Library Session for the On-Campus/Online Professional MPH Program, 2012

  Presented by Michael Sholinbeck, msholinb@library.berkeley.edu

URL for this web page: www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/SPH/OOMPH.html

Contents:

• The Public Health Library, Location, Reference, Off-Campus Access to Library Resources
• Before You Start: Your Topic, the Scope of Your Search, Where to Look
• PubMed Tips
• Beyond PubMed: Other Resources for Finding Journal Articles and More
• Critically Evaluating What You Find
• Using RefWorks to Organize Your Citations and Create Bibliographies

The Public Health Library, Location, Reference, Off-Campus Access to Library Resources

Sheldon Margen Public Health Library hours
Summer: M-F 10-5
Fall/Spring: M-Th 9-8, F 9-5, Sa-Su 1-5

Reference Services:
In-person come to 1 University Hall (in the basement): Summer Reference Desk hours: M-F 2-4pm; Fall/Spring: M-F 10am-12pm and 2-4pm
Other options include IM chat (24/7) and email reference.

How to set up off-campus access to library resources (databases, online journals, etc.) using the Library proxy server of Library VPN

Before You Start: Your Topic, the Scope of Your Search, Where to Look

» You can watch a 7 min. video on these issues.

What causes disease?
How you conceptualize your topic affects how you search for relevant information. Consider first perhaps the interaction and interdependence of environmental factors (eg, pollution, disasters, outbreaks) and social factors (eg, smoking, obesity, drug use):

  Asthma in West Oakland is caused by and/or made worse by smoking and air pollution.

Then, try to think more broadly:

    » Maybe it is "caused" by inadequate regulation of transportation, energy production, and/or tobacco ...
      » Or by neighborhood characteristics and/or historical racism in housing ...
        » Are genetic factors relevant?
          » What about health insurance or health care disparities which affects access to appropriate prescription drugs?
            » Is lack of appropriate child care services for working women a factor?

Is your topic researchable?

1. "The harmful effects of domestic beer consumption among students at Cal's Big Game"
2. "Health effects of binge drinking among college students in the United States"
3. "Alcohol consumption by young adults"

  » It may prove difficult to find research on very narrow topics, or to cope with the vast literature on an un-focused, broad topic.
  » Figuring out the scope of your literature search also helps you decide when you have "enough."

What is the scope of your search?
Literature searching always involves balancing finding all relevant citations (which means you may also find many non-relevant citations) with finding only relevant citations (which means you may miss some relevant citations).

• Are you doing a comprehensive search, attempting to survey the entire literature on a topic?
• Are you doing a focused search, attempting to find key articles on your topic?
• Something in between, so you can ascertain the state of knowledge on a topic?
• Maybe you just want to find a few review articles and/or books on your topic.

    » The search scope influences how you focus or limit your search when using online databases, as well as when you decide you have "enough."

The importance of indexing
» Do you want articles on labor (as in work) or articles on labor (as in giving birth)? Or is it labour?
Indexing facilitates more precise search statements, especially for topics that are vague or ambiguous.
Using index terms also helps you avoid the need to think of every possible synonym or alternate spelling of your search terms.
Indexing means the citations in the database are assigned terms from a controlled vocabulary; not all databases use a controlled vocabulary, however.
Index terms are sometimes called descriptors or thesaurus terms; in PubMed they are called Medical Subject Headings, or MeSH
» More information is in the database sections below.

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PubMed Tips

PubMed: Citations to over 22 million journal articles (and a very small number of books/book chapters) on biomedical and public health topics, with links to full text via

PubMed top tips for focusing your search:

1. Combine search terms with AND or OR (You can also combine previous searches using History)
2. Use Filters (formerly called Limits) (age group, publication type, language, etc.)
3. Search for your term as a word in the title or title or abstract (using Filters)
4. Use MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), with subheadings
5. Click the Related Articles links in the best citations you find
6. Try PubMed's Clinical Queries or Topic-Specific Queries

» PubMed Quick Guide: Basic search help.
» PubMed exercise set (PDF; from the Public Health Library)

» Combining search terms with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT - remember Venn diagrams?)

