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Category: Databases

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LibKey Nomad is a free browser plug-in that will alert you to the availability of full-text content from Himmelfarb Library and provide buttons to immediately download a PDF version or view the content on the publisher site. Previously Nomad only worked for scholarly articles. Now Nomad also works for e-books! 

Screenshot of a LibKey Nomad alert and link in a publisher site to an e-book in Himmelfarb Library's collections.
LibKey Nomad alert and link for a Himmelfarb Library e-book in a publisher website.

When Himmelfarb has the e-book, LibKey Nomad will alert you when viewing books on Amazon, Google Books and publisher websites including Wiley, Elsevier, Cambridge, Thieme, Wolters-Kluwer, Springer, SAGE, Taylor and Francis and many others. If you need a book for academic, patient care, research or personal needs, LibKey Nomad will pop up with a notification and a link if you already have access to it for free from the library.  

LibKey Nomad works in a variety of web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Vivaldi) and websites. If you’re searching Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science and even Wikipedia, LibKey Nomad integrates full-text access directly from where you find the content. LibKey Nomad will even tell you if an article has been retracted. 

To use LibKey Nomad, install it as a browser plug-in and choose ‘George Washington University - Himmelfarb Library’ as your home library when prompted. If you already have it installed, you will now be alerted to e-book content when searching.

Have questions about Nomad or other ways to find and view full-text content? Contact Himmelfarb’s Information desk at himmelfarb@gwu.edu or chat with us during business hours.

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DynaMed recently updated its navigation options that make finding the information you need more straightforward! The new interface still provides access to the latest information in DynaMed’s collection of clinically-focused, evidence-based, routinely updated articles, images, and updates. New functionality now makes searching within a topic even easier so you can find the information you need quickly. You can also quickly switch views from the homepage to see potentially practice-changing updates.

Screenshot of Recent Alerts area pointing out the Potentially Practice-Changing Only updates link.

From the homepage, you can search for information using the standard search bar, or click on the links at the top of the page to search for information on specialties, recent alerts, drug information, or calculators. The main section of the homepage includes updates on recent alerts and any content you have followed, such as specialty updates. 

DynaMed’s new features include a simplified in-topic navigation that allows you to jump straight through to relevant sections within a topic. From a topic page, the sections menu located on the left side of the page has been simplified to help you navigate to the sections you find most useful. 

Screenshot of new DynaMed updates.

Once you’ve selected a section, simply click the “In This Section” menu at the top of the page to navigate within the section and explore sub-sections as shown in the screenshot below:

Screenshot of the "In This Section" menu.

Within topic pages, you can also easily navigate between the topic information, videos, images, and updates by using the tabs at the top of the page. DynaMed is updated daily, so you can always be sure that you are looking at the most current information available on every topic. 

Interested in learning more? See these updates in action in this short video:

If you’d prefer to use the DynaMed app, instructions for downloading the app are available on Himmelfarb’s App Shelf.

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Are you interested in examining how health and other news is being reported to television audiences? Are you interested in gaining a historical perspective on health topics through broadcast news? The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is a unique resource to help you do this. 

Screenshot of NBC news report from 1997, Tom Brokaw on warning about diet drug fen-phen.
Streaming content is available from CNN and NBC.

The archive, housed at Vanderbilt University, has been recording and indexing national nightly news broadcasts from the United States since August 5, 1968. Initially the news broadcasts recorded included only the “big three” networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC. With the creation of CNN and Fox News, additional news content was added to the archive. Broadcasts are indexed and made keyword searchable.

While not all news networks provide their streaming content to the archive, Vanderbilt has been able to reach agreements with two networks, CNN and NBC, to provide streaming content within the archive’s web interface. Where streaming video is available, there will be a link to play the content. 

You can search the archive by browsing for news from a particular date, going as far back as August 1968. Browsing by date reveals summaries of all the segments within that day’s broadcasts from all available networks. The summary shows the topic of the segment, its length, and lists the reporters for that segment.

Screenshot of news broadcast segments from June 3, 2020.
Browsing the archive by a specific date is one option.

Another interesting feature of the broadcast summary is that it details which products (including medications) were advertised during commercial breaks. Where streaming content is available, you can view those advertisements.

You can also search by keyword to produce a list of broadcast segments with relevant content, limiting by date range if desired:

Screenshot of a keyword search of the news archive for HIV, limiting to dates between 1979 and 1990.
Keyword searching the archive is another option.

For networks from which only an abstract of a broadcast is available, the information provided is robust enough to establish the content of the report, its length, and the interviews included:

Screenshot of summary of June 12, 1988 ABC Evening News report on AIDS conference. Anthony Fauci is interviewed.
Even when streaming content is unavailable, each segment is described in detail.

