Library : Keeping Current with Research

Setting aside time to read journal articles is an important habit to cultivate.

To save time:

• subscribe to your favorite professional review newsletters
• subscribe to online services for delivery of topical updates and/or tables of contents

Chiropractic Newsletters and Updates

 Life West provides links to external websites as a service to researchers.  No endorsement is implied.

Case Reports (free on Web) and Research Pearls ($ for e-mail subscription)
http://www.coxtechnic.com/casereportsfree.html
800-441-5571
Editor: James M. Cox, D.C., D.A.C.B.R.
Dr. Cox shares case reports once a month via e-mail (free) and on to the Web site for public information.  For subscribers, Dr. Cox e-mails Research Pearls, summaries of articles on the management, biomechanics, incidence and diagnosis of spinal pain.  

 

ChiroAccess  (free on Web; registration required) and associated MANTIS database ($ for Web access; library subscribes)
http://www.chiroaccess.com/ 
800-283-2287
ChiroACCESS presents news of chiropractic research, as well as evidence-based reviews on prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and procedures from Parker College of Chiropractic Research Institute.  It is also the portal for the Manual, Alternative and Natural Therapy Index System which provides citations and abstracts for chiropractic literature and other disciplines.

The Chiropractic Report  (back issues free on Web.  $ for print subscription; library subscribes)
http://www.chiropracticreport.com/
800-506-2225
Editor: David Chapman-Smith, LL.B.
Website includes a synopsis of current issue and free access to previous years' volumes.  Each issue features one main review article and shorter items on developments in the profession, practice and research. Summaries are fully referenced.  Exemplary articles from 2009: "New best practices for chiropractic" and "Cost effectiveness revisted". 

Chiropractic Resource Organization  (free on Web)

http://www.chiro.org/wordpress/   

Maintained by volunteers; supported by sponsors.

In the left sidebar, select “Chiropractic Research” and other headings to find citations and brief abstracts, as well as links to full-text when available..  While many full-text articles are not from peer-reviewed journals, they often conclude with useful references.  Iatrogenic injury, Repetitive Stress, Fibromyalgia, Patient satisfaction, Antibiotic use, Conditions that respond well [to chiropractic care] and Cost effectiveness are among the available topics.  In the right sidebar, the Categories are linked to blog posts.  An RSS feed is available for the blog, and the Chiropractic Resource Organization maintains a Facebook presence as well.

Dr. Murphy's Article Review ($ for Web access)
http://www.danmurphydc.com/newsletter.htm
Dr. Dan Murphy reviews the scientific literature on chiropractic, nutrition, and injury.  Each week, he covers the most interesting content in his Article Review.  See also "Free stuff" http://www.danmurphydc.com/freestuff.html.  Life West librarians maintain a printed bibliography of Dr. Murphy's contributed articles in American Journal of Clinical Chiropractic and Chiropractic Choice.

• AJCC 2000-July 2008 issues are available at http://www.idealspine.com/pages/AJCC_INDEX.htm. Library has more recent issues in print.
• Chiropractic Choice at http://www.thechiropracticchoice.com/index.php         

Dynamic Chiropractic (free on Web; free print subscription for DCs; library subscribes)
http://www.chiroweb.com/

Watch for book reviews and articles about the implications of influential research studies.  

Index to Chiropractic Literature (free on Web)    

www.chiroindex.org

Provides citations and abstracts for chiropractic journal articles; has search limits for Peer-Reviewed articles, Publication Types such as Case Reports and Randomized Controlled Trials.  At this time, each Publication Type requires a separate search.  The  “Open Access Library” and “More Resources” sections have extensive links to chiropractic sites, organizations, additional free databases, and practice guidelines.    ICL is developed by volunteer chiropractic librarians as a service to the profession.  Suggestions for improvement are welcome via “Contact Us” link.  Updates available via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Journal Article Discovery (free on Web)

Editor:  Claire Sharifi, M.L.I.S.

Selected citations for journal articles recently added to Life West Library's collection.

The Latest Stuff from Gerry   (free via e-mail; free archive on Web)   

http://www.lifewest.edu/TLS.html

Editor:  Gerard Clum, D.C.

Dr. Clum’s perspective on the latest news about research and trends in healthcare, of interest to practitioners and the public.

