Skip to content

Author: bsmith91

Published on

Welcome to a new school year! This academic year will be challenging as many students, staff and faculty members continue to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the staff at Himmelfarb Library wanted to provide some tips that we used during our own academic careers that helped us organize our notes, study and have a successful semester. 

JoLinda Thompson, Systems Librarian- It always helped me to read my notes aloud. I still use the verbalization trick if I’m trying to remember something!

Stephen Bryant, Evening/Weekend Supervisor- Nowadays I listen to smooth jazz or Lo-Fi music while I study/work. It’s enough to provide some background music, but it’s not dynamic enough to distract me from work.

Stacy Brody, Reference & Instructional Librarian- I was a big fan of drawing things out. This was especially helpful for some of the science courses like organic chemistry and biochem. I liked to study in the student center, but really early, just when it opened, before it got too busy. I always tried to consume media that reinforced what I learned in class, whether it was a good book, a journal article that was recommended but not required, or a podcast. 

Laura Abate, Associate Director for Library Operations- LibKey Nomad is my best library related tip. Make your bed. Schedule time for ‘you’- block time to exercise, call a friend or have dinner with someone you care about. 

Sam Sisay, Reference Specialist (Evening)- Don’t study in your bedroom, study in a library study room, which leaves your bedroom as a place to relax. Study with friends, even if you are not studying the same thing. Being around others who are studying can be helpful in motivating you. 

Ruth Bueter, Serials and Systems Librarian- Instrumental music was helpful for me (especially when listening with headphones), because it helps me focus. Some of my favorite options recently include:

  • Movie scores (Phillip Glass’s score from The Hours, and anything written by Ennio Morricone- like the score from The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly)
  • Chillhop YouTube streams
  • Lindsey Stirling
  • Classical music
  • Electronic music for studying streaming music stations on Pandora/Spotify/ etc.

Have healthy snacks handy. Some of my go-to’s are:

  • Fruit- bananas, apples, pears, oranges, etc. 
  • Nuts- a handful of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans or yout nut of choice has enough protein to help keep your stomach happy and keep you focused
  • Dark chocolate- 1 square of dark chocolate can be a sweet reward to break up the monotony of studying

Study cards: I normally cut 3x5 notecards in half. They are more portable in that size. Whenever you have a few minutes of free time-take them out and quiz yourself. I would write a question on the front side and the answer on the back. Writing the information so many times (between taking notes while reading, during lecture, and on the notecard) helped me retain the info. 

Lastly, Coffee. The importance of coffee in getting me through both my undergrad and graduate degrees cannot be understated. 

Ian Roberts, Acquisitions & Resource Sharing Librarian- In grad school I used to schedule all of my appointments into multiple calendars. I Synced up my school calendar with my iCloud calendar. I know some people don't like mixing those, but it always helped me (still does, actually). 

Brittany Smith, Senior Library Assistant (Metadata Specialist)- Take breaks while studying. Personally, I like to take short walks to give my mind time to rest. This is especially helpful when moving from one subject to another. As many people already mentioned, listening to instrumental music is a big help. I’m a fan of YouTube Chillhop or LoFi stations. I also enjoy listening to Studio Ghibli music which is soothing and always puts me in a great mood. Take advantage of the resources available to you. Whether it’s meeting with a librarian to discuss an upcoming research project/paper or visiting the professor or TA during their office hours to ask a clarifying question, make sure to reach out to the people who are there to help you. 

The most important tip is to find what works best for you. Take this advice and fit it to your particular style of studying. If you’re not a fan of Chillhop or Lo-Fi music, try classical jazz. Try a strong black tea if you want to monitor your coffee intake. Create a virtual study room or take advantage of the study rooms in Himmelfarb. Mix and match these tips with ones you already use to create the perfect strategy for this new semester!

2

Published on 2 Comments on Crash Course on Using the Medical Library

If you’re a first year medical student, you may wonder how a medical and health sciences library differs from other academic libraries. While academic libraries as a whole work tirelessly to support students, faculty and staff during their time at a college or university, medical library professionals seek out services and resources that are specifically targeted towards medical and health professionals. 

It is not necessary for a medical librarian or other library professional to go through medical school or have a prior background in the medical or health sciences career field. Through constant training and professional development, medical library professionals build a foundational knowledge of common medical terms. The staff at Himmelfarb library frequently attend training sessions to broaden our scope of knowledge to better serve our patrons. Some of our staff members are also embedded in various classes and act as an extra source of support within that environment. With this knowledge we are able to tailor our services to the needs of our unique patrons. 

