Galter Health Sciences Library News - Tips and Tricks

EndNote X3 Now Available!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:35:00 -0600

EndNote version X3 is now available to all current faculty, staff, and students with a valid NetID. If you are off-campus, you will need to connect to NU using VPN (signing in to the Galter Library website is not sufficient). You can download EndNote from the NUIT software site. Both Windows and Mac versions are available.

Windows users: When downloading be sure to "Save File". A zipped folder will be downloaded to your computer. DO NOT double click on the zipped folder. Instead, right click and extract the contents of the folder to a convenient file folder on your computer.

The extracted folder contains several items including the ENX3 installer, a ReadMe file, and the NU toolkit folder. After installing the software you should run the update to X3. From within EndNote, choose "EndNote Program Updates" from the "Help" menu and follow the on-screen prompts. After running the update, open the ReadMe file for instructions on installing the files in the NU ToolKit.

What's New in EndNote X3?

EndNote X3 has a faster start up than previous versions of EndNote. Some nice new features have been added such as the ability to create multiple bibliographies within the same document; improved groups functionality; compatibility with OpenOffice; and the addition of more journal and manuscript styles. For all the latest guides, FAQs and help with EndNote, see the EndNote Support page.

Finding Full-Text Articles

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:38:00 -0600

By: Mark Berendsen, Education Librarian

How can I get the full-text article? That's a very common question at every academic library. There are several different ways to retrieve full-text articles through Galter Library. You'll see different cues in different databases that will lead you to the full-text of an article. Here are two buttons to look for:

No matter which database you are searching, be sure to either sign in to the Galter Library website or the NU VPN if you are off campus. Here are some helpful hints for retrieving full-text articles from several different sources including PubMed, Google Scholar, the Galter Library website, and other biomedical literature databases.

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EndNote Training: Online When You Need It

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:31:00 -0600

EndNote users are aware by now that the Galter Health Sciences Library is the go-to source for EndNote training and support. With our regularly-scheduled classes and by request consultations, users can rely on the library for the help they need. But what if you can’t make an EndNote class or don’t have time to meet with a librarian? You can still get support with our online tutorials for EndNote!

All the library’s EndNote help materials can be found on the EndNote Support page. This page includes guides, FAQs and online video content.

The EndNote Basics guide includes brief (2-4 minute) video segments on the following topics (turn up your speaker volume):

The Advanced EndNote guide includes a brief video segment on the following topic:

How to find and link to full text articles directly from EndNote

We also have an EndNote Basics class recording available on our website. This one hour video will show you how to get started with EndNote. Turn up the volume on your speakers and maximize your browser window; screen images will appear about one minute into the recording.

Still need help with EndNote on a question that’s not covered in our guides or videos? Check out our EndNote FAQs or call the Reference Desk at 312-503-8109.

Alternative Search Interfaces for PubMed

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:45:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #57 (October 2009).

Have you used one of the many alternative search interfaces for PubMed? If you have, then you probably know that the National Center for Biotechnology Information allows software developers to take the PubMed data and create their own search engines for it. Over the last few years, there has been an explosion in new tools for searching PubMed data. Some of these tools present the citation results in different ways such as more meaningful categories (GoPubMed), rankings by personal interest (MiSearch), or more immediate access to PDFs (PubGet). Others provide text mining for gene and protein-related literature (FABLE) or for microarray data analysis (CoPub). One of our favorites is HubMed which gives the user greater control over both the search and the results, including direct export into EndNote.

The Galter Library has compiled a GalterList of some of these search engines and has highlighted some of these resources in previous news postings (see related links below). Are you using one that’s not on the list? Tell us if you have a favorite or what your impressions are of any of the PubMed search engines you have used.

PMCID Revisited

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:55:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #56 (September 2009).

It's been over a year since the NIH Public Access Policy was enacted, and a number of Northwestern researchers are getting reminders from the NIH to include PubMed Central ID (PMCID) numbers in bibliographies of their grant applications and annual reports. Here at Galter Library, we've had a number of concerned calls and e-mails about this issue, so I thought I'd revisit the issue. Here's a look at the requirements for including PMCIDs in your bibliographies.
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Is This Book Available Online? E-Books at NU

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:09:00 -0600

By: Ramune Kubilius, Collection Development / Special Projects Librarian

Why can’t we digitize the library’s print collection? Can the library link to the electronic version of my recently-published book? Can we get access to all our books online? These are common questions from library users. Statistics and user surveys have shown that many users appreciate the convenience and accessibility of electronic books. Meanwhile, trends in scholarly communication suggest a continuing emphasis on electronic access. For example, the Galter Health Sciences Library, like most academic health sciences libraries, has converted most of its journal collection to online subscriptions. The e-book landscape is also undergoing its own evolution and while we’ve seen some progress, many challenges remain.

