Useful Databases
- UpToDate This link opens in a new window UpToDate includes access to over 10,000 topics in over 22 specialties. Once you create an UpToDate account, you can access the mobile app using the same account. For instructions see: https://libguides.sullivan.edu/ld.php?content_id=58246525
- AccessMedicine This link opens in a new window Features leading medical content, plus multimedia, self-assessment, algorithms, case studies, and more.
- Lexidrug Online This link opens in a new window UpToDate Lexidrug (formerly Lexicomp) is a collection of content sets and clinical tools that provides users with robust clinical drug information. It provides the following modules: Interactions, Drug Identification, Trissel's I.V. Compatibility, Patient Education, Medical Calculators, MSDS, Toxicology, Lexi-Drugs Indexes, and other clinical links.
- PubMed This link opens in a new window PubMed comprises more than 37 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Sullivan offers access to some of the content in PubMed (search and then use "Full Text" filter box to find complete sources).
- MEDLINE This link opens in a new window The National Library of Medicine's database provides authoritative indexing to 4800+ scholarly medical, nursing, veterinary science, and other health-related journals from 1966 to the present. Access provided by KYVL.
- CINAHL Complete This link opens in a new window CINAHL Complete provides the full text of over 1,300 nursing and allied health journals dating back to 1937. It contains over 6 million records.
Which database should I use?
The database(s) you select for searches depends on your specific information need.
- Summaries and Reference Information
- UpToDate - choose UpToDate if you need summaries of the literature about a specific topic
- AccessMedicine - choose AM if you need medical reference, such as a medical encyclopedia, medical textbooks, or quick information about drugs and interactions
- LexiDrug - choose LexiDrug to find the most comprehensive information about drugs, toxicology, patient education, or medical calculators
- Journal Literature
- PubMed - choose PubMed if you need biomedical research articles, such as empirical studies about medical effects on certain organs or body systems
- MEDLINE - largely has the same content as PubMed, but allows you to use the EBSCOHost search interface
- CINAHL - choose CINAHL if you need nursing or patient care literature, such as articles on the best methods for treating certain kinds of patients
These are summary statements. Each of the above systems has A LOT of sources and will be useful in ways not described here. Take your time to get familiar with these, and never be afraid to ask a librarian for advice on where to search.
Journals of interest
- BMJ Open BMJ Open is an online, open access journal, dedicated to publishing medical research from all disciplines and therapeutic areas. The journal publishes all research study types, from protocols through phase I trials to meta-analyses, including small, specialist studies, and negative studies. Publishing procedures are built around fully open peer review and continuous publication, publishing research online as soon as the article is ready. BMJ Open aims to promote transparency in the publication process by publishing reviewer reports and previous versions of manuscripts as pre-publication histories. Authors are asked to pay article-publishing charges on acceptance; the ability to pay does not influence editorial decisions.
- New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) This link opens in a new window The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) is recognized as the world’s leading medical journal and website. Published continuously for over 200 years, NEJM delivers high-quality, peer-reviewed research and interactive clinical content to physicians, educators, researchers, and the global medical community. Our mission is to publish the best research and information at the intersection of biomedical science and clinical practice and to present this information in understandable, clinically useful formats that inform health care practice and improve patient outcomes.
- Circulation Circulation publishes original research manuscripts, review articles, and other content related to cardiovascular health and disease, including observational studies, clinical trials, epidemiology, health services and outcomes studies, and advances in basic and translational research. Sullivan has a 1-year delay in access to new articles.
Useful Research Guides
Tools for Finding Full Text Sources
- Full Text Journal FinderUse this tool to find out if Sullivan University has access to a journal title in full text, and if so for what dates of coverage.
- Interlibrary LoanRequest an article or book the Sullivan library doesn't have.
Research vs. research
Big 'R' research is something that scientists conduct in a lab. Small 'r' research is something that we all do everyday. The skills involved with conducting small 'r' research (Information Literacy skills) are essential to not just solving everyday life problems but they are integral in conducting big 'R' research efficiently and effectively. These skills can be summarized as follows:
- defining your problem
- identifying what you know and locating what you don't
- selecting the best possible resources from what you found
- organizing what you have selected
- using these resources ethically
For more information about any of these skills or library resources that can help with them check out the guide a "How-To Guide for Research."