The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is a fascinating way to watch the evolution of health topics and other issues and events over time. This unique resource lets you explore, for example, the way in which HIV/AIDS was discussed in the earliest newscasts on the subject; trace media coverage of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, either via keyword search or browsing broadcasts by date; examine changes in the way medications were advertised on national television; and so much more.

Access to clips from the archive which are not available for streaming are generally assessed a loan fee, with full details available on the Request page. However, researchers located in the Washington, DC area can access full streaming content from the archive at the Library of Congress Moving Image Research Center. Appointments to use the facility are required, and can be made here.

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Resource Spotlight: Public Health Journals. Images of 4 public health journal logos.

GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health is one of the most highly ranked public health graduate schools in the U.S. and provides education and research across biostatistics and bioinformatics, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, exercise and nutrition science, global health, health policy and management, and prevention and community health. Today’s post highlights public health journals in Himmelfarb’s collection! Our journal collection includes more than 330 public health journal titles - here are some highlights of four of these great titles:

  1. Health Affairs: Health Affairs has been our most-used public health journal (based on usage statistics from 2015-2022) for years! First published in 1981, this journal explores both domestic and international health policy issues, to promote analysis and discussion on improving health and healthcare, and to address issues including cost, quality, and access to healthcare. Health Affairs addresses healthcare system change from a variety of perspectives through data, analysis, policy proposals, and commentary.
  2. American Journal of Public Health (AJPH): AJPH is our second-highest-used public health journal (based on usage statistics from 2015-2022). First published in 1911, AJPH is the official journal of the American Public Health Association and was voted one of the 100 Most Influential Journals in Biology and Medicine over the past 100 years. AJPH publishes the best scientific, public health research and aims to promote diverse public health practice models and increase understanding of public health problems and their solutions.
  3. Journal of Public Health: This journal publishes research on the theory and practice of the whole spectrum of public health including all domains of health improvement, health protection, service improvement, public health ethics, and public health law. In-depth looks into the causes of disease and how to prevent ill health and promote good health are the main focus of this title.
  4. Public Health Reports: The official journal of the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service, Public Health Reports publishes research, reviews, and commentaries related to public health practice and methodology, public health law, and teaching. Topics such as disease surveillance, infectious and chronic diseases, occupational disease and injury, immunization, and health disparities are key focuses of this journal. 

Himmelfarb’s public health resources aren’t just limited to journals. We have public health databases including Scopus, Health Policy Reference Center, and PolicyMap. We also have more than 30 public health-related research guides on subjects including clinical and translational sciences, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology and biostatistics, exercise and nutrition, global health, prevention and community health, health policy, and health statistics. Not sure which resource is best suited to your research needs? Our reference staff is available to provide assistance with searching the databases, finding full-text articles, and much more! 

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Celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week. Supporting GW Nurse Practitioner Studies. Top E-Books at Himmelfarb.

November 13-19, 2022 is National Nurse Practitioner Week! Himmelfarb Library is proud to support our nurse practitioner (NP) students and faculty by providing a glance at our top NP e-books!

  • Aesthetic Procedures: Nurse Practitioner’s Guide to Cosmetic Dermatology: This textbook offers guidance to both experienced and novice aesthetic NPs. It reviews skin structure and anatomy, facial structure aging, the effects of aging and environmental exposures, pharmacology of aesthetic medications, benefits of treatments, and more. This is a one-stop resource for in-depth learning about cosmetic dermatology!
  • Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review: This is a must-have resource if you are studying for the adult-gerontology primary care NP certification exam (AGNP exam). This concise, well-organized text includes updated information, review questions at the end of each chapter, full-color images, and four practice tests with hundreds of practice questions and rationales (800 questions in total). Get test-ready with targeted “need-to-know” details about diseases and classic presentations you’ll see in patients across the lifespan.
  • Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review: This text synthesizes the complex knowledge you’ll need to pass the ANCC and AANPCB certification exams. New test-format questions that include photos of skin and eye conditions and EKGs are included alongside drag-and-drop and multiple-choice questions. Non-clinical topics that are part of the exam are also covered including research, ethics, legal issues, advanced practice law, health practices of various cultures, and reimbursement guidelines. More than 700 practice questions are included to help you prepare!
  • Nurse Practitioner’s Business and Legal Guide: This book explains and analyzes legal issues for relevant nurse practitioners. This edition includes documentation requirements for avoiding malpractice, new case studies on risk management, current state laws, regulatory developments and prosecutions of NPs, and case analyses and lessons from these cases. Additional topics covered include medical bio-ethics terminology, malpractice cases, emerging health policy issues, opioid and controlled drugs prescribing guidelines, clinical performance measures, and much more!
  • Guidelines for Nurse Practitioners in Ambulatory Obstetric Settings: This clinical reference is a comprehensive source for current, evidence-based guidelines for NPs. This text covers clinical topics and practice standards relevant to preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nursing care. Each topic is broken down by definition, etiology, history, physical exam, lab exam, differential diagnosis, treatment, complications, consultation/referral, and follow-up. 
  • The Doctor of Nursing Practice Project: A Framework for Success: This book provides a road map for DNP students to complete their DNP project effectively and efficiently. This text outlines how the project has been used to prepare clinical scholars for practice. This edition includes a newly added chapter on health policy that highlights DNP core competencies used in advocating for healthcare policy change. 

