the PUBLISSO platform.

Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee of German Medical Science consists of representatives of the AWMF member societies:

• Dr. Karl-Ludwig Ackermann, Filderstadt, Oral Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Peter Bartmann, Bonn, Pediatrics
• Prof. Dr. Anil Batra, Tübingen, Addiction Research and Therapy
• Prof. Dr. Daniela Berg, Tübingen, Neurology, Parkinson
• Prof. Dr. Peter Berlit, Berlin, Neurology
• PD Dr. Kurt Bestehorn, Ebenhausen, Pharmacy
• Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bloch, Cologne, Sports Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Klaus-Michael Braumann, Hamburg, Sports Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Nobert H. Brockmeyer, Bochum, Dermatology
• Prof. Dr. J. Buchmann, Rostock, Physiotherapy
• Prof. Dr. Gerd Burchard, Hamburg, Tropical Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Jean-François Chenot, Greifswald, General or Family Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Ursula Creutzig, Münster, Pediatric Oncology and Hematology
• Prof. Dr. Claus Cursiefen, Cologne, Ophthalmology
• PD Dr. Georg Ebersbach, Beelitz-Heilstätten, Neurology, Parkinson
• Prof. Dr. Hans-Henning Eckstein, Munich, Vascular Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Eiermann, Hamburg, Immunogenetics
• Prof. Dr. Peter Elsner, Jena, Dermatology
• Prof. Dr. Rita Engenhart-Cabillic, Marburg, Oncology
• Dr. Ekkehart D. Englert, Erfurt, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• PD Dr. Stefan Evers, Münster, Neurology, Migraine
• Dr. Götz Fabry, Freiburg, Medical Education
• Prof. Dr. Martin Fischer, Munich, Medical Education
• Prof. Dr. Roland Frankenberger, Marburg, Dentistry
• Prof. Dr. Matthias Franz, Dusseldorf, Psychoanalytics
• Prof. Dr. Andreas Fritsche, Tübingen, Diabetes
• Prof. Dr. Paul Christian Fuchs, Cologne, Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Axel Gehrke, Hanover, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Prof. Dr. Tanja Germerott, Mainz, Forensic Medicine
• Dr. Manfred Gogol, Hanover, AWMF
• Prof. Dr. Johannes Gostomzyk, Augsburg, Social Medicine and Preventive Care
• Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande, Leipzig, Cardiovascular Diseases, Rehabiliation
• Prof. Dr. Eva Grill, Munich, Epidemiology
• Prof. Dr. Christoph Gutenbrunner, Hanover, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Prof. Dr. Dr. Martin Härter, Hamburg, Medical Psychology
• PD Dr. Alkomiet Hasan, Munich, Psychiatry
• Prof. Dr. Monika Hasenbring, Bochum, Pain Therapy
• Prof. Dr. Stephan Hau, Stockholm, Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatic Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Alexander Herold, Mannheim, Coloproctology
• Prof. Dr. Gereon Heuft, Münster, Psychosomatic Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Gerd Hoffmann, Frankfurt, Sports Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Christian Hugo, Dresden, Transplantation Medicine
• PD Dr. Katrin Janhsen, Witten, Drug Utilisation Research
• Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Essen, Medical Informatics and Biometry
• Prof. Dr. Gerhard Jorch, Magdeburg, Pediatrics, Neonatology
• Prof. Dr. Michael Jünger, Greifswald, Phlebology
• PD Dr. Björn Jüttner, Hanover, Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Horst Kächele, Ulm, Psychosomatic Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Axel Karenberg, Cologne, History of Neurology
• Prof. Dr. Elmar Keck, Wiesbaden, Osteology
• Prof. Dr. Annerose Keilmann, Mainz, Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology
• PD Dr. Rigobert Klett, Gießen, Physiotherapy
• PD Dr. Christof Klötzsch, Allensbach, Ultrasound in Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Harald Klüter, Mannheim, Transfusion Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Armin Koch, Hanover, Medical Informatics and Biometry
• Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Köpcke, Münster, Medical Informatics and Biometry
• Prof. Dr. Karin Kraft, Rostock, Phytotherapy
• Prof. Dr. Axel Kramer, Greifswald, Hospital Hygiene
• Prof. Dr. Peter Kropp, Rostock, Medical Psychology
• Prof. Dr. Jens-Peter Kühn, Greifswald, Radiology
• Prof. Dr. Ulrich Laufs, Homburg/Saar, Cardiology
• Prof. Dr. Johannes Liese, Würzburg, Pediatric Infectiology
• Dr. Petra Lynen Jansen, Berlin, Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases
• Dr. Berend Malchow, Munich, Psychiatry
• Prof. Dr. Ingo Marzi, Frankfurt a. M., Trauma Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Mennel, Marburg, History of Neurology
• Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Mentzel, Jena, Pediatric Radiology
• Prof. Dr. H.-J. Meyer, Berlin, Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Stefan C. Müller, Bonn, Urology
• Prof. Dr. Karsten Müssig, Dusseldorf, Diabetes
• Prof. Dr. Björn Nashan, Hamburg, Transplantation Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Edmund Neugebauer, Cologne, Study of Pain
• Prof. Dr. Christopher Nimsky, Marburg, Neurosurgery
• Prof. Dr. Christian Ohrloff, Frankfurt, Ophthalmology
• Prof. Dr. Martin Ptok, Hanover, Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology
• Dr. Udo Puteanus, Münster, Drug Utilisation Research
• PD Dr. Ulrich Quint, Hamm, Spine Research
• Prof. Dr. Jürgen Reichenbach, Jena, Medizinische Physik
• Prof. Dr. Herbert Rübben, Essen, Urology
• Prof. Dr. Henning Schliephake, Göttingen, Oral Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Ingo Schmidt-Wolf, Bonn, Hematology and Oncology
• Prof. Dr. Frank Schneider, Aachen, Biological Psychiatry
• Prof. Dr. Rainer Schönweiler, Lübeck, Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology
• Prof. Dr. Clemens Sommer, Mainz, Neuropathology and Anatomy
• Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Stellbrink, Hamburg, AIDS
• Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Stetter, Porta Westfalica, Medical Hypnosis and Autogenic Training
• Prof. Dr. Caner Süsal, Heidelberg, Immunogenetics
• Prof. Dr. Monika Tigges, Karlsruhe, Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology
• Prof. Dr. Bernd Turowski, Dusseldorf, Neuroradiology
• Prof. Dr. Bernhard Uehleke, Berlin, Phytotherapy
• Prof. Dr. Eberhard Uhl, Gießen, Neurosurgery
• Prof. Dr. Marcel A. Verhoff, Frankfurt, Forensic Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Vogl, Frankfurt, Radiology
• Prof. Dr. Peter M. Vogt, Hanover, Plastic Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Olaf von dem Knesebeck, Hamburg, Medical Sociology
• Dr. Thomas von Lengerke, Hanover, Medical Sociology
• Prof. Dr. Wilfried Wagner, Mainz, Oral Surgery
• Prof. Dr. Claus-W. Wallesch, Elzach, Neurorehabilitation
• Prof. Dr. Diethelm Wallwiener, Tübingen, Senology
• Prof. Dr. Ulla Walter, Hanover, Social Medicine and Preventive Care
• Prof. Dr. Norbert Weiss, Dresden, Angiology
• Dr. Wilhelm Welslau, Wien, Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine
• Prof. Dr. Normann Willich, Münster, Radiation Therapy
• Prof. Dr. Alfred Winter, Leipzig, Medical Informatics and Biometry
• Prof. Dr. Torsten Witte, Hanover, Immunology