So what are the barriers to providing access to books electronically? [More]

Harrison's Manual, Taber's and More Now Available for iPhone and iPod Touch

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:01:00 -0600

Did you know that you can access quality medical resources on your handheld through the Galter Health Sciences Library? The library subscribes to UCentral from Unbound Medicine which provides access to Harrison's Manual of Medicine, Davis's Drug Guide, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, and Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary.

We have created a guide with step-by-step instructions on creating a UCentral account and downloading the software to your handheld. UCentral has recently added iPhone and iPod Touch support and also supports Palm, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Android. Email the Galter Library Reference Desk at ghsl-ref@northwestern.edu or call us at 312-503-8109 if you have any questions.

How do I Find a Journal's Impact Factor?

Fri, 29 May 2009 15:24:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #53 (June 2009).

Wondering where to publish or which journals have higher impact factors? Use Journal Citation Reports (JCR) as your guide. This handy database allows you to search by journal title or subject area so you can figure out the top cited journals in your discipline. The journal impact factor is the average number of times articles from the journal published in the past two years have been cited in a particular year. While JCR is a useful resource, you shouldn't depend solely on citation data in evaluating journals.* See Using Journal Citation Reports Wisely for more details. You can access JCR from the Popular Resources menus on the library website (either the link in the primary left-hand navigation menu or the icon menu on the home page). [More]

Google for Biomedical Research: June 24 Class

Wed, 27 May 2009 15:23:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #53 (June 2009).

Do you use Google but wish you could find more scholarly materials and information relevant to your discipline? Join us for a new class on advanced searching in Google. Improve your Google searches with some quick and simple tips such as searching by title, website, file types and more. We will take a closer look at Google Scholar where you can search for academic publications across a broad range of disciplines. Also on the agenda will be how to use Google Book Search effectively.

The class will be held in the Learning Resources Center in the Galter Library (computer lab on the first floor) on June 24 at 12 pm. Sign up now - space is limited! We plan to release a companion guide on our website in the next few weeks.

Recycle More Items at Galter and NU

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:18:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #52 (May 2009).

Many thanks and kudos go out to all of our users who do their part in reducing landfill waste by recycling their plastics, glass, and paper in the library's recycling stations! No doubt you know all about recycling paper, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans, but that's just the beginning. Read on to learn about what else can be recycled at the library and throughout the university. [More]

iMovie '09 at the Galter Library

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:20:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #52 (May 2009).

By: Jim Brucker, Instructional Design Librarian

Earlier this year, Apple released an update to its popular iLife suite, including a new version of its consumer-level video editing program, iMovie. If you are an iMovie user and are interested in seeing how the latest version differs from previous versions, read on! This article focuses on some key improvements in iMovie '09 over the '08 edition. New to iMovie? Get a nice overview on the Apple website. [More]

Do You Have an Image Problem?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:54:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #52 (May 2009).

Finding medical images is easy. But finding the correct medical image to fit your needs can be an arduous task. There are several resources available to you for finding images. You can search for images directly through several electronic book collections including AccessMedicine, STAT!Ref, and MD Consult. You can also save images in AccessMedicine if you register for a free account. Here is the E-Book Collections GalterList.

Searching for images in AccessMedicine [More]

Find Online Journals and More Using the New Website Search

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:43:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #51 (April 2009).

The library website links to over 9,000 online journals and more, so what is the best way to navigate these myriad resources? Use the library's website search features. While the most comprehensive search of everything owned by Northwestern, including both print and online items, is currently only available via our catalog, NUcat, many Galter Library users are primarily interested in health sciences-related online resources. If you are one of these users, this guide is for you! [More]

Search PubMed, Google Scholar, and Other Sites Using the LibX Toolbar!

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:08:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #51 (April 2009).

Tired of going to multiple websites to search for information? Try using the LibX toolbar.

Galter Library is beta testing the LibX browser toolbar. LibX is an add-on for Firefox and Internet Explorer which allows you to do a number of cool things directly from the toolbar. Among other things, the LibX toolbar enables you to search NUcat, PubMed, the Galter Library website, and Google Scholar directly from your browser--without the need to go to each of those websites. [More]

Use HubMed to Copy References from Microsoft Word to EndNote

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:01:00 -0600

This article was featured in Library Notes #50 (March 2009).

For EndNote users, one of the drawbacks of PubMed is the lack of a direct export option to quickly transfer references from PubMed to EndNote. A solution to this problem can be found by using the direct export option in HubMed, an alternative site for searching the data in PubMed. Additionally, you can copy reference lists from Microsoft Word documents or PDFs, paste them into the HubMed Citation Finder, and quickly export those references to an EndNote library. Take a look at the following video which demonstrates how to do this. [More]