Sources of information

sources of information

1. Sources of Information

2. What is information? knowledge gained through study (or) knowledge  communicated or received concerning a particular fact  or subject. When information is entered into and stored in a computer, it is generally referred to as data . In science, knowledge accumulates as individuals study phenomena in the natural world. The researchers base their studies on the information contributed in the past by others , and the results of the new studies provide new information or different interpretations of the subjects under investigation.

3. The source of information can be divided into 3 types Primary source Secondary source Important note:   The types of information that can be considered primary sources may vary depending on the subject discipline, and also on how you are using the material.

4. Primary sources Definition: Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based. They are usually the first formal appearance of results in physical, print or electronic format. They present original thinking, report a discovery, or share new information . Primary sources include: Research papers in peer - reviewed journals; R esearch monographs; C onference proceedings; D octoral theses kept in university libraries.

5. Secondary sources Definition: They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources. Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence . Secondary sources include: Textbooks ; Edited books; Review articles.

6. Comparison of Primary and Secondary Literature Criteria PRIMARY LITERATURE SECONDARY LITERATURE Peer Review peer reviewed may or may not be peer reviewed Title very technical "cute” Focus specific broader overview Abstract usually no Introduction to Topic Yes Yes Methods Section Yes not usually Results Section Yes not usually Data in Figures and Tables Usually not usually Discussion Section Yes the whole paper may be considered a discussion Literature Cited Always may or may not have The Form of Publication article in a print or online journal a part of a book, a website Examples of Publications Journal of Ecology Science News

7. Web Resources Information on the web comes in different domains, which can help you determine the type of information. You can determine the domain by looking at the web address (URL). • . com = Commercial • www.nytimes.com . org = Organizational • www.wikipedia.org . edu = Educational • www.wmcc.edu . gov = Governmental • www.census.gov

8. PubMed (www.nlm.nih.gov) Introduction PubMed is a free resource that provides access to MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine database of citations and abstracts in the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care systems, and preclinical sciences . Understand PubMed's scope and content. Understand how the Medical Subject Headings ( MeSH ) are used to describe and retrieve citations. Build a search using MeSH and PubMed search tools. Manage your results and save records of interest. Save your search strategies. Link to or order full-text articles. Link to related resources .

9. Search PubMed by Author Just type the author name in the box and click search

10. Pubmed retrieves authors with the last name and initials used in the search

11. The advance search by author name

12. Click drop down list and select author and type author name in the box

13. Click search to get the results

14. Results displayed on the basis on author name

15. Searching PubMed by Author and Subject

16. Check the search details: which shows on what criteria the results are displaced

17. Click on article title to see the abstract

18. PubMed Simple Subject Search Keywords: be specific as possible Use no: Punctuation, tags or operators

19. Use MeSH to Build a Better PubMed Query MeSH = Medical subject headings Click on MeSH Database

20. This page opens upon clicking MeSH database Type the keyword: flu vaccine This shows the definition of keyword and sub heading Click on sub heading (or) type in “ MeSH search box above ” and click “ add to search builder ” to narrow the result and then click “ search pubmed ”.

21. If you scroll down the same page the additional information about the keyword is mentioned. The terms are based hierarchy subject categories Eg : you can influenza vaccine is under viral vaccine and viral vaccine under vaccines. Specific terms beneath the boarder terms

22. PubMed: The Filters Sidebar The highlighted yellow lines are filter options Where in you can click on sub options to be more specific in search

23. There are additional filters Just click show additional filters

24. How to clear active filters?

25. More sub-filters under each filter

26. Search for a Journal By complete name of the journal By International standard serial number (ISSN) Medline journal little abbreviation

27. Search results after typing journal full name

28. If a journal title is also a subject term then type [ta ] Eg : radiation oncology don’t sound like journal name but seems to keyword for search. So type “ta” in brackets So that the search should not take Journal name as keyword

29. Single citation match up On home page of “ Pubmed ” Click “single citation match up”

30. Single citation match up Key in the details of the journal And click search

31. Need the Full Text Article?

32. Click on icon to download

33. How to display your library icon in your search for free full text articles Go to my NCBI page Click on NCBI site preferences

34. Click Pubmed filter and icons Click linkout Expand libraries menu

35. Type your library name and search Check the option for filter and link icon

36. On every search the filter shows the separate results for your library subscription journals Further more its shows the icon to dowlaod the article

37. Thank you