Author’s Contract

§ 1 Subject Matter of the Contract

1. The subject of this contract is the submitted work of the author.
2. The author insures that he alone is authorized to dispose over the rights of use on his work promoted by copyright and that hitherto he made no legal concessions that oppose to the provisions of this contract. This also applies to the standard texts or master illustrations supplied by the author and whose rights of use he holds. If he offers German Medical Science standard texts or master illustrations for which this does not apply, or where it is uncertain if this applies, then he has to inform German Medical Science about it and about all recognizable legally relevant facts known to him. As soon as German Medical Science assigns the author with the procurement of other standard texts or master illustrations, it requires a special agreement.
3. The author is obligated to point out to German Medical Science in writing if the work includes interpretations from persons or incidents with which the risk of an infringement of personal rights is connected. He ensures immediate notification of the service provider in case of doubt or of alleged or actual legal hindrances.
4. The rights holder exempts the service provider of any third-party claims.
    

§ 2 Rights

1. The author licenses to German Medical Science the non-exclusive right of duplication and circulation of machine readable data media and their safeguard media.
2. The author licenses to German Medical Science the non-exclusive right to electronic storage in databases and web pages, to make available to the public for individual requests and display on the monitor. This also comprises the right to notify and transfer the document to third parties e. g. within the framework of national collection mandates, especially for the purpose of long-term archiving.
3. The author licenses to German Medical Science the non-exclusive right for the translation into the English language.
4. The author licenses to German Medical Science the non-exclusive right to Print-on-Demand-Production.
5. The author licenses to German Medical Science the non-exclusive right to copy and to convert the document for archiving purposes into additional, different electronic or physical formats. When doing so, impairments which are suitable to endanger the content’s integrity or the intellectual and personal rights of the author on the work are to be omitted.
6. German Medical Science grants an online-access-right to the author pertaining to his work that is stored in the database.
    

§ 3 Contractual Obligation

1. The work will first appear exclusively in electronic form, subsequent changes of the form of the first edition require the author's agreement.
2. German Medical Science is obligated to duplicate, circulate and adequately campaign for the work in the form specified in section 1.
    

§ 4 Fee

1. The author does not receive a fee for his work.
    

§ 5 Author Designation, Copyright-Note

1. German Medical Science is obligated to appropriately identify the author as originator of the work.
2. German Medical Science is obligated to attach the copyright note with the publication of the work in the sense of the Universal Copyright Convention.
3. The author agrees that German Medical Science publishes his work under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). That means that anyone can copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, provided the original work is appropriately credited. See license information at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. German Medical Science is obligated to attach a note about this license upon publication of the work.
    

§ 6 Final Clause

If not regulated by this contract, the general legal provisions of law of the Federal Republic of Germany apply. The invalidity or inefficacy of individual regulations of this contract does not affect the validity of the remaining regulations. The parties are then obligated to replace the deficient regulation by such a regulation whose economic and legal sense comes closest to that of the regulation to be replaced.