» Combining searches using History: Searches can be combined or used in subsequent searches from Advanced search History.

» Filters: Limit your search by language, age group, publication type, publication date, and more.
   Also use Filters to limit your search to words in the article title, abstract, or Medical Subject Heading (MeSH).
   (Note: Filters stay in effect until you clear them.)

» Use Medical Subject Headings (MeSH):

• Searching by using the MeSH Database.
  Remember: think of your concept narrowly. Look at the MeSH definition. Are you interested, for example in "HIV" (a virus) or "HIV Infections" (diseases caused by HIV)?
• All MeSH Categories
  MeSH is hierarchical. This link will show you the top-level categories of MeSH. Click on any category, and you will see how MeSH narrows down. For any MeSH term, clicking on the full display will show you all the available subheadings for that term. As you select terms, add them to the search builder to begin building your search.
• MeSH Qualifiers (Subheadings): Definitions
  Narrow your MeSH searches: asthma/epidemiology looks for articles only on this aspect of asthma, not on other aspects of this disease (such as diagnosis, therapy, psychology, radiology, etc.)
• Besides disease and anatomical terms, MeSH is robust in describing probability and statistical analyses, epidemiologic methods, behaviors and attitudes, and much more.
• Using MeSH is harder with some concepts, like life course or obesogenic environment.
  » If you can not find a MeSH (or combination of MeSHs) that adequately describe your concept:
  1. Search PubMed using relevant words or phrases in the title or title/abstract
  2. See which MeSHs are used in the best citations you find
  3. Create new searches using those MeSHs
• Click the Tutorials link on the MeSH home page.

» Saving citations temporarily using PubMed's Clipboard

» My NCBI:

• Save search results (citations) in collections. Create as many collections as you wish
• Save searches and get automatic updates as new citations are added to PubMed that match your saved search
• Retain recent activity (searches, citations you viewed, etc.) for 6 months
• Create filters to group citations found from a search by selected criteria (age groups, subjects, methods, etc.)
• Customize the look and feel of PubMed to meet your needs

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Beyond PubMed: Other Resources for Finding Journal Articles and More      

Remember those PubMed "Top Tips"? Most are applicable to the databases below as well as several other databases.

Agricola
Citations from books, book chapters, journal articles, technical reports, and more. Subjects include agriculture, agricultural economics, nutrition, food assistance programs, etc.
» Agricola does not use a controlled vocabulary. Use the subject descriptor index to find terms, or focus your search by using title words.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Food security/insecurity, WIC program, etc.

BIOSIS Previews
The most comprehensive database for life science research. Coverage includes traditional areas of biology, such as botany, zoology and microbiology, as well as related fields such as biomedicine, agriculture, pharmacology and ecology. Interdisciplinary fields such as medicine, biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering and biotechnology are also included, as well as instrumentation and methods. Includes journal article citations, books and meeting abstracts, papers and posters.
» Use Concept Codes, Taxonomic Data, and more to focus your BIOSIS Previews search.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Better searching by taxonomic data, includes meeting abstracts ...
» Guide to BIOSIS previews:  html  |  pdf

Business Source Complete
Marketing, management, economics, finance, accounting, and more. Besides journal literature, BSC includes financial data, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses, and more.
» BSC does use a controlled vocabulary. Click Subjects on the right side to browse the thesaurus.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Search by company or industry, public health topics from a marketing point of view ...

Embase
Broad biomedical scope with strong coverage in pharmaceutical and toxicological research, including economic evaluations. Useful for clinical medicine, genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, infectious diseases, healthcare policy & management, biomedical engineering & medical devices, and more. Embase is a primary resource for conducting systematic reviews and researching evidence-based medicine. Includes abstracts of over 2,000 conferences.
» Embase does use a controlled vocabulary. Click Emtree above the search box to search or browse for terms.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Exceptional coverage of drug/toxicology topics, more European literature, sophisticated indexing scheme ("Emtree"), search by CAS Registry Number ...

