A Survey of Scholarly Literature Databases for Clinical Laboratory Science

Extract

This article reviews the use of journal literature databases including CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science; summarizing databases including Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, online textbooks, and clinical decision-support tools; and the Internet search engines Google and Google Scholar. The series closes with a practical example employing a cross-section of the knowledge and skills gained from all three articles.

The primary literature in the health sciences consists of reports of original research generally published in the form of articles in scholarly/academic journals. The articles in these journals are indexed by searchable databases such as MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE, which function as an aid to finding articles on a desired topic. The primary literature has the advantage of being a direct communication from the researchers who performed the investigations. By studying the methodology used, the results of the research, and the investigators’ reasoning, readers are able to reach their own conclusions regarding the validity of the research findings. However, until they have stood the test of time, the findings of original research must be interpreted with caution.

Since the primary literature is such an enormous body of work, much of which will later be disproved or substantially revised, many scientists and health professionals rely on secondary and tertiary forms of literature to summarize original research. These forms of literature provide the essential background knowledge required to understand and interpret the primary literature and for making professional and clinical decisions. Examples of such literature include review articles, yearbooks, print and online textbooks,…

ABBREVIATIONS: CDSR = Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; CINAHL = Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; GDM = gestational diabetes; SCI = Science Citation Index.