Category Archives: Internet Resources

PubMed changes coming in September 2019

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In September 2019 PubMed 2.0 is scheduled to become the default PubMed version, and the existing PubMed is currently planned to be retired completely in January 2020. For now, the PubMed Labs website provides an opportunity to test the new PubMed, get further information, and provide feedback. Further details on the new version are available in a September 2018 article at PubMed Central; however, please note that some PubMed 2.0 features have changed since the article was published.

The major changes to PubMed include:

  1. Search results sorted by “relevance” by default (instead of the current “most recent”) and include text snippets relevant to your query
  2. A new search algorithm that uses machine learning to optimize results
  3. Compatibility with any screen size
  4. A more limited set of highly used features
  5. Improved “results by year” functionality

PubMed 2.0 is still evolving. Look for future information on the Library website or email LibAsk@utsouthwestern.edu.

Protocols at your fingertips

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Over 30 videos filmed at UT Southwestern appear in JoVE Journal of Visualized Experiments, including a recent contribution by Michael Kalwat, PhD and Melanie H. Cobb, PhD, “Measuring Relative Insulin Secretion using a Co-Secreted Luciferase Surrogate,” filmed at UT Southwestern in May 2019.

Protocols—also known as methodologies, procedures, techniques, or experiments—are invaluable and popular resources for anyone involved in scientific research, bench work, grant writing, and/or research project planning. Protocols provide practical guidance by describing the design and implementation of a scientific experiment. The foundational information found in protocols is indispensable for fostering standardized research methods and reproducible results.

Protocols offer many benefits, such as:

  • Save time by accessing highly tested, peer-reviewed techniques and procedures from some of the most established books and journals in your field
  • Stay up-to-date with the latest cutting-edge methods
  • Accelerate scientific discovery by accessing the most reliable protocols in the various scientific disciplines
  • Ensure reproducible results, safeguarding and validating research results
  • Utilize step-by-step guidelines and troubleshooting tips from authoritative, reliable sources
  • Avoid reinventing the wheel

The Library provides online access to many popular protocols resources. Most individual protocols articles appearing in these resources are indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase. Here are a few major protocols options currently offered by the Library:

  • Cold Spring Harbor Protocols – This resource continues the renowned Cold Spring Laboratory’s long-standing practice of providing trusted, step-by-step laboratory techniques, covering cell and molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, protein science, and imaging.
  • Current Protocols (Wiley) – Creators of the standard protocol format over 30 years ago, this long-standing, “gold standard” offers rigorously reviewed and curated protocols in fields such as molecular biology, microbiology, and stem cell biology.
  • JoVE Journal of Visualized Experiments – This scientific methods video journal publishes protocols articles along with detailed videos of laboratory procedures for novel methods, innovative techniques of existing techniques, and gold standard protocols for the life and physical sciences.
  • Methods in Enzymology (Elsevier) – This is one of the most popular and heavily used eBook series offered by the Library, with complete full-text access back to volume 1 (1955). These critically acclaimed, individually themed volumes have served as one of the most highly regarded life sciences standards for more than 50 years, covering research methods in fields such as biochemistry, microbiology, cancer research and genetics.
  • Methods in Molecular Biology (part of the SpringerProtocols database; click on “Protocols” link) – This respected series offers step-by-step protocols, tips, tricks, shortcuts, and troubleshooting advice in the more than 2,000 MIMB volumes. MIMB is a standard resource in labs throughout the world with each volume providing focused, in-depth coverage on a specific sub-discipline. Online access to MIMB is now part of the SpringerProtocols database, which combines MIMB and other high quality laboratory protocols in biomedicine and the life sciences.
  • Springer Nature Experiments – SpringerNature developed this specialized search tool for researchers by researchers. It searches more than 60,000 references from the SpringerProtocols database, Nature Methods, Nature Protocols, and Protocol Exchange (open repository for scientific research protocols). Advanced search options allow filtering by technique, video availability, publication year, article category, etc. to identify relevant content more quickly. While this tool is freely available, UT Southwestern affiliates benefit with direct access to the Library funded full-text articles from the SpringerNature suite of resources.

For assistance with these tools or other reference inquiries, please contact us. We’re here to help.

Predatory Journal – Yes or No??