Global Health
Citations in environmental and occupational health, food safety and hygiene, infectious diseases, medical microbiology, nutrition, public health, toxicology, zoonoses, and more. Sources include journals, books, reports, conference proceedings, patents, theses, and electronic only publications. Significantly more international coverage than PubMed.
» Global Health does use a controlled vocabulary. Use the drop-down menu and select Descriptors then click to browse the thesaurus.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Search by (relatively narrow) geographic locations (ie, setting), or country in which work published.
» Global Health Database Exercise (PDF)
» Global Health Help (PDF)

PsycINFO
Citations in psychology, behavior, and related disciplines; includes citations of journal articles, conference proceedings, books and book chapters, reports and dissertations.
» PsycINFO does use a controlled vocabulary. Click Thesaurus (above the search boxes) to find terms.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Economic security, community attitudes, socioeconomic class attitudes, labeling, test/measurement index ...

Social Work Abstracts
Citations on topics such as homelessness, HIV/AIDS, child and family welfare, aging, substance abuse, legislation, community organization, and more.
» Social Work Abstracts does not use a controlled vocabulary. Use the subject term index to find terms: click Indexes and choose Subjects to browse for terms, or use title words.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Age bias, family functioning, resiliency, ...
» Social Work Abstracts Help

Sociological Abstracts
Citations in demography, education, law, social psychology, and sociology. Sources include journals, books, conferences and meetings, and dissertations.
» Sociological Abstracts does use a controlled vocabulary. Click Thesaurus (above the search boxes) to find terms.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Cultural capital, peer relations, victimization, family structure, strategies, neighborhoods, social constructionism, ...
» Sociological Abstracts Exercise (PDF)
» Sociological Abstracts Guide

Web of Science
Large, multidisciplinary database; links to cited articles and times cited are provided for retrieved articles.
» Web of Science does not use a controlled vocabulary; it uses author keywords and keywords assigned algorithmically.
» What's not in PubMed?
    Scope of database is broad; best resource for cited reference searching.
» Cited Reference Searching exercise (PDF)
» Search Tips for Web of Science
» Cited Reference Searching

The above are but a sample of the many databases available to find article and other citations.
» See the Public Health Library's Indexes and Databases web page for more.
Ask a librarian for help if you are having trouble with your topic.
» Click the UC-eLinks icon to find full text online, or to see if the print version is in a library near you.

Use the library catalogs to find books, reports, etc. on your topic. Books, while not often where original research is published, can often provide an overview of a topic and get you started with some key articles.

• OskiCat: Catalog of UCB
  » OskiCat Help
• Melvyl: Catalog of all UC, and the world
  » Melvyl Quick Guide (PDF)
  » Here's a 1 minute video on how to sort your Melvyl search results to show libraries located near you at the top of the search results

Sources of systematic and other reviews

"Systematic reviews seek to collate all evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to address a specific research question. They aim to minimize bias by using explicit, systematic methods." (from Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from www.cochrane-handbook.org).

• The Cochrane Library (Citations of Cochrane's systematic reviews are in PubMed)
• Effective Public Health Practice Project Systematic Reviews (Small collection of public health systematic reviews)
• Public Health + (Methodologically sound studies from top journals in a browsable, searchable database)
• Health Evidence (Methodologically-sound reviews of health promotion and public health interventions)
• Database of promoting health effectiveness reviews (Systematic and non-systematic reviews of effectiveness in health promotion and public health worldwide)
• The Campbell Collaboration Library (Systematic reviews in psychology, behavior, etc.)
• PubMed always separates review articles among the search results - see the link labeled Review on the right side of the search results page. Also, use Clinical Queries to search for systematic reviews in PubMed.

Grey Literature
Grey Literature generally refers to publications not produced by commercial publishers, including reports (pre-prints, preliminary progress and advanced reports, technical reports, market research reports, etc.), theses, conference proceedings, and other documents. They are often produced by government entities, research institutions, or NGOs/IGOs.

