MS-1s, good luck with the Fund I exam on Friday!  Does that mean you get a few days off?  I hope so.  In case you are still here studying, note that the library is closed on Monday but open Saturday and Sunday.  See you next week!

We have finished grading your references on the Better project and you should have received our feedback.   If any of you have specific questions or want to look at our work, please let me know.  I’d be happy to review it with you and your group.  Below are some general comments based on our grading:

Almost no one cited the references exactly following the AMA style.  The most common errors were to include commas between the author’s last name and first initial and to capitalize the words in the article titles.  There was also confusion about using et al.  Section 3.7 of the style guide states,  “In listed references, the names of all authors should be given unless there are more than 6, in which case the names of the first 3 authors are used, followed by ‘et al.’”

Many of you cited your articles using the print format when I suspect you actually read and used the online format of the article.  Section 3.15.1 explains how to cite online articles.  You do not need to include, “Available at” before the url.

The instructions were to double space the references, many of you did not.

While some of you did explain what content led you to select the references you used, no one really clearly explained why those references were valid sources of information.  We were looking for comments on the date, the credentials of the authors, the quality of the publication, peer review, where the reference was recommended and so forth.  Our goals is to teach you to evaluate the quality of the information you find, not to just use whatever you find that provides information on your topic.

You’ll do a very similar assignment in Fundamentals I.  More info on that to come.  Hopefully this feedback will help with that assignment.

Did you know we have 8 study rooms available for groups to use?  Find all the details on our policy page and let us know in the comments if the rooms are meeting your needs.

Don’t miss out on HealthFest 2011 on Tuesday, August 23rd from 9 am to 3 pm. Have your vision checked and get dental and hearing screenings. Get tested for HIV and Sickle Cell Blood Disease and see CPR demos. Find out what your blood pressure is and take the DPA Heart Health test. Take part in acupuncture graphing and donate to the Blood Drive. See cooking demonstrations and enjoy light refreshments. Check http://www.uab.edu/lister/events to see the complete list of health fair participants/vendors. The purpose of this health fair is to increase health awareness through education and prevention. This event is free and open to the public. For more info, call 205-934-3306.

Once Fundamentals I begins I no longer hear students worrying about the mechanics of being in medical school, now the tough stuff begins and it is all about histology, genetics and anatomy.  We’ll be working with Drs. Cotlin and Robin to continue to provide support for this long module.  Enjoy!

You may not have used the AMA style to cite your references in your undergraduate work and it is somewhat different than other styles.  We have a guide to using this style correctly that links to the manual with all the details.  If you have a question though, don’t hesitate to ask.

I bet it is almost more exciting to be beginning your second year of medical school than it is on the first day.  You made it through the first grueling year and had the summer to volunteer, conduct research or just relax–yeah right.  Today begins the Musculoskeletal/Skin module.  Don’t forget that the librarians at LHL are still here to support you.  Ask us anytime!

Don’t miss our table at orientation tomorrow.  The smell of freshly popped popcorn should lead you in the right direction.  We’ll have the ever-popular badge clips as well as some other giveaways.  See you then.

You have all submitted your work plans for the “Better” project and several of you asked questions about searching your topic after my session yesterday.  If you are working on your paper today, stop by and talk to us during office hours from noon to 1 pm on the 4th floor of Volker Hall.  We’re happy to help use the resources I talked about yesterday to research your specific topic.  Hope to see you there.