Medical research can be a daunting undertaking, but medical libraries provide access to print and electronic book, online databases and academic journals that are instrumental during the research, drafting and publishing process. Himmelfarb’s reference desk is available to answer any questions you may have. Through the use of our Ask A Librarian service, it’s possible to connect with someone in a matter of seconds. If you’re interested in learning more about the various ins-and-outs of scholarly publishing, our Scholarly Communications Committee recently completed a webinar series that touches on various publishing topics. The webinars are located under our Scholarly Publishing libguide. Once you’ve published a peer-reviewed article, we’re able to archive it within our institutional repository--the Health Science Research Commons, also known as the HSRC. With the use of Plumx metrics, it’s easy to track the level of engagement a published article receives. No matter what questions you may have, Himmelfarb is ready to assist. 

Medical libraries also strive to provide access to new medical technology. Himmelfarb has several pieces of equipment that can be checked out from the circulation desk. We also house a 3D printer that students, staff and faculty members can use to print various 3D models. This service is by request only. For more information, read the ‘3D Printing at Himmelfarb’ libguide. We’re constantly searching for new and innovative technology that can be used by our patrons and we hope to provide additional technological services in the near future. 

Medical librarianship is a dynamic career field that often changes to address the needs of medical and health science professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced library professionals to develop and maintain a virtual learning environment. Though many staff members of Himmelfarb library continue to work remotely, we’re available to answer any questions you may have. We’re thrilled to be an extra source of support during your time at the George Washington University and we look forward to working with you!

Published on

Health Sciences Research CommonsWhile Covid-19 has upended many industries around the globe, faculty, staff, and students at The George Washington University have persisted in doing what they do best--researching, learning about, and compiling publications about some of the most pressing healthcare issues of our time. Since the start of the pandemic, researchers and students associated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Milken Institute School of Public Health, and the School of Nursing have published over fifty peer-reviewed articles related to Covid-19. The Himmelfarb Library has compiled a collection of these publications within our institutional repository, Health Sciences Research Commons. The Covid-19 Publications by GWU Authors collection highlights research by students, faculty, and staff and will be updated on a regular basis. Have a publication that needs to be added? Simply email hsrc@gwu.edu with a link to your publication and we will be happy to include your research. 

Published on

Photo of the medRxiv logo.

Earlier this year we published a post on the new preprint server, medRxiv (pronounced ‘Med Archive’). We touched on the benefits of archiving research via this service, as well as pointing out the potential downsides. But with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many to work from home and observe social distancing guidelines, preprint services like medRxiv help researchers share their preliminary findings as they seek to better understand this new disease and discover potential treatment options.

With new information on COVID-19 released on a near daily basis, medRxiv is an excellent place to archive research and disseminate it within the medical community.The archival server has a specialized collection dedicated to research pertaining to the study of COVID-19. At the time of the publication of this post, the preprint server holds approximately 4204 articles. With Altmetrics, researchers are able to track the level of engagement their article receives. 

Articles located on the preprint server have not undergone the rigorous peer review process.It is imperative that the research located on medrRxiv is not used in a clinical setting nor shared with the media or public. As we learn more about this disease, how best to fight it and how to prevent its spread, members of the medical community must observe best practices and avoid sharing potentially harmful misinformation to the public or media. 

The research and news on COVID-19 is constantly evolving. There is still much to learn about this novel coronavirus and medical professionals are working tirelessly to add to the expanding literature on this disease. MedRxiv, the preprint server, has a collection dedicated exclusively to preliminary research on COVID-19. As such, it is an excellent and free resource that puts researchers in contact with each other. 

If you would like to learn more about medRxiv or if you’re interested in submitting research to the server, be sure to visit https://www.medrxiv.org/.

Published on

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic upheaval in the world of professional conferences. Most conferences have either been  postponed to a later date or canceled for the year, leaving scholars with posters and presentations that can't be shared with their peers until late 2020 or 2021 at the earliest. Fortunately, the Himmelfarb Library has an excellent resource available that allows for asynchronous virtual conferencing. With the Health Sciences Research Commons, (HSRC), members of the George Washington University Medical, Health Sciences, Public Health and Nursing communities have the ability to archive and present their research to scholars around the globe. 

