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This article presents the development, problems and in-depth characteristics of the academic (university) journals published in Poland after the socioeconomic transformation of 1989. It also comments on the emergence of a new term to describe university magazines, and looks at the conventions that were organ-ised for their editors (the exchange of views and experiences, and the search for new forms of expression and functions of this particular press genre), the means of financing and the problems facing these maga-zines, as well as the position of the editorial offices within the university structures. The paper closes with remarks on the journalistic and editorial workshops, and the influence of the internet and electronic forms of the magazines on the printed editions.

This article discusses 10 university journals associated with state medical schools and – thanks to the unrestricted access allowed to the source materials stored in the Medical Library of the Jagiellonian University Medical College – analyses their content. The characteristics of the magazines presented include the universities they are/were affiliated with, their chronological range, frequency of publication, changes of title, history, editorial boards, availability of issues, and a brief description of the most frequently dis-cussed topics. This study could be used as a contribution to a monograph on university magazines as a genre of the press.

The article attempts to establish a definition and characteristics of an academic (university) journal. An academic journal is presented as a type of sublocal journal and more. Similarities and differences between academic journals and strictly student journals are indicated. It is explained what academic journals are, what their functions are and what direction they are heading today.