PubMed: Citations to journal articles on health and medical topics, with links to full text via
PubMed: Searching Tips & More: Basic search guide with link to PubMed exercise set (docx). Start here to learn how to search PubMed more effectively.
PubMed's Clinical Queries:
Those PubMed "Top Tips" are also applicable to the databases below.
Use UC Library Search, the UCB/UC library catalog and more to find books, reports, etc. on your topic. Books, while not often where original research is published, can often provide an overview of a topic and get you started with some key articles.
The above are but a sample of the many databases available to find article and other citations.
See the Public Health Databases guide for more.
Ask a librarian for help if you are having trouble with your topic.
Off-campus access is limited to current UC Berkeley faculty, staff and students. Choose one of the following methods:
Library Proxy (aka EZproxy):
When you click on a link to an article, database, etc., from a library web page. you will be prompted to authenticate via CalNet.
If you click on an article (etc.) link found via a search engine or a non-UCB Library webpage, you should use this bookmarklet to access the licensed resource.
Virtual Private Network (VPN):
Download and install the VPN client to allow access the UC Berkeley licensed resources.
Make sure you select Library Access - Full Tunnel VPN when you log on.
VPN FAQ
Students: Problems setting up Library Proxy or VPN? Contact your librarian, or Student Technology Services: (510) 642-HELP, or sts-help@berkeley.edu.
"Systematic reviews seek to collate all evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to address a specific research question. They aim to minimize bias by using explicit, systematic methods."
(from Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.
The Cochrane Library (Citations of Cochrane's systematic reviews are in PubMed)
Public Health + (Methodologically sound studies from top journals in a browsable, searchable database)
Health Evidence (Methodologically-sound reviews of health promotion and public health interventions)
Database of Promoting Health Effectiveness Reviews (Systematic and non-systematic reviews of effectiveness in health promotion and public health worldwide)
PubMed always separates review articles among the search results - see the link labeled Review on the right side of the search results page. Also, use Clinical Queries to search for systematic reviews in PubMed.
Online Newspapers & News:
Guide to news sources worldwide. Includes major dailies, local, alternative, and ethnic news sources, and science & health specialty news sources.
Grey Literature refers to publications not produced by commercial publishers: reports (pre-prints, technical reports, market research reports, etc.), theses, conference proceedings, etc. They are often produced by government entities, research institutions, or NGOs/IGOs.
The Guides to Public Health Subjects consists of topical web pages; each consisting of annotated lists of organizations, agencies, databases, and publications. Topics include:
• Environmental Health
• Health Equity
• Food/Nutrition
• Maternal and Child Health
• Health Program Planning, Policy, and Evaluation
and many more.
Google and other search engines can be useful for finding grey literature. Improve your search using:
Quotes for phrase searching:
"social marketing"
Site: to specify a particular site or domain:
"social marketing" site:.org (for a domain search)
"social marketing" site:cdcnpin.org (for a specific site search)
Boolean search statements (eg, OR):
("social marketing" OR "audience segmentation")
Find Dissertations and Theses, including the full text of most dissertations from 1996 to the present.
National Technical Reports Library (NTRL): over 2 million current and archived technical reports from many government agencies; over 600,000 available full text online.