From Research To Publication

Researching and Finding the Literature

How do I . . .

Find articles on a topic?

• Databases: Search for journal literature in databases. Search by database title or keyword or browse by database title or subject. Click on the databases tab within the search results to locate the appropriate literature database for your needs.

Find out what Galter Health Sciences Library owns?

• NUcat: Use NUcat, the online catalog, to find out whether we own a journal, book, or multimedia resource. NUcat can also tell you if another Northwestern library owns a particular item.

Find out what other libraries own?

• WorldCat: Use WorldCat, the world's most comprehensive online catalog, to find journals and books located at other libraries. Once you know which library owns the item you need, go to that library's online catalog to verify that the item is still there.
• Other library catalogs: A list of library catalogs is available at the following web address: http://www.library.northwestern.edu/catalogs/index.html.

Order an article or book that the library does not own?

• Articles: Request Services and Materials > Order an Article the Library Does Not Own
• Books: Request Services and Materials > Order a Book from Another Library

You must first create an account using your library card or WildCARD barcode.

Order an article to be photocopied?

• Photocopy Request: Request Services and Materials > Order an Article the Library Owns.

You must first create an account using your library card or WildCARD barcode.

Putting the Paper Together

How do I . . .

Find the impact factor of a a particular journal?

• Journal Citation Reports is used to assess the impact factors of journals in the sciences.

Get instructions to authors?

• Instructions to Authors: Browse the Instructions to Authors in the Health Sciences list.
• Recent Journal Issues: Look in a recent issue of the journal for which you need instructions. If you cannot find them in a recent issue, then they can usually be found in the last issue of the year.

Find the full journal name from its abbreviation?

• Journals Databases: Consult the NCBI's Journals Database which can assist users in converting the full title of a journal to its abbreviated format, and vice versa
• List of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE: available in the Reference Room or can be downloaded from the National Library of Medicine's website. (be warned - this is a very large PDF file and may take some time to download).
• List of Journals Indexed for Online Users: can be downloaded from the National Library of Medicine's website. (the above warning also applies here).

Find a publisher's address?

• NLM Tipsheet: Consult the National Library of Medicine's tipsheet on finding publisher information.
• LOCATORplus: If you don't know the publisher of a particular book or journal, consult the National Library of Medicine's catalog, LOCATORplus.
• Ulrich's International Periodical Directory

Find a definition?

• Dictionaries & Encylopedias: To find online dictionaries and encyclopedias go to Advanced Search then choose Dictionaries & Encyclopedias from the format column and click Go.
• Medical Dictionaries at Galter and Online: Several medical dictionaries can be consulted behind the Reference Desk, one of which is Stedman's Medical Dictionary (Call number: W13 S812). Stedman's is also available electronically.

Find copyright information?

• US Copyright Office: The most comprehensive copyright clearinghouse for the US.
• NU Copyright Clearance: Advice on reproduction of copyrighted material at NU from the Copyright Clearance section of University Services.
• Stanford University Library guide to Copyright & Fair Use.
• Columbia University Copyright Advisory Office including the Fair Use Checklist.

Reporting Results

How do I . . .

Report my study results accurately and transparently?

• TREND Statement: Des Jarlais DC, Lyles C, Crepaz N; TREND Group. Improving the reporting quality of nonrandomized evaluations of behavioral and public health interventions: the TREND statement. Am J Public Health. 2004 Mar;94(3):361-6.
• CONSORT Statement: Moher D, Schulz KF, Altman D; CONSORT Group (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials). The CONSORT statement: revised recommendations for improving the quality of reports of parallel-group randomized trials. JAMA. 2001 Apr 18;285(15):1987-91.
• STARD Initiative: Bossuyt PM, Reitsma JB, Bruns DE, Gatsonis CA, Glasziou PP, Irwig LM, Lijmer JG, Moher D, Rennie D, de Vet HC; Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy. Towards complete and accurate reporting of studies of diagnostic accuracy: The STARD Initiative. Ann Intern Med. 2003 Jan 7;138(1):40-4.

Creating a Bibliography and Verifying Citations

How do I . . .

Format a document in the correct style for publication?

• Writer's Handbook: For an overview of various document styles, see the University of Wisconsin's Writer's Handbook. This site highlights the major aspects of each style and includes information on citing electronic resources.
• Style Manuals: For more detailed information, consult one of the various style manuals located in the Quick Reference section of the Galter Library Reference Room:
  • American Medical Association Manual of Style: WZ 345 M294
  • The Chicago Manual of Style: Z 253 C532
  • A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations / Kate Turabian: LB 2369 T929m
  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: WZ 345 P976
  • Scientific Style and Format: the CBE manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers: WZ 345 C855
• Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Medical Journals: Uniform Requirements, also known as the Vancouver Style - information on ethical considerations, publishing and editorial issues, manuscript preparation,and references
• Citing Electronic Resources: A list of resources on Citing Electronic Information from the Internet Public Library.
• EndNote: You can also use bibliographic management software, such as EndNote, to help organize your references and produce formatted bibliographies. Check our Classes listing to find out when the library is offering its next EndNote training session or take a look at our EndNote Guide, EndNote FAQ, and EndNote Support Page.

Correct or verify a citation?

Journal article citations

• PubMed Citation Matcher: Use the National Library of Medicine's Single Citation Matcher. Here you can enter as little or as much information as you have into a short form. The citation will be retrieved as long as the article has been indexed in the MEDLINE database.
• Web of Science: If the article is not in MEDLINE, you may be able to verify or correct a citation using Web of Science, formerly known as Science Citation Index. This database is usually used to find out how often particular authors or articles have been cited, but it can also be used to check citations. However, as the database uses the references and footnotes of articles without checking them for accuracy, it may have some errors. Consult a Reference Librarian for further information. You must be on the NU network or sign in to the Galter Library website to use this database.

Book citations

• WorldCat: Use WorldCat, the world's most comprehensive online catalog of library holdings. While WorldCat is often used to find out where books, journals, and audio-visual materials are located, it is also useful for verifying title, author, date, and publication information. You must be on the NU network or sign in to the Galter Library website to use this database.

Conference Papers and Proceedings

• PapersFirst: Available from OCLC, PapersFirst covers papers from congresses, meetings, and symposia
• ProceedingsFirst: Also available from OCLC, ProceedingsFirst lists Tables of Contents for many congresses, meetings, and symposia.
• Host Organization/Association Web Sites: If you are unable to track down conference proceedings in the above database, it is sometimes possible to find this information on the website of the association that organized the conference or meeting. Go to Google and search for the organization name or the name of the conference.

Find a phone number or email address?

Directories: To find directories on our website go to Advanced Search then choose then choose Directories from the format column and click Go.