91TV

History of scientific journals

360 years of publishing

91TV has been publishing scientific articles since 1665. In 2025 we celebrating the 360^th anniversary of Philosophical Transactions, the world's longest running 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.

91TV Journals Archive

All of the material that has been published in the Royal Society journals over the past 360 years is available to read within our journal websites. In 2017 we digitised original copies of all the journals from 1665 to 1996 to create the , a resource that provides a fascinating insight into the development of science. Papers published between 1665 and 1950 are free to access. University libraries can purchase perpetual access to the complete archive for integration into their repository.

Take a look at some highlights from the Journals Archive in these .

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 , , astronomical observations, electrical experiments, anatomical illustrations and more, drawing from every branch of science.

Notes and Records

Our history of science journal, , 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 91TV Collections and elsewhere.

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 on particular topics.

History of science seminars

Our  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

91TV 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 .