Archive for February, 2009
Googling for library resources?
Have you ever been doing research on the open web and found the perfect journal article? But when you tried to download the PDF, you were asked to log in or pay for the article? Many resources including PubMed, the Cochrane Library and journals like Nature or JAMA can be retrieved by searching Google, but off campus, you WILL be asked to pay, even if the library licenses the journal. This happens because the website you are trying to download from does not recognize you as being affiliated with UAB. Lister Hill Library uses software, EZ Proxy, to provide off campus access to resources that are licensed by UAB libraries and must be limited to UAB faculty, staff and students.
To avoid this problem, search for articles in PubMed by starting on the Lister Hill Library website: http://www.uab.edu/lister/ Choose “Quick Links” then PubMed, or use the PubMed tab on the search box at the top right of the LHL homepage. To access a specific journal, use the E-journals link, also on the Quick Links page, and also a tab on the search box. Both of these resources and many more, including Cochrane Library, MD Consult, and Current Protocols can be found on the LHL Databases and Resources page, http://www.uab.edu/lister/tools , or in the LHL catalog.
If you prefer to search the open web, consider starting with Google Scholar (scholarly articles) www.scholar.google.com or Scirus (scientific websites and articles) www.scirus.com. Both of these search engines can be customized in their “Preferences” to link directly to articles that LHL licenses, using UAB Article Linker. For instructions, please see:
Google Scholar: http://snipurl.com/cmciv
Scirus: http://snipurl.com/cmcc6
Contact LHL: http://www.uab.edu/lister/qpask/ or 934-2230
Getting to know the UAB CCTS – One Great Community
One Great Community is the formal venue for developing and enhancing community partnerships within the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Its goals are to:
1) Translate scientific knowledge generated at UAB into direct community benefit;
2) Engage the community in the generation of questions and ideas that will be pursued by CCTS researchers through hypothesis-driven research in partnership with the community, and;
3) Support and facilitate collaboration and trust between the community and the biomedical research enterprise.
One Great Community uses the methodology of community-based participatory research to meet these goals, and build on extensive and long-standing partnerships that join UAB researchers with communities in the impoverished, rural Deep South and with the region’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Community-based participatory research has grown significantly in popularity and practice in the US and is a major emphasis of the CTSA initiative.
To learn more about community-academic research partnerships, please read the following article:
ABSTRACT: Responding to both the proliferation of higher-education-community partnerships and the paucity of studies that report the perspective of the community partners in such relationships, we interviewed community leaders to learn about their motivations for and experiences of participating in higher-education-community research partnerships. The article reports community leaders’ assessments of the benefits and challenges of engaging in such partnerships, shares their advice for both community and university-based actors considering involvement in such partnerships, and explores the larger institutional and structural issues that bedevil higher-education-community partnerships.
The Career Award Wizard
No – it isn’t Harry telling you what to do. The Career Award Wizard is designed by Muggles at the NIH to help you determine which Career Award (K) might be best for you. It isn’t perfect (what is?) but it can help point you in the right direction. Think of it as a kind of sorting hat.
Go to the site, answer the questions, see what comes up. It may be that the Wizard results will lead you to seek out other resources – like the K Kiosk or F Kiosk. Each site has helpful links about extramural funding as well as links to all of the Program Announcements. After you have identified a program that looks like it might work and you’ve read the corresponding program announcement, contact the Program Official at the most likely funding Institute or Center. Confirming your selection may save you a lot of time and effort and is an important contact to make before you begin the hard work of developing your application. Contact me while you are at it. I can help with the career development plan for your application as well as aid you with accessing resources of the CCTS.
Melissa McBrayer
Scientific Writing Seminars (SWS)
For over four years, the Scientific Writing Seminar Series (SWSS) has been providing the UAB community with practical knowledge and skills needed to produce quality scientific writing for a successful career in biomedical and health sciences research. Now sponsored by the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), the new and improved Scientific Writing Seminars (SWS) continue to provide practical assistance in three areas: 1) the development of scientific manuscripts, 2) grants, and 3) scientific presentations. Learn more about the current seminars that we are offering in 2009:
Developing Scientific Manuscripts
The goal of this session is to develop practical skills for writing a scientific, peer-reviewed article. Information will include introductory material on types of scientific writing, where to submit articles, the elements of a journal article, and how to respond to critiques and correspond with editors. (2 hours total)
Developing Career Plans for NIH K awards
This session includes information on assessing individual readiness for an application, gathering information from the NIH and UAB resources, learning about specific funding mechanisms such as K01s, K08s, and K23s and how to prepare the career development portion of a K award. Information covered will include planning and preparation of the candidate description, scientific biography, and career development plan. This session uses a small group format to allow time for discussion and Q & A. (2 hours total)
Future two-hour sessions are in the works for the following topics: Developing Scientific Presentations, Revising Grant Applications and Responding to Pink Sheets and Developing Research Plans for Grant Applications. For more information and upcoming sessions, visit the UAB CCTS web site.
On-Line Protocols
Interested in resources, searching tips, news about scientific literature, or timesaving strategies for managing information? About once a month, we at Lister Hill Library will provide a brief post highlighting one of these topics for researchers in clinical and translational science. This month, we are featuring online protocols. Lister Hill Library currently licenses:
· Current Protocols in Cell Biology, Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology
· Methods in Enzymology
· Nature Protocols
These protocols resources provide searchable, authoritative, peer-reviewed, step-by-step instructions for laboratory procedures. Nature Protocols includes Nature Network, a moderated discussion forum on methodological techniques. Access these protocols on and off campus from the Lister Hill Library Databases and Resources Page. Off campus, you will authenticate with your Blazer ID and Password.
Questions? Click here for more information or contact us.
