2020 A new year, a new decade. What have we learned in the past 10 years? What knowledge or protocols have been successfully translated from theory into daily practice? What themes and topics persist, unsolved or inadequately dealt with? 

​1998 marked the 175th anniversary of the foundation of The Lancet, and the inspiration for this article comes from the anniversary lecture of that year, held by J.P. Vandenbroucke. The lecture, entitled ‘Medical Journals and the Shaping of Medical Knowledge’, is pertinent because it draws attention to the wider discussion surrounding evidence, journals, and their combined role within medical practice.