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Physiology: Journals & Databases

Some key databases for Physiology

Some key Health Sciences databases are listed below.

Have you got a smart phone or tablet? Did you know that many of our key databases are also available via mobile? When you look up the database in the Health Sciences database list and it has this icon: : then it's available for iPhone /iPod or iPad or Android.

Assess your findings

Evaluating and thinking critically about sources of information are important skills to develop and apply while undertaking research.

Not all information is reliable and appropriate for academic work, and not all information is relevant to your particular topic.

You should challenge and reflect on information that you find; don’t just accept everything you read.

Assess sources, based on:
OROKOHANGA - ‘The Origins’: The source of the information
MANA - ‘The Authority’ of the information
WHAKAPAPA - ‘The Background’ of the information
MĀRAMATANGA - ‘The Content’ and usability of the
information
ARONGA - ‘The Lens’ or objectivity of the information

Tutorial link

 

Work through this tutorial to develop your skills in evaluating information that you find online:

SIFT - Evaluating Information Tutorial

Even though the library databases are good sources of information, we still need to evaluate that information before we decide to use it. You can do this by asking the following questions:

  • Is the information relevant to your topic?​
  • Who are the authors, are they experts in the field? Who do they work for? What else have they written?​
  • What evidence is given, what references are given, and what methodology is used?​
  • How is the study funded? Is there a bias?​
  • When was the information written, is it still relevant? Has it been updated or amended in light of new evidence?

Use the acronym BADURL to help you evaluate online sources:
B ... Bias
A ... Authority
D ... Date
U ... URL
R ... Relevance
L ... Links

Work through this tutorial to develop your skills in evaluating information that you find online:

TRAAP Test

Or apply these terms to assess if the information you have found answers your research question.

Timeliness

Relevance

Authority

Accuracy

Purpose

Download the TRAAP Test Questions

Here are some resources to help develop your evaluating skills:

  • For a simple 'commonsense' approach to evaluating claims made by the news media, read this short article by Doug Specht & Julio Gimenez from the University of Westminster, and pay close attention to the 6 'steps for reading like a scientist'.
  • If you need to verify a claim, you can check it on a fact-checking website. Check out this guide to Fact Checkers, curated by the University of California Berkley Library, for ideas on what websites to use if you are not sure.
  • Work through this excellent module on 'evaluating information and critical thinking' created by The University of Sheffield Library.
  • Check out this fun, short, easy game, created by a Canadian civics charity organisation 'CIVIX'. The game is designed to improve your verifying sources skills, by teaching you tricks for checking a claim, a source and an image: FAKEOUT

Plan your search

Before you start searching the databases, it helps to take time to plan your search.

Step 1:  Clearly define the topic or research question

Step 2:  Divide the topic or question into separate key concepts

Step 3:  Select alternative search terms and synonyms for each concept

Step 4:  Consider using text word symbols such as truncation and "phrase searching"

Step 5:  Select search terms to combine using Boolean logic - AND, OR, NOT

Step 6:  Select relevant databases via the Library homepage or your Subject Guide

Step 7:  When searching a database look for subject heading options

Step 8:  Run text word searches to complement subject heading searches

Step 9:  Review the results and modify your search strategy as required

Citation databases

If you find a great article on your topic, you can use a citation database to track down related articles.

Help with PubMed

Find out how to get the most out of PubMed by using the tutorials below:

Help with Google Scholar

Remember to always access Google Scholar through the Library webpage - that way you are recognised as a student from the University of Otago and you are given access to all our subscriptions.


Follow the [PDF] link or Otago Article Link on the right-hand side to get the full text of the article.

Article not online? Interloan it!

If you can't access an article online, search the journal title in Library Search | Ketu to see if the issue you need is in print.

If the article is not available at Otago, use the Library's free Interloan Service and have it delivered from another library to your desktop.