In addition to these high-use titles, Himmelfarb also has a Nurse Practitioners Guide that links to core research databases such as CINAHL Complete, ClinicalKey for Nursing, PubMed, and Scopus to help you research and find full-text resources. This research guide can also help our NP students and faculty identify resources relevant to physical examination, diagnosis, drug information, professional organizations, and evidence-based practice. The textbooks tab provides links to all required textbooks and includes links to additional recommended textbooks. 

Accessing these e-books from anywhere is easy! Check out our Off-Campus Access Guide for tips and instructions on how to access these books from off-campus. And remember - our reference staff is always available to help answer your questions about research or access to our resources!

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It's Talk About Prescriptions Month! Himmelfarb Highlights Top Pharmacology Journals

October is Talk About Prescriptions month, so Himmelfarb Library is celebrating our most frequently used pharmacology journals!

  1. International Journal of Drug Policy: This journal publishes current research, reviews, debate, and critical analysis on drug use and drug policy. Articles focus on the social, political, legal, and health contexts of psychoactive substance use and the effects of drug policy and practice on drug-use behavior, and the health and social consequences of drug use. 
  2. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery: Focused on drug discovery and development, this journal publishes reviews and perspectives on topics such as drug discovery, summaries of key primary research papers, updates on the newest advancements in new drug approvals, patent law, and industry trends. 
  3. Value in Health: Publishing original research and health policy articles related to health economics and outcomes, Value in Health evaluates medical technologies including pharmaceuticals. 
  4. Journal of Medical Chemistry: This title publishes articles, perspectives, and drug annotations that focus on the relationship between molecular structure and biological activity or mode of action. 
  5. Clinical Therapeutics: This journal focuses on publishing developments in drugs and other therapies including diagnostics, pharmacoeconomics, health policy, treatment outcomes, and innovations in drug and biologics research. Articles range from pivotal studies that explore new chemical entities, to those that explore the repurposing of currently marketed agents. 
  6. Neuropsychopharmacology: As the official journal of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), this journal publishes clinical and basic science articles that further the understanding of the brain and behavior. Articles that focus on the molecular, cellular, physiological, and psychological properties of agents that interact with the central nervous system and identify new molecular targets for the development of new drugs are regularly published.

For questions about any of these titles or other pharmacology journals, contact Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu). 

In addition to the great titles listed above, Himmelfarb also provides access to essential pharmacology databases including Lexicomp and Natural Medicines. Lexicomp provides clinical drug information with integrated access to multiple drug databases, access to Trissel’s IV Compatibility, drug interaction checker, drug I.D., patient education materials, and dosage calculators. Natural Medicines supports evidence-based alternative therapy decision-making and includes 1,400+ natural ingredient and alternative therapy books, and 185,000+ commercial products. 

Check out our Pharmacology Guide and find out more about Himmelfarb’s pharmacology resources, including pharmacology textbooks, recent pharmacology faculty publications, and additional useful databases and journals.

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Infographic listing the usage of Himmelfarb's top 10 nursing journal titles for 2021.

