History of scientific journals

Over 350 years of publishing

The Royal Society has been publishing scientific articles for over 350 years. During 2015 we celebrated the 350th anniversary of Philosophical Transactions, the world's first science journal. Philosophical Transactions pioneered the concepts of scientific priority and peer review which, together with archiving and dissemination, provide the model for almost 30,000 scientific journals today.

The Royal Society Journals Archive

All of our published material is available to read within our journal websites. In 2017 we re-digitised original copies of all our journals from 1665 to 1996 to create The Royal Society Journals Archive, a resource that provides a fascinating insight into the development of science. Papers published between 1665 and 1950 are free to access. Take a look at our Journals Archive highlights collection that covers some of the key moments in scientific history. University libraries can purchase perpetual access to the complete archive for integration into their repository, 

Science in the Making

Science in the Making is our permanent digital archive portal providing free access to over 30,000 items of archival material and 250,000 individual images related to the publication of the Society’s scientific journals. The website presents the complex material that lies behind the published articles, such as peer reviews, correspondence, photographs, illustrations and early drafts. The varied content includes reviews by Darwin, correspondence by Newton, astronomical observations, electrical experiments, anatomical illustrations and more, drawing from every branch of science.

Notes and Records

Our history of science journal, Notes and Records, has been publishing since 1938. In addition to publishing peer-reviewed research articles in all areas of the history of science, technology and medicine. Notes and Records welcomes other forms of contribution including research notes elucidating recent archival discoveries in The Royal Society Collections and elsewhere. The 8th Notes and Records Essay Award is currently open for entries to researchers in the history of science who have completed a postgraduate degree within the last five years. First prize wins £500 and is published in the journal.

Biographical Memoirs

Biographical Memoirs is a series of extended obituaries celebrating the lives and achievement of Fellows of the Royal Society and has been publishing since 1932. All Biographical Memoirs content is freely available to access online. To highlight some of the most important memoirs in the archive, we have created a series of memoir collections on particular topics.

History of science seminars

Our online history of science seminar series features a selection of talks based on articles published in Royal Society journals Notes and Records and Biographical Memoirs. Each talk is associated with a recent paper or theme issue, selected by the journal’s editors as being particularly innovative or having had significant impact.

Library Collections

The Royal Society library holds one of the most important history of science collections in the world with thousands of rare and unique items. These include published works, handwritten drafts, correspondence, illustrations, and original data on everything from rainfall to astronomical observations. We hold records of the work of the Society since 1660 and our collections can be explored online. Search the library catalogue, visit the reading room, or browse our digital resources that include Turning the Pages and the Picture Library.