Internet Bio-medical Information
Resources
For Professionals, Researchers and
Librarians
But we are interested in …
• Medical and Biomedical Internet Information
Resources useful for:
– Professionals
– Researchers
– Librarians
Professionals
• Clinical Practitioners
• Doctors
• Health Care Providers
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/
Focus on the user and all else will follow.
It’s best to do one thing really, really well.
Fast is better than slow.
Democracy on the web works.
You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer.
You can make money without doing evil.
There’s always more information out there.
The need for information crosses all borders.
You can be serious without a suit.
Great just isn’t good enough.
• Country wide access free (Paid by ICMR)
» http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgibin/mrwhome/106568753/HOME
http://www.mdconsult.com
http://www.mdconsult.com
http://www.mdconsult.com
http://www.mdconsult.com
http://www.rxlist.com
http://www.mims.com/
…. For Researcher
Research Process ...
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Formulating the Research Problem
Extensive Literature Review
Developing the objectives
Preparing the Research Design including Sample
Design
Collecting the Data
Analysis of Data
Generalisation and Interpretation
Preparation of the Report or Presentation of
Results-Formal write ups of conclusions reached.
Literature Review
• Ensures that you are not "reinventing the wheel".
• Gives credits to those who have laid the groundwork
for your research.
• Demonstrates your knowledge of the research
problem.
• Demonstrates your understanding of the theoretical
and research issues related to your research question.
• Shows your ability to critically evaluate relevant
literature information.
• Indicates your ability to integrate and synthesize the
existing literature.
• Provides new theoretical insights or develops
a new model as the conceptual framework for
your research.
• Convinces your reader that your proposed
research will make a significant and
substantial contribution to the literature (i.e.,
resolving an important theoretical issue or
filling a major gap in the literature).
Essential for Literature Review
Systematic Searching for Related References
Some Key Resources
Indexing Services
– International
• PubMed
– National
• IndMED
For Health / Medical Librarians ..
“Knowledge is of two kinds.
We know a subject ourselves,
or
we know where we can find information upon it”
Samuel Johnson, April 18, 1775, p. 258.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson
• Wait….
• We have a problem here.
• Well it is the Problem of Plenty.
World Health Organization. Proposal for ‘.health’
internet domain. Geneva: WHO; 2003. Report
by the Secretariat.
Just imagine there is scholarly journal on
electronic resources in medical libraries !!!
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/werm20/current
Without a proper plan, you would lost in the sea of
Information.
Therefore, have a PLAN
• Choose the most appropriate place to look
• Develop an effective search strategy
• Carry out the search
• Critically evaluate the results obtained
Appropriate Place?
Will depend on what you are looking for !!!
• General Information
– Web Search Engines / General Web Resources
• Journal References
– Databases like PubMed / IndMED etc) / Scholar Google
• Full Text Articles
– Free Open Access.
– Fee Based
– Inter-Library Loans. [OPACs, Union Catalogues]
• Best Practices / Evidence Based Medicine
– Cochrane Library
http://hlwiki.slais.ubc.ca/index.php/UBC_HealthLib-Wiki_-_A_KnowledgeBase_for_Health_Librarians
http://www.martindalecenter.com/HSGuide.html
Remember …
Always Evaluate Your Web Search Results
Each page should be examined and the following
questions answered:
1. Who? Who is the authoring agency or individual?
2. What? What is the author's credentials?
3. Where? Where is the author's affiliation?
4. When? When was the page last updated
5. Why? Why is the page in existence? What is the
author's purpose?
6. How? How does the page appear?
http://www.hon.ch/med.html
Remember !!!
• The Web just does not have it all yet.
• Most of the premium and fee-accessible content may
be hidden.
• Even the best search engine will only search what is
available.
• Remember that the Web is only the first tool in your
arsenal of available resources.
THANK YOU,
Happy Surfing