MBI 361: Epidemiology: Home
Finding research for your lit review
This guide provides some resources and other information that will help you track down information for your literature review. This page has direct links to databases and websites that contain public health information. If you are having trouble coming up with relevant search terms, take a look at the Video Tutorials page of this guide. If you need help figuring out how to look for original research, try the page on Finding Original Research. If you want more information about how to properly cite the information you find, take a look at the Citations and References page.
Don't hesitate to reach out to me, your subject librarian, if you get stuck or have questions that aren't answered in this guide. Happy searching!
Best bets for finding research
Just want to browse through some journals? The link below will take you to an alphabetical list of several peer-reviewed epidemiology journals we have online access to here at Miami. This may be a good place to start for those of you having trouble finding an article you can use as the basis for your analysis paper. Not all of the articles in these journals fit the criteria for starting study, so you'll have to do a little bit of legwork to evaluate whether you can use it. If you're not sure, ask me or Dr. Abshire!
Looking for related research? The databases listed below are some recommended options for tracking down resources to use in your analysis. If you need a refresher on how to best use them, contact me!
- PubMedBased on the MEDLINE literature index, the PubMed web site is a freely-accessible database provided by the National Library of Medicine. It connects to about 30 other genetics and biomedical databases in the larger NCBI system. PubMed's coverage extends from 1950-present.
- Web of Science (Core Collection) This link opens in a new window
NOTE: If prompted, please enter your MU credentials. Do not select “Institutional Sign In.” Clearing web browser cookies and cache may also fix access issues.
Use Web of Science to perform a cited reference search, where you can look up an article and see how many times it has been cited. The Web of Science Core Collection includes the following databases: Science Citation Index (1900-present), Social Sciences Citation Index (1900-present), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present), Conference Proceedings Citation Index (1990-present), Book Citation Index (2005-present), Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005-present), Current Chemical Reactions (1985-present), Index Chemicus (1993-present). Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
- Medline (via EBSCOhost)MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) bibliographic database covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, biomedical engineering, the health care system, and the basic biomedical sciences. MEDLINE contains bibliographic citations and author abstracts from more than 5,000 biomedical journals published in the United States and 80 other countries. The database contains over 15 million citations dating back to the mid-1950s. Coverage is worldwide, but most records are from English-language sources or have English abstracts. Journal articles are indexed for MEDLINE using NLM's subject heading system, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings).
- CINAHL Plus with Full Text This link opens in a new windowThis comprehensive research database provides full-text for nursing and allied health journals indexed in CINAHL Plus. Additional materials include full-text evidence-based care sheets, quick lessons and continuing education modules.
- SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new windowEssential and authoritative database for sociology and related fields.
- Policy File Index This link opens in a new windowOnline access to abstracts and full-text articles on public policy research and analysis from think tanks, university research programs, research organizations, and publishers. 1990- present.
Websites for background information
Below are some websites you may find useful when tracking down background research on your chosen topic. Be aware, this is by no means an exhaustive list; use the sites here as a starting point.
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)The Centers for Disease Control contains a wealth of information. Try using the links towards the bottom of the home page labeled CDC for You to filter the resources by intended audience.
- World Health Organization (WHO)WHO is the primary health organization of the United Nations. Try using the navigation bar across the top to find information about your chosen health topic.
- HealthfinderConsumer health information from the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Food and Drug AdministrationThe FDA website contains information about drugs, including regulations, clinical trials and lists of recently approved medications.
- drugabuse.govThe website of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drugabuse.gov provides information on all drugs of abuse. This information is aimed at health professionals as well as the general public. Try using the links across to filter the resources by intended audience.
- National Cancer InstituteThe website for the National Cancer Institute provides a wealth of information about the various forms of cancer, as well as their treatment and prevention.
Get to Full Text with Find It!
Most literature indexes do not have the actual journal articles included within them. Instead, these indexes just contain information about the article, e.g. titles, authors, abstract.
When you find an article of interest in an index, click the "Find It" button by that entry to get to the full text. If we have a subscription, "Find It" will provide a link to the journal article. (Or if we have the print, it will provide a link to the catalog with the location and call number.)
(A few databases, like Academic Search Complete, include full text for some articles. These databases may allow you to search only for articles available in full text, but be aware that you are only searching a small portion of the articles we actually subscribe to.)
In-class library presentation
Here is a powerpoint of the slides I presented in class on Tuesday, February 6, for those who would like it. I've also included a PDF version as an alternative.
