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 (3:17) 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 content is 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 to options for accessing full text via the Library's collection.
MEDLINE Complete (EBSCOHost)
Content is exactly the same as that available on Ovid MEDLINE. The EBSCOHost platform offers enhanced search functions and the inclusion of instant full-text access in most instances.
Watch this video (6:49) on searching Medline Complete. Watch this video (3:32) on using MeSH Headings.
Embase
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.
Check out this guide: Using Embase search features.
The Cochrane Library
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. 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
Major database for nursing and allied health, and will contain useful content for aspects of your medical information gathering.
Watch this video (3:53) on advanced searching for CINAHL. Watch this video (3:32) on using Cinahl Headings.
APA PsycInfo
The largest and most comprehensive resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioural science and mental health.
Informit Health Collection
Contains Australian content, focusing on the health sciences. Includes Australian government material.
Check out this guide: Searching in Informit.
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'.