Research Review Service   ($ for Web access)
http://www.researchreviewservice.com/
Editor:  Shawn Thistle, D.C.
A database with weekly reviews and alerts on relevant studies from more than 50 medical, chiropractic and physical therapy journals with a focus on manual medicine, physiotherapy, acupuncture, rehabilitation, exercise sciences, orthopedic clinical testing, physical therapy, athletic therapy and health and wellness. Sample reviews available online.

 

 

General Newsletters

 Life West provides links to external websites as a service to researchers.  No endorsement is implied.

The Back Letter  ($ print subscription + Web access; library subscribes)
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
http://www.lww.com/product/?0894-7376
800-787-8981
Briefings on important articles  for practitioners about the diagnosis and treatment of spinal problems and back pain.

Bone & Joint: The Newsletter on Musculoskeletal Medicine ($ print subscription + Web access; library subscribes)
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
http://www.lww.com/product/?1938-8659
800-787-8981
Short feature articles with references cover a broad array of research with implications for clinical care. Contributing authors also critically review trends in management. A typical issue might address topics concerning prevention, diagnosis and therapy, nutrition, athletic injuries, osteoporosis, pain, and bone development. Includes a CME quiz.

Online Portals

 

Medscape (free on Web; must register)
http://www.medscape.com/
The editable profile entered at registration helps determine the news and spotlighted articles displayed for your login. The "Resource Centers" tab leads to about 100 topics.  Each displays news and featured articles from the journals included in the Medscape database.  Among the topics are: autism, exercise and sports medicine, geriatric care, integrative medicine, restless leg syndrome, smoking, spinal disorders, vaccines, and notably any new topics of nationwide interests.. Site supported by advertising. E-mail news service is available.

Alerting Services

 

Amedeo: the Medical Literature Guide (free on Web; must register)
http://www.amedeo.com/ 
The weekly e-mail alerts for selected medical topics and journals also supply new abstracts to a free personal literature page, My Amedeo.  Literature overviews covering the past 12-24 months are available for about 100 conditions or specialties.  The site also offers e-mail alerts for updates to its lists of free medical books, journals for doctors, and podcasts.

My NCBI (free on Web; must register ; browser must accept cookies)
http://www.pubmed.gov/ or PubMed @ LCCW (the specialized link that shows which articles are owned by Life West library):  In upper right of PubMed screen, click on My NCBI for free registration, or Sign In.
This service from the National Library of Medicine has many features including stored searches, filters for organizing search results, and e-mail notification of new articles as soon as they are indexed in PubMed.  Use My NCBI to automatically gather citations of newly published articles based on the search strategies stored in your profile. The reference librarians can offer advice on formulating effective searches on topic and/or journals of interest.  See About My NCBI for instructional text and videoclips.  PubMed offers an alternative alert system via RSS.  See RSS tutorial for saving strategies and setting up results notification via RSS feeds.

IngentaConnect (free on Web for limited service; must register).
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/
E-mail notification of new article titles based on your profile. Free service is limited to five journal titles. Useful for researchers who need have broad, diverse coverage. It often includes book chapters, congresses, and articles in journals not indexed in PubMed, MANTIS, or Index to Chiropractic Literature.

 

Organizing the Evidence:  Tips for Efficiency

 

It is always a good idea to keep a simple list of bibliographic citations, or to use citation management software, in order to have useful references at your fingertips.  If you also choose to maintain a collection of articles (hardcopy or electronic versions), be sure to use a basic filing system. 

 

Why?  You will need to have citations, citations with abstracts, or even full-text of articles handy for:

• Justifying care on insurance claims
• Documenting resources in presentations and publications for patient education publications
• Supporting your consultations with other providers with properly cited references

How?  Choose a filing system and stick with it. 

• File by first author OR journal title OR topic
• If filing by topic, keep a master list of topics, and mark the topic on the hardcopy
• For electronic documents (PDFs), develop any needed folders in which to "file" your documents, and be sure to use a consistent naming convention that allows you to easily identify the article.  

Examples: 

jessel_orthopedic_2007.pdf  = [first author_first word of article title_year]

alcantara_explore_2010.pdf = [first author_journal title_year]