LibGuides: CR 525S Scientific Writing and Medical Literature: Information/Evidence Sources

Review of the literature

Your journal article or book chapter is a summary of major findings and recommendations relevant to your topic or research question. For either project, you describe the literature, and present arguments based on the best available evidence. You can use the databases below as a source for that evidence.

PubMed

PubMed
PubMed is a database created by the National Library of Medicine to facilitate searching the biomedical literature. The MEDLINE databases found within PubMed contains journals that have been reviewed by a panel of experts for quality. PubMed also contains PMC, which contains publicly accessible literature that have not necessarily gone through the same review process.

PubMed Basic Search tutorial
This tutorial demonstrates a basic keyword search, the use of PubMed filters, managing search results, and accessing full-text of journal articles.
Use MeSH to Build a Better PubMed Query
How to use medical subject headings and PubMed Advanced searching to create a more targeted search.
PubMed: the Filters Sidebar
This video demonstrates the use of PubMed filters to limit search results by article type, publication date, age groups, and other criteria.

PubMed keywords and MeSH terms

keywords and MeSH terms
These are some examples of keywords and Medical Subject Headings to search the PubMed database. Try them in other databases, as well.

Proquest Research Library

ProQuest One Academic
Proquest One Academic is a great place to start when researching a topic. The database offers full text access to thousands of academic journals, books, dissertations, newspapers, and videos from across all disciplines.

Proquest Research Library tutorial
This tutorial demonstrates a basic search.
Proquest Research Library guide
This is a comprehensive guide that includes search tips and sample searches.

Web of Science

Web of Science
Search scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Web of Science is a terrific place to begin for research in the sciences. Also includes citation analysis tools.
https://www-webofscience-com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/wos/woscc/basic-search

Web of Science Tutorials
These brief tutorials can get you started searching Web of Science. See, especially, Quick Tour, Search Tips, and Exporting Records.

Other Databases

Medical and Biomedical Sciences
A list of all databases owned by the library that pertain to the medical and biomedical sciences. You will have to select a database from the list, then search in that database for your topic.

Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-Based Practice
by Sarah Hughes Last Updated Jan 10, 2025 183 views this year

Types of Sources (Primary vs Secondary)

Primary vs Secondary Literature in the Biomedical Sciences
by Sarah Hughes Last Updated Feb 7, 2024 1132 views this year

Health Statistics

University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library
Find state, federal, international, and non-governmental sources of health statistics

Images

ClinicalKey
Short video with instructions to find photographs, charts, tables, and graphs from a large library of medical images, and add them instantly to a PowerPoint presentation
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Publich Health Image Library
Natjional Institutes of Health History of Medicine Image Gallery
National Institutes of Health Image Gallery
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