GW’s School of Nursing (SON) is one of the top-ranked nursing schools in the country. Himmelfarb Library is proud to support SON students, faculty, researchers, and staff by providing professional-level, scholarly full-text nursing resources. Our journal collection includes more than 200 nursing titles! Here are the top 10 most highly used nursing journals at  GW:

  1. International Journal of Nursing Studies (IJNS): With nearly 2,800 article views and downloads by GW users during 2021, this title is our most highly-used nursing journal! IJNS publishes original research related to a wide range of nursing topics including healthcare delivery, organization, management, policy, and research methods. 
  2. Journal of Professional Nursing: As the official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, this journal publishes articles that focus on nursing education, educational research, educational policy, and education and practice partnerships. 
  3. Nursing Outlook: This bimonthly journal publishes articles that examine current issues and trends in nursing practice, education, and research.
  4. AORN Journal: This journal is focused on perioperative nursing standards of practice and the nurse’s role in patient care before, during, and after operative and other invasive and interventional procedures in ambulatory and inpatient settings. 
  5. Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN): This journal publishes articles that further the advancement of evidence-based nursing, midwifery, and healthcare and covers a wide range of nursing-related topics including cancer nursing, community nursing, geriatric nursing, home care, mental health nursing, nursing research, and much more!
  6. Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA): Articles published in JONA are geared toward leaders in the nursing field (nurse executives, directors of nursing, and nurse managers). Articles offer practical, solution-oriented tools focused on leadership development, resource management (human, material, and financial), and staffing and scheduling systems. 
  7. American Journal of Nursing (AJN): As the oldest and largest circulating nursing journal in the world, AJN promotes excellence in professional nursing with articles focused on cutting-edge, evidence-based information while providing a holistic outlook on health and nursing.
  8. Journal of Clinical Nursing: This international journal is a forum for the exchange of high-quality information and the most updated nursing practice needs that promote understanding of sound research methods within all areas of nursing practice and research.
  9. Journal of Nursing Management: This fully open access journal explores and debates topics and current issues in nursing management and leadership, assesses the evidence behind current nursing practices, develops best practices in nursing management and leadership, and explores the impact of policy developments.
  10. Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JPN): As the official journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, JPN meets the practice needs of nurse practitioners with thought-provoking articles on controversial issues and topics, and publishes articles aimed at helping practitioners excel as primary and acute care providers.

For questions about any of these titles or other nursing journals, contact Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu).

In addition to the great titles listed above, Himmelfarb also provides access to essential nursing databases including CINAHL Complete, ClinicalKey for Nursing, Geriatric Nursing Review Syllabus, and Telemedinsights. To learn more about our nursing resources, be sure to visit our Nursing Guide which provides information about our nursing textbooks,  NCLEX resources, searching the literature, and more. This in-depth guide has a wealth of information for BSN, MSN, Nurse Practitioners, DNP, and Ph.D. nursing students alike!

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Whether you’re a practicing neurosurgeon, a neurosurgery resident, or a medical student considering neurosurgery as a specialty, Himmelfarb Library has full-text access to a wide range of neurosurgery resources! 

MedOne Neurosurgery

MedOne Neurosurgery provides full-text access to more than 300 e-books, including the Greenberg Handbook of Neurosurgery, which is a go-to manual for neurosurgeons. This comprehensive book includes a wide range of clinical practice guidelines in a single, one-stop resource. Full-text access to eight neurosurgery journals, including Skull Base, and the Journal of Neurological Surgery Reports is also available via MedOne Neurosurgery. Access to study tools including a review questions database, case presentations with questions and answers, detailed information on procedures, images, and over two thousand procedural videos are also available. MedOne Neurosurgery users can create a “playlist” of their favorite content for easy retrieval and can share these playlists with others. For questions about MedOne Neurosurgery, contact Ian Roberts at imroberts@gwu.edu.

Neurosurgery Journals

Himmelfarb has subscriptions to key neurosurgery journals including: 

  • World Neurosurgery (formally Surgical Neurology): This title is Himmelfarb’s most popular neurosurgery journal, seeing more than 2,700 uses in 2021. World Neurosurgery provides timely and comprehensive coverage of important clinical and research advances in neurosurgery. 
  • Journal of Neurosurgery: Published by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Journal of Neurosurgery is an authoritative source for scholarly articles featuring clinical and laboratory research, case reports, technical notes, reviews, and innovative surgical techniques and instruments.
  • Neurosurgical Review: This title saw the highest increase in usage by Himmelfarb users with a 130% increase in article views and downloads during 2021. This journal publishes comprehensive reviews on current issues in neurosurgery. Each issue focuses on a single topic (a disease or surgical approach) and contains up to five review articles per issue. 
  • Neurosurgery: As the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Neurosurgery publishes the latest information on innovative surgical techniques and advances in instrumentation. 

For questions about Himmelfarb’s neurosurgery journals, contact Ruth Bueter at rbueter@gwu.edu. 

Neurosurgery Textbooks

Himmelfarb’s Neurological Surgery Guide provides links to our best neurosurgery textbooks and board review ebooks including: 

These are just some brief highlights of some of the neurosurgery resources available through Himmelfarb Library. Use our library search service, Health Information @ Himmelfarb, to find more resources, or contact our reference department (email them at himmelfarb@gwu.edu) for help locating neurosurgery articles or additional resources.