With Health Sciences Research Commons, it is possible to archive presentation materials such as poster PDFs or videos via native streaming or a 3rd party platform (i.e. YouTube).  If you have content that you would like to share, simply send an email to hsrc@gwu.edu and we will be happy to find an appropriate collection, create the necessary metadata, and send you a link to your archived projects.  Have questions related to archiving and potential future publications? We are happy to answer those questions as well. 

Using the HSRC as a presentation platform is an asynchronous experience which is  different from than the in-person conference. But archiving your project in HSRC has unique benefits such as the ability to generate usage statistics using PlumX metrics and Altmetircs located on the right hand side of an entry. 

As we adapt to a life and workflow that is reliant on virtual workspaces, it is important that we continue to collaborate and share current research with the larger medical community. The HSRC is a wonderful space for archiving and presenting research. If you have any additional questions on using the repository, feel free to reach out to Sara Hoover,  Metadata and Scholarly Publishing Librarian at shoover@gwu.edu.

Please note: This blog post was updated on May 18, 2020 to better reflect the process for submitting to the HSRC.

Published on

The Himmelfarb Library Scholarly Communications Committee continues its webinar series, “Get Yourself Published; Promote Your Research,” with a new video out today. The series guides you through the publication process and also highlights resources that are useful in promoting your research articles. Webinars are published bi-weekly and are located on the Himmelfarb Library’s website. 

In this week’s webinar, ‘Measuring Impact: Quantifying the Effects of Your Research,’  Thomas Harrod will discuss metrics and how researchers can use it to measure the impact of their research. 

"How do you determine the value and impact of a published article? In this webinar, we’ll look at the two most common ways of accomplishing this task, including using traditional metrics (citations-based) and the newer altmetrics. We’ll explore some of the common examples of each of these metrics and we’ll also look at some Himmelfarb Library resources you can use to access this data and apply it to your own work."

This webinar goes live Wednesday, March 25 at noon! Be sure to save the dates for April's webinars.

ORCIDs: Maintaining Your Online Identity: Wednesday, April 8, 2020 12pm EST

Copyright for Authors: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 12pm EST

Published on

Are you sitting on an unpublished research article? Would you like feedback or critique of your findings from your peers in your field or related fields? Are you worried that your research may have already been covered by another researcher? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then check out medRxiv, the latest tool for researchers in the medical field. 

MedRxiv (pronounced “med-archive”) is a free, preprint service that allows medical researchers to submit and distribute unpublished research articles. The service was created by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), Yale University and BMJ, though the server is owned and operated by CSHL. The service accepts research from numerous medical and health sciences fields, including, but not limited to: 

  • Dermatology
  • Health Policy
  • Nursing
  • Pediatrics
  • Surgery

As a researcher, there are some factors that you should consider prior to archiving your work with a preprint service. Some publishers do consider archived preprints to count as a prior publication and thus might not be willing to consider publication in a given journal. To find out more about whether a specific journal counts an archived preprint as a prior publication, utilize the website Sherpa Romeo. This free website provides information about publisher copyright and self-archiving policies that can help you decide whether submitting your research to a preprint archive like medRxiv is the right choice for disseminating your research. 

Submitting your work to medRxiv is a straightforward process. Once you’ve completed your research article and are prepared to share it with others, go to medrxiv.org and click ‘SUBMIT.’  You will be redirected to a page which will provide details about the service, the submission process, proper formatting and other relevant information. You must register with the website before submitting any research and medRxiv will review submissions for offensive or harmful content. Once the article passes the submission process, it will be available to view via the search engine.  

MedRxiv puts researchers around the world in contact with one another. It is a great way to receive feedback on your work or connect with individuals who may be involved in similar research. While the website can be easily accessed, it is important to note that the articles and relevant data have not been peer-reviewed. Therefore, you should not use the information as established and accepted scientific and medical facts. Also, you should avoid citing material from preprints in your own publications. Despite these limitations, preprint archives such as medRxiv still offer an excellent way to learn about current and pending health sciences research. 

If you’re interested in using medRxiv or would like to know more, be sure to check out the website at https://www.medrxiv.org/.

Viewing Message: 1 of 1.
 Notice

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Visit GW’s Website Privacy Notice to learn more about how GW uses cookies.