• The Public Health Library's Electronic Public Health Resources web guide consists of web pages by topic. Each page consists of annotated lists of organizations, agencies, databases, and publications. Topics include:
      • Environmental Health
      • Ethnic Groups Health Resources
      • Food/Nutrition
      • Maternal and Child Health
  and many more.
• The Grey Literature Report is a bimonthly publication of The New York Academy of Medicine Library alerting readers to new grey literature publications in health services research and selected public health topics.
• Google and other search engines can be useful for finding grey literature. Improve your search using:
      • Quotes for phrase searching:
          "social marketing"
      • Site: to specify a particular site or domain:
          "social marketing" site:.org (for a domain search); "social marketing" site:cdcnpin.org (for a specific site search)
      • Boolean search statements (eg, OR):
          ("social marketing" OR "audience segmentation")
• Find Dissertations and Theses, including the full text of most dissertations from 1996 to the present.
• National Technical Reports Library (NTRL): over 2 million current and archived technical reports from many government agencies; over 600,000 available full text online.

More Resources

Where to Find Information (UCB Business Library)
Many resources are available to find information on companies and industries. You may be particularly interested in IBIS World Industry Market Research, which provides online full-text reports for over 700 U.S. industries.

Electronic Newspapers and News Sources (UCB Public Health Library)
News sources from around the world, including late-breaking stories as well as historical sources. Newspapers, online sources, television, etc.

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Critically Evaluating What You Find

» You can watch a 4 min. video on this topic

What is evidence?

• All research is (potentially) "evidence" and there are no "perfect" studies.
  » Not all topics have been subjected to systematic reviews. You may need to use other types of studies
• Is there an agenda (bias)?
  » It's doubtful that any study of humans is totally without some kind of bias, either in the study design, or in the author's pre-existing beliefs. How bias in methodology was controlled and the significance of bias in any particular study is what's relevant.
  » Things to consider:
  • The question being addressed: What kind of research gets funded?
  • Publication bias: Research that shows no effect tends not to get published
  • Conflict of interest, author affiliation, source(s) of funding: Does the researcher have a vested interest in the outcome?
    • Compare the findings of this research article with that of these articles.
      » Hint: who paid for the research? What can you find out about this organization?
  • Documentation and assumptions: Are all stated "facts" referenced?
  • Peer review: Is the article peer-reviewed? Does it matter?
  • Authority: Does the researcher have the knowledge to work in this area?
  • Significance of a single study: Science is an incremental process; one study rarely "changes everything"
• Is qualitative research "evidence"?
  » If your goal is to understand beliefs and meanings in the group with whom you are working, then qualitative studies can be important.
• Take a look at a few citations (.doc) on these topics
• The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (UK) links to a set of brief PDF checklist documents on critically evaluating different types of studies (eg, systematic reviews, cohort studies, RCTs, qualitative studies, etc.)

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Using RefWorks to Organize Your Citations and Create Bibliographies

RefWorks is a web-based tool that allows users to create a citation database by importing references from online databases. You can use these references in writing papers, and automatically format the paper in any of hundreds of citations styles in seconds. Access to RefWorks is provided by the UCB Library to UCB students, staff, and faculty.

• To use RefWorks, you first must register as a new user. Once you are registered, you can log in at any computer with Internet access.
• To use RefWorks from off-campus, log using the Proxy Server or VPN, or you can log in with the UC Berkeley Group Code (Requires CalNet ID authentication).

RefWorks Exercise Set and Handout (PDF; from the Public Health Library)

Introduction to Using RefWorks (3 min. video tutorial; from the Public Health Library)

Save your search strategies
Nearly all the databases you use to find articles, etc., retain your search history. Literature reviews, like epidemiological research, should be rigorous and reproducible. Save or print your search history to help document your search strategy, which will include:

• the date of the search,
• search terms used (keywords, title words, MeSHs, thesaurus terms, descriptors),
• any limits (eg, language, publication dates) that you placed on your search.
• how many relevant citations you found in each database.

» Using PubMed's Clipboard and My NCBI can help with both saving your search strategy and the citations you find. See links in the PubMed section, above.

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