 | This page in a nutshell: Be careful when sourcing statements in medical articles, so as not to introduce bias. This page acts as a complement and guide to finding the types of sources Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources in medicine is about. |
When looking for citations for medical statements it
important to avoid bias
This
Search engines edit
Green means that the database is free to use. Yellow is for subscription databases that allow limited functionality without subscription. Red is for databases that allow no access unless you have a subscription. This color scheme bears no connection to the percieved quality of the databases.
| PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) |
| PubMed is a general medical and biosciences database. Its main component, MEDLINE, contains approximately 25 million references to articles and a selection of full-text articles from more than 5,000 biomedical journals (2016). The database gives broad coverage in the field of heath care. The articles in Medline are indexed according to the database’s thesaurus MeSH (Medical Subject Heading). In addition, a growing number of articles awaiting indexation in PubMed are recognised through the comments “PubMed-in process” alternatively “Supplied by publisher”. The database is produced by the US National Library of Medicine and is free of charge via the internet.[1] |
| Embase (www.embase.com) |
| Embase is together with PubMed the other large database in the field of medicine and contains about 30 million references from 8,500 journals (2016). With Embase the search can be integrated with the Medline database but Embase does not have either the rest of PubMed’s contents or the MeSH-database. Embase has a developed thesaurus, Emtree, considered particularly suitable for pharmaceuticals. As in PubMed, articles “In process” can be searched for, but also “Article in press”, that is, articles not yet published. Embase is produced by the scientific company Elsevier and covers proceedings and more European journals than the American PubMed. The database charges a fee.[1] |
| Cochrane Library (www.thecochranelibrary.com) |
| The Cochrane Library contains several databases. Besides the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, containing Cochrane’s own systematic reviews, the other databases include the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central), the Cochrane Methodology Register and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED). NHS EED and DARE (another part database in the Cochrane Library) are both produced by CRD, the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. The Health Technology Assessment Database assembles new and ongoing projects outside the Cochrane Collaboration. The database charges a fee.[1] |
| CINAHL (www. ebscohost.com/biomedical-libraries/the-cinahl-database) |
| CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) is a database for articles, books and dissertations about nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc. It contains about 2.9 million references from about 3,000 journals. The database is distributed by EBSCO and charges a fee.[1] |
| PsycInfo (www.apa.org/psycinfo) |
| PsycInfo, a database in psychology, behavioural sciences and related fields, provides references to about 3 million references from about 2,500 journals, books and dissertations. PsycInfo is produced by the American Psychological Association (APA) and charges a fee.[1] |
Problematic sites edit
The following are a list of resources that have flaws or issues that make them unsuitable.... Wikipedia does not disallow their use, but if at all possible to avoid they are discouraged.
| Google Scholar |
| Has issues with... |