LibGuides: Genetics: Journals & Databases

Biomedical Databases

Tutorials - Databases and search skills

These Otago tutorials teach you how to search these key Biomedical databases:

Otago tutorials on other databases:

These Otago tutorials provide a basic introduction to key skills and knowledge needed to search the databases effectively:

PubMed tutorials

A range of tutorials from the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
Otago's PubMed tutorial
PubMed: find articles on a topic (1 min)
PubMed Subject search (4 mins)
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) in PubMed/Medline: a tutorial

OVID offers a range of training videos at https://tools.ovid.com/ovidtools/videos.html e.g.

MEDLINE (18:11 min)

Ovid TermFinder (3:55 min)

Advanced Search: Keyword Searching (3:58 min)

Advanced Search: Mapping (4:32 min)

Managing Search Results (8:47 min)

Refining Search Strategy with Limits (2:59 min)

Embase (24:39 min)

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.

Rauru Whakarare Evaluation Framework

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?

How to evaluate websites

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

If the article you need is not online...

Try these options:

Library Search | Ketu
Search the journal title to see if Otago holds the hardcopy of the issue you need.
Interloans
If Otago does not hold the issue in hardcopy or electronic format, submit an Interloans request for the article. Staff will try to get the article for you from another Library. Article requests are free.

New Otago publications (OUR Archive) Otago Biochemistry

OURarchive - latest outputs from Biochem Otago researchers!

Recommended databases for Chemistry

SciFinder (from CAS) This link opens in a new window
Note that first time users must register before use. This comprehensive database for chemical reactions, substances, structures and indexed chemistry patents includes journal abstracts, patents and other literature references on all areas of science and its applications. Also containing detailed information on compounds and substances including their properties, reactions and full synthetic methods as well as protein and nucleotide sequences. A sophisticated Retrosynthesis Planner available can also be found in SciFinder.
SciFinder (registration) This link opens in a new window
First-time users must register at this site before accessing ScFinder.

SciFinder Training Resources

CAS: Analytical Methods This link opens in a new window CAS Analytical MethodsTM is a curated collection of over 500 K step-by-step analytical protocols, extracted from peer reviewed literature and patent sources. Cut down on time searching for analytical methodologies with CAS Analytical MethodsTM, a platform containing collated methodologies highlighting analytes, matrices, reagents, instruments, consumables and validation information, in easy to read and downloadable documents. Access CAS Analytical Methods using your SciFinder-n username and password, or first time users must register using the "CAS SciFinder-n registration" link above.
CAS: Formulus This link opens in a new window CAS Formulus® is a curated collection of over five million formulation records from peer reviewed literature, patents and product inserts from the US FDA. Access a world leading collection of formulations to evaluate ingredients, manufacturing processes and regulatory information in a user friendly interface. Access CAS Formulus using your SciFinder-n username and password, or first time users must register using the "CAS SciFinder-n registration" link above.
CAS SciFinder Discovery Platform This link opens in a new window The CAS SciFinder Discovery Platform is designed to support multiple stages and types of scientific research. It combines task-specific information solutions including CAS SciFinder-n, CAS Formulus®, CAS Analytical Methods™ and other CAS resources. The CAS SciFinder Discovery Platform supports multifaceted scientific research such as retrosynthetic planning, formulation design, testing-related methods research, and biosequence searching. Access the platform using your SciFinder-n username and password, or first time users must register using the "CAS SciFinder-n registration" link below.
Gale Interactive Chemistry (Gale Cengage) This link opens in a new window
This database includes interactive 3-D models that allow students to explore elements, reactions, crystals, molecules, and compounds. Explore 3-D models by zooming in, rotating, and dissecting them.

ChemSpider

Scopus This link opens in a new window
Scopus is a very large abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, including journals, books and conference proceedings. It covers over 23,000 titles in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts and humanities, Though it includes much older content, it reliably covers from 1970-present.
Web of Science Core Collection This link opens in a new window
Web of Science All Databases This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar (off-campus access only) This link opens in a new window

PubMed This link opens in a new window
PubMed is a free resource supporting the search and retrieval of biomedical and life sciences literature with the aim of improving health–both globally and personally.
The PubMed database contains more than 30 million citations and abstracts of biomedical literature. It does not include full-text journal articles; however, links to the full text are often present when available from other sources, such as the publisher's website or PubMed Central (PMC).

SAGE Research Methods This link opens in a new window
SAGE Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process. Nearly everyone at a university is involved in research, from students learning how to conduct research to faculty conducting research for publication to librarians delivering research skills training and doing research on the efficacy of library services. SAGE Research Methods has the answer for each of these user groups, from a quick dictionary definition, a case study example from a researcher in the field, a downloadable teaching dataset, a full-text title from the Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences series, or a video tutorial showing research in action.
SAGE Campus This link opens in a new window
SAGE Campus supports the teaching and learning of skills and research methods. Online courses are self-paced and instructor-led, engaging mix of SAGE-quality content, video, interactives, and formative assessments. Covers critical skills and research methods for across all stages of academic study; navigating information, data literacy, research skills, data science skills, and getting published.