Selected medical and health databases
The databases listed below focus on specific areas of health and medicine. You may also wish to see the resources listed on the Evidence Based Practice guide for clinical information and other clinical decision-making tools, and the Medical Ethics guide for bioethics information.
Medical literature
PubMed (including MEDLINE)
PubMed is a major biomedical search platform and contains over 30 million records, most of which come from the MEDLINE database. While PubMed doesn't include full text of articles itself, it does link to sources for full text - including, when accessed via the link above, content from Deakin University Library's collection.
PubMed is freely available to the public, learning how to use it will mean you will be able to search MEDLINE regardless of where you find yourself in your career, without having to rely on you or your employer paying for subscription-based resources like those below. Read "How do I search PubMed?" to learn more.
Watch this video (3:20) on using MeSH for a targeted search. Watch this video (3:20) on using the Advanced Search in PubMed.
Ovid MEDLINE
As well as PubMed, the MEDLINE database is available to search via the Ovid platform. While the database records are the same, the Ovid platform offers enhanced search functions including proximity searching and line-by-line editing of the search strategy. Ovid MEDLINE does not contain the full text of articles but will link out to options for accessing full text via the Library's collection.
MEDLINE Complete
Deakin University also provides access to the MEDLINE database via the EBSCOhost platform. Again, this is the same MEDLINE database and records, but in this case with enhanced search functions and the inclusion of some full-text PDFs immediately in the EBSCOhost platform.
Watch this video (6:49) on searching Medline Complete. Watch this video (3:32) on using MeSH Headings.
Embase
Embase is very large biomedical and pharmaceutical database. It contains records from MEDLINE, but indexes the records differently. Embase also includes over six million records not covered by MEDLINE. Licensing and Resource Information.
Check out this guide: Using Embase search features.
The Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Library is home to the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the home for 'Cochrane Reviews'. It is also the source for CENTRAL, a register of clinical trials. Cochrane is therefore useful for finding evidence summaries via the reviews, and also to find details of clinical trials. There is some overlap of content from the Cochrane Library with MEDLINE and Embase.
Check out this tutorial on searching Cochrane Library.
Allied health literature
CINAHL Complete
CINAHL is a major database for nursing and allied health, and will contain useful content for aspects of your medical information gathering. Licensing and Resource Information.
Watch this video (3:53) on advanced searching for CINAHL. Watch this video (3:32) on using Cinahl Headings.
APA PsycInfo
APA PsycInfo is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. It contains over 3 million records and summaries including the full index of PsycArticles. Licensing and Resource Information.
Informit Health Collection
Contains Australian content, focusing on the health sciences. Includes Australian government material. Licensing and Resource Information.
Check out this guide: Searching in Informit.
Point of care tools
BMJ Best Practice
Patient-focused point of care information summarizing the latest research evidence, guidelines and expert opinion and covering diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention. The Library's subscription includes access to the BMJ Best Practice app for mobile devices.
Watch this video (2:07) for an overview on Best Practice. Watch this video (1:03) on Searching in Best Practice.
UpToDate
Experts in their field use evidence-based principles to present the most important recent medical information to answer both background and foreground clinical queries. The Library's subscription includes access to the UpToDate app for mobile devices.
Watch this video for an overview on UpToDate.
eTG Complete
An Australian database that provides evidence-based advice and guidelines with instructions for therapy and practical treatment advice Licensing and Resources Information
Watch this video (6:46) for an overview on eTG Complete overview.
See also the A-Z Database List to browse for databases by subject.
Major Medical Journals
Keeping up to date with information in medicine is an important requirement, whether you are a student, or whether you are practising.
These are the premiere journals for clinical medicine. You may wish to browse through them for an overview of current developments, or to set up alerts within them for topics of interest, or for latest issue availability. Each of these titles is also indexed in major databases, including Pubmed/ Medline.
- Medical Journal of Australia (MJA)
The primary journal for medicine in Australia. Includes research, ethics articles, opinion pieces.
- BMJ - British Medical Journal
The primary journal for medicine in the UK. Includes research articles, opinion pieces, patient education, podcast and videos.
- JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association
A major journal for medicine in the US. Includes research articles and opinion pieces. - The Lancet
A long-running and significant source for research and opinion across a range of health and medicine-related topics. - NEJM - New England Journal of Medicine
Another major journal for medicine in the US. Includes research articles, opinion pieces, multimedia. - Nature
A major research journal covering multiple disciplines, including medicine and health sciences. It currently has one of the highest impact measures (impact factor) of any research journal.
Other electronic journals can be accessed via the Journal Search.
Journal title abbreviations
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog allows you to search to find the full title of a journal from an abbreviated title, or vice versa. Type in either the full title or the abbreviation and click on ‘search'.
What is a scholarly journal?
A scholarly journal is a publication in which experts in a field submit articles. This is one of the primary means through which many disciplines discuss new findings, ideas and research.
What is a scholarly article?
Scholarly articles can also be referred to as academic or peer reviewed articles. They are written to inform or report research to a scholarly audience, and therefore tend to use technical language.
Many of these articles have been through a peer review process. They contain an abstract along with a list of references or other readings.
What does peer review mean?
Many scholarly journals will only accept articles for publication after an expert in the field check the contents of the article for its credibility. Reviewers assess whether the contents of the article are accurate, fair and balanced, up to date and ethical.
For help finding a particular journal or journal article, visit the Skills for Study help page