1. BIO2003
Postgraduate Course Feedback
Literature searching
November 2013

2. Today we will cover…
• How to access and use journal databases
• How to search effectively to find relevant
articles
• How to access the articles you have found in
full-text

3. What is a journal?
• Similar format to a magazine
• Published regularly
• Focuses on a particular academic discipline
• Contains articles by different authors
• Also contains book reviews & editorials

4. What is in a journal database?
•
•
This is an example of a record from the database Medline.
Can you find these pieces of information in the record?
Journal Title, Issue, Article title, Volume,
Page Numbers, Date, Author/s
•
Is there an Abstract available? (What is an Abstract?)

5. Quick ways to find journal articles:
1) Google Scholar

6. Quick ways to find journal articles:
2) Summon
MyUniHub
My Study
My Library
Summon

7. Quick ways to find journal articles:
2) Summon

8. Journal databases
• The chance to search a collection of
journals that is specifically for your
subject/s
• More options to refine your search results
• Journals are usually all peer-reviewed

9. Peer review
• A formal procedure for checking the quality of
research before it is published.
• If a publication is peer reviewed it means it has
been read, checked and authenticated by
independent, third party academics (peers).
• The quality-control system of academic publishing
for hundreds of years.

10. Accessing journal databases
MyUniHub
My Study
My Library
Library subject guides
(choose your guide)
Resources tab
Finding journal articles /
Using databases

11. Key databases
Web of Science (Science Citation Index)
The leading science and technical journals
Science Direct
Elsevier’s excellent online journal package
Medline
The premier biomedical database

12. A few search tips…
• Look for an ‘Advanced search’ page
• Use specific keywords (not long
sentences) and combine them in separate
search boxes.
e.g. flood AND policy

13. A few search tips…
• Try synonyms for your keywords
e.g. congenital malformation / birth defects
• To search for a phrase, use “ ”
e.g. “climate change”
• To find different word endings, use *
e.g. flood* (finds flood, floods, flooding)

14. Web of Science
(Science Citation Index)
Choose only the
databases that
are relevant:

15. Science Direct
To get full-text only:
Choose Advanced
Search, then the
Journals tab
Select Subscribed
journals and Open
Access articles
Select 2003 to
present

16. Medline

17. Have we got access to
the full-text?
• A link to the full-text
article may appear.
• If it does not, go to
the Library Catalogue
and do an A-Z Search
for the journal title.

18. Have we got access to
the full-text?
Search the Library Catalogue to see if we have
access to the full-text of this article:

19. If we do not have access…
• Go to My Study > My Library > Inter-Library
Loans, log in and complete a request form
• You will receive a PDF link to the article via
email
• Takes 1-2 weeks.
• There is a charge of £3 for this service

20. Other libraries
• Sconul Access Scheme
http://www.sconul.ac.uk/using_other_libraries/ac
• British Library http://www.bl.uk/

21. Referencing

22. Referencing

23. Need help?
• Librarians in the Specialist Zone (1st floor) 11-3
Monday – Friday (on call 9-11, 3-5)
• Ask a Librarian http://askalibrarian.mdx.ac.uk/
• BMS Library Subject Guide
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/biomedicalsciences