Since the inaugural issue of , many changes within publishing have occurred, impacting when, where, and how researchers conduct literature searches for non-animal alternatives. Such changes include increased rate of growth in scientific publications, greater number of databases and online resources available to search, opportunities for open and almost immediate dissemination of research outputs such as preprints and method protocols, and the development of reporting guidelines for animal research. Here we offer a librarian's perspective on these changes and advice on how to manage them to enable robust and diverse alternatives to be implemented in future research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis column describes the development of a one-shot PubMed instruction class for medical students at a health sciences library. Background information on the objective is presented and discussed in the context of educational practice literature. The new course design centers on a guided group method of instruction in order to integrate more active learning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRequests for comprehensive searches, such as searches to support systematic reviews, seem to be evolving into routine practice in the health sciences library environment. Collecting terminology for these searches is often a time-consuming process. This case study reports on the development of a searchable Web-based repository, MedTerm Search Assist, as a means for librarians to share biomedical terminology from systematic review searches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To identify estimates of time taken to search grey literature in support of health sciences systematic reviews and to identify searcher or systematic review characteristics that may impact resource selection or time spent searching.
Methods: A survey was electronically distributed to searchers embarking on a new systematic review. Characteristics of the searcher and systematic review were collected along with time spent searching and what resources were searched.