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Image of a woman using a laptop from Women of Color in Tech stock images
Image from Women of Color in Tech stock images on Flickr (CC by 2.0)

The volume of new research being released can be overwhelming. You may need to keep up with new findings, developments, or guidelines to deliver quality patient care, pursue research, or teach and you may have multiple, disparate topics to follow. Scanning table of contents from your favorite journals won’t do the job. Twitter, ResearchGate and LinkedIn can help if you’re plugged into the right networks. We have some other tools to recommend to bring the latest relevant research to your attention.

Last spring Himmelfarb became an institutional member of Read by QxMD. Read is a personal awareness service for health sciences professionals. You can choose to follow curated collections or put in keywords to deliver relevant articles to your feed. The more you read, like, and save on Read, the more tailored your feed becomes. Check our article on Read to learn how to set up your free account and link directly to full-text articles. The Read app is available for Apple and Android devices and can be accessed via a web browser.

Browzine is a journal browsing and reading app that allows you to follow publications and receive alerts when new articles are published. You can set up a personal library of titles or search by subject. The Browzine mobile app allows you to download articles and read them offline. Set up a free account by accessing Browzine and selecting My Bookshelf. 

Several of Himmelfarb’s database services allow you to set up automated searches and search alerts. These include PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost databases like CINAHL. You can access any of these databases on Himmelfarb’s web page under Popular Resources. 

Additionally, Health Information @ Himmelfarb, the library’s search box, allows users to save searches that can be re-run later. After you’ve run your search, Sign In with your University UserID and password:

Screen shot of the Sign in option in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Then use the Save Query button to save your search.

Screen shot of the Save Query option in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

You can access the saved search later under My Favorites while signed in by clicking your name at upper right.

Screen shot of the menu selection for My Favorites in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Want to know what research has been retracted in your topics of interest? Retraction Watch is now integrated into Health Information @ Himmelfarb and Browzine via LibKey to alert you to retracted content.

For other tips on keeping up with the literature, check our Research Guide on How to Keep Up with Health Sciences Information.

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Cabells Logo.

Selecting a journal in which to publish your research is an important decision. With so many journals from which to choose, it can be daunting to compare journals and avoid publishing in a predatory or questionable journal, all while trying to find submission requirements, peer review information, and author guidelines to inform your decision making process. GW users now have access to Cabells Directory of Publishing Opportunities which can help you compare journals and identify predatory journals to avoid!

GW’s access to Cabells includes access to Journalytics and Predatory Reports. The Journalytics portion provides information on reputable journal titles including manuscript and submission guidelines, discipline, intended audience, peer review information, and acceptance rates. This information can help authors compare journals and make an informed decision regarding where to submit a manuscript for publication. Inclusion in Cabells Journalytics is by invitation only and criteria for inclusion can be found in the Journalytics Selection Policy.

The screenshot below is an example of the submission and review information listed for the Journal of Advanced Nursing found in Cabells Journalytics:

Screenshot of submission and review information.

Journalytics also allows you to compare up to 5 journals by selecting the titles you wish to compare, and clicking on the “Compare 5” button at the top of the search results. The screenshot below shows a side-by-side comparison of 5 emergency medicine journals:

Screenshot of journal comparisons.

The Predatory Reports portion of Cabells tracks journal titles that have been associated with predatory journal publishers based on violations of scholarly publishing standards and best practices. Cabells has established criteria for identifying deceptive, fraudulent, and/or predatory journals and provides a list of violations for each title listed in Predatory Reports. Examples of severe violations include: false qualifications or credential claims; fake ISSNs; fake, non-existent, or deceased editors; false peer review claims; publication of non-academic or pseudo-science papers; false indexing claims; lack of published articles or archives; misleading metrics; and misleading or false fee information. Cabells provides access to the complete list of Predatory Reports Criteria on their website.

The screenshot below shows an example of a list of violations from a title listed on Cabells Predatory Reports:

Screenshot of predatory violoations.

If you’d like a second opinion, or are unable to find a title you are suspicious of listed on Cabells Predatory Reports, don’t hesitate to use Himmelfarb’s Predatory Journal Check-Up Service by contacting Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu). 

Whether you want to check to see if a journal in which you are interested in publishing could be a predatory journal, or you want more information about potential journals to which you might want to consider submitting your manuscript, Cabells Directory of Publishing Opportunities can provide you with the concise information you need all from a single, easy-to-use interface! To learn more, or if you have questions about this resource, contact Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu). 

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