When researching on your own for the latest studies on a medical or health sciences topic, consider these specialized database to get access to the latest published research.

Nursing and other biomedical sciences students may be more familiar with PubMed, the official database of the National Library of Medicine. The content in PubMed is the same as in Medline, but feel free to use PubMed if you are more familiar with this interface.

News media outlets and social media sources often share stories about the latest medical studies. However, journalists and online influencers may not include how one study fits into the larger picture of health science research, or provide the important study details that we need to evaluate scientific information.

When you encounter health science information online and in the news, always trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context. In the case of health information, can you get back to the original medical study?

1. If you have a citation to a journal article, continue to the next step to get access to the full text of the article.
2. If you do not have a citation, look for better news coverage on the study or topic that may include a citation.

Sometimes you will find an article via Google or a Library database that only gives you the title and abstract, not the full text to read. When this happens, follow these steps to get the access you need:

1. Look for the article in QuickSearch.

Try entering just the title into the QuickSearch search box. If Loyola Library has it, it should appear in the results list.

2. If Loyola doesn't have it, check to see if Tulane's library does.

Enter the title into the Library Search box on Howard-Tilton Memorial Library's homepage.

If Tulane does have the article you need, you will need to visit Tulane's campus with your phone or laptop. Once at the library or other Tulane campus building, access the "Tulane Guest" wifi network and follow the instructions to log in. Then visit the Tulane Library website again, repeat the search for your desired article, and download the PDF to your device or email it to yourself.

For more on our access to resources at Tulane and other New Orleans libraries, visit our website on Borrowing from Other Libraries.

3. If neither Loyola nor Tulane has the article you need, you may request a copy via InterLibrary Loan (ILL).

The Loyola Library can borrow materials from libraries outside of New Orleans on your behalf. This process may takes 7 to 10 business days, but may be faster depending on the type of request. Ask your friendly librarian for help using this service.

Reading journal articles that describe medical research can be challenging at first, but these and other scientific articles tend to follow the IMRaD template, with Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. For a review of this format, check out this video from our friends at North Carolina State University Libraries.

Evaluating Medical Studies

The National Library of Medicine suggests you ask yourself the following questions when reading and evaluating medical research:

• Was the study in animals or humans? Getting certain results in animals may not mean that you get those same results in humans.
• Were the people in the study similar to you in ways that may matter, such as age, race, or sex?
• How big was the study? Larger studies may get more reliable results than smaller studies.
• How long did the study last? For example, studies testing medicines need to be long enough to show long-term benefits or risks.
• What kind of study was it? Clinical trials, especially randomized controlled trials, give the clearest information about whether a treatment is effective and safe in humans. In randomized controlled trials, the people in the study are randomly divided into separate groups that get different treatments. This helps prevent bias in the results.
• Where was the research done?
• If a new treatment was being tested, what were the side effects? How common were they?
• How do the results from the study compare with previous studies? If the new study had different results, then more studies would be needed to confirm these results.
• Who paid for the research? Sometimes the people paying for the research could profit financially if the study gets certain results.
• Who is reporting the results? Do they have a certain bias?

For more, see "Understanding Medical Research," Medline, National Library of Medicine.