MBI 461: Human Disease and Epidemiology: Finding Literature
Finding research and data for your final paper
This guide provides some resources and other information that will help you track down research and data about your chosen public health topic. This page has direct links to databases and websites that contain health information. If you are having trouble coming up with relevant search terms, take a look at the Video Tutorials page of this guide, and 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 settling on a topic. Not all of the articles in these journals are peer-reviewed research though--some are letters, some are opinion articles, etc.--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. Ghimire!
Looking for related research? The databases listed below are some recommended options for tracking down resources to use in your research. If you need a refresher on how to best use them, contact me!
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowPubMed is the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) freely accessible interface to the MEDLINE bibliographic database, covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, biomedical engineering, the health care system, and the basic biomedical sciences.
- 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.
- Cochrane Library This link opens in a new windowThe Cochrane Library is a collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision making (e.g., systematic reviews). Cochrane Reviews represent the highest level of evidence on which to base clinical treatment decisions.
- MEDLINE (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowA subset of PubMed, searchable using the likely-familiar EBSCO interface. Note: does NOT automatically explode MeSH terms.
- MEDLINE (Web of Science) This link opens in a new windowA subset of PubMed using the Web of Science interface. Note: does NOT automatically explode MeSH terms.
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.
Slides from class
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.)
