Just a quick question to those with experience (tagging @dave30th and @Jonathan Edwards): When a paper on a study/trial is "in press" it means that it has been through the peer review process, is accepted by the journal and is now in its formatting stage, awaiting publication. Has this always been the case? Or was it customary (particularly in the 90s) to name a paper "in press" when it had not been accepted for publication by the journal yet? (I suspect not, but checking here.) Thanks in advance.
I found my answer: books instructing on academic writing and publishing in the medical sciences from 1982, 1991, 1992 and 1999 are all explaining "in press" as for manuscripts that are accepted for publication but not yet published. The 1999 one makes a clear distinction between 'in press' and 'in submission' in reference lists, 1982's How to write and publish papers in the medical sciences gives clear instructions for references, telling how many journals will not accept papers that have been submitted but not accepted for publication, only some will allow it with the term 'unpublished' attached. Most journals will allow references to papers accepted but not yet published, and these should have "in press" replacing volume number and page numbers. Edit: typo -> 1991 should be 1999
