Accessing Sources Of Evidence For Practice 4 Introduction To Electronic Resources Janette Colclough University of York Library & Archives

Objectives  Know how to access electronic journals  Know how to use key subject- related web-based resources National Library for Health, Department of Health  Know how to evaluate printed and electronic information

Electronic Journals and Newspapers  University provides over 10,000 full text electronic journals and newspapers  Some available only electronically  Some available in print  Some available in both formats

Electronic Journals and Newspapers  Use Find e-Journal  Also links from the Library Catalogue  From home – most require ATHENS password  More information:

Key Sites – National Library for Health  The NHS digital library for staff, patients and the public Includes:  Hitting the Headlines – for the clinician and patient to quickly identify the reliability of news stories and the research evidence on which they are based  NLH Specialist Libraries – examples child health, mental health, cancer, diabetes, etc  Guidelines and policies

NHS ATHENS  Most NHS resources are free  Having an NHS Athens provides access to additional resources, eg electronic journals  To create an NHS Athens from an NHS PC, follow the Register link from the NLH homepage

Key Sites – Department of Health  Health and social care policy, guidance and publications  Department of Health Publications - full text of publications where available and a publications library

Key Sites - Organisational  Royal College of Nursing – access to public and members information  World Health Organization - the World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health  British Medical Association- open access public pages include ethics, science, policy, news, healthcare information

Electronic Books  Available through the Library Catalogue  Electronic access to some titles in high demand  Covers a range of subjects, education, history, health studies, sociology, literature

Why Evaluate Information Resources  Information found on the Internet can be unreliable  Information in books and journals can be unreliable  You need to evaluate all information you find – this will save you time

How To Evaluate Information Resources  Purpose: A summary or an in depth research? Pressure group, drug company may have own agenda.  Audience: Expert or the general public?  Authority: Is it a well known author, academic publisher or organisation or an opinion? Who owns the information?

How To Evaluate Information Resources  Currency: Up to date?  Accuracy: Has it been checked by a reliable editor?  Reliability: Well respected author?

How To Evaluate Information Resources Ctd  Has it been peer reviewed i.e. reviewed by an expert in the field?  E.g. Wikipedia – take great care when using…..  Use these tips to help you decide if the information you find is suitable

Evaluating Web Resources – Special Considerations  Not necessarily peer reviewed i.e. checked by an editor, publisher or librarian  Therefore judge carefully ……

The Workbook  Electronic journals  Key web resources  Evaluating information resources  Test your skills