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Open access publishing continues to grow across all academic disciplines.  Increasingly, the open access publishing model, which provides immediate access to peer-reviewed research once published, has become susceptible to misuse by predatory publishers.  These predatory publishers aggressively solicit academics with requests for manuscript submissions, reviews and editorial board services, creating negative publicity for legitimate open access journals.1,2  Jeffrey Beall, formerly at the University of Colorado in Denver, first described predatory publishers in 2008, and developed the first (now defunct) list of predatory journals.3

While there is no universally accepted definition of predatory journals, recent publications review key characteristics of potential predatory journals.  These journals often use questionable business practices, lack scientific rigor with minimal or no peer review and have little or limited editorial oversight.  Predatory journals are usually not indexed in established bibliographic databases, such as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO or Web of Science Master.  With more than 10,000 identified potential predatory journals, the dangerous implications to scholarly quality and integrity, academic standards and evidence-based practice cannot be overestimated.1,4-6

“To assist researchers/authors make an informed decision about where to publish, the Library is providing access to a pre-defined checklist that offers guidance on identifying trusted journals,” said Kelly R. Gonzalez, MSIS, MBA, Assistant Vice President for Library Services.  “Additionally, at the UT Southwestern Library’s Writing Portal, the Publication Support for Author Article Processing Charges (APC) handout summarizes a list of select UT Southwestern Library journal subscriptions which provide discounted article processing charges.”

For additional information, call 214-648-2001 or click “Live Chat” on the Library’s website to chat Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

REFERENCES

  1. McCann TV, Polacsek M. False gold: Safely navigating open access publishing to avoid predatory publishers and journals. J Adv Nurs. 2018;74(4):809-817.
  2. Shen C, Bjork BC. ‘Predatory’ open access: a longitudinal study of article volumes and market characteristics. BMC Med. 2015;13:230.
  3. Butler D. Investigating journals: The dark side of publishing. Nature. 2013;495(7442):433-435
  4. Cobey KD, Lalu MM, Skidmore B, Ahmadzai N, Grudniewicz A, Moher D. What is a predatory journal? A scoping review. F1000Research. 2018;7:1001.
  5. Lalu MM, Shamseer L, Cobey KD, Moher D. How stakeholders can respond to the rise of predatory journals. Nature Human Behaviour. 2017;1(12):852-855.
  6. Ross-White A, Godfrey CM, Sears KA, Wilson R. Predatory publications in evidence syntheses. J Med Libr Assoc. 2019;107(1):57-61.

UT Southwestern launches ORCID@UTSW Registration site

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On January 15, 2019, UT Southwestern Health Sciences Digital Library and Learning Center is officially launching ORCID@UTSW. ORCID (Open Research and Contributor ID) is a not-for-profit organization whose vision is to help researchers establish and maintain their scholarly identity and connect with each other. By creating persistent unique identifiers, ORCID minimizes name ambiguity. The ORCID iD is adopted widely by educational institutions, publishers, and funders and utilized in databases like Scopus. UT Southwestern Medical Center partners with ORCID as a “Trusted Organization” to connect our students and researchers to their scholarly work.

What is an ORCID iD?

The ORCID iD is a persistent unique identifier that follows individuals throughout their career, regardless of changes in name, occupation, or institution affiliation. Researchers can easily attach their ORCID iD to their scholarly works, such as articles, citations, grants, patents, and data sets. ORCID provides tools for individuals to manage data privacy; no information about a person is encoded in the ORCID iD.

Why get an ORCID iD?

Benefits of getting an ORCID iD:

  • Distinguish yourself from other researchers who share your name
  • Ensure you get credit for your scholarly work
  • Reduce the administrative burden of having to identify your work to multiple systems and organizations
  • Repurpose information for campus repositories

How do I register for an ORCID iD?

UT Southwestern has simplified registration through its ORCID@UTSW registration page. ORCID registration is quick and only requires an email and password! The current and future benefits to linking your ORCID account with UT Southwestern as a “Trusted Organization” are:

  • Streamline data exchange between you and UT Southwestern, i.e., affiliation and activity updates
  • Provide tracking capabilities for grants and accreditation
  • Further legitimize your ORCID record with source data attributed to UT Southwestern

ORCID understands your need to control how your information is shared and provides tools to manage the visibility of your data. You have full control over the information contained within your ORCID record. For each record, you can apply one of three visibility settings:

  • Everyone – Information is publicly available to everyone including UT Southwestern.
  • Trusted Parties – Information is not available to the general public, but access is provided to UT Southwestern and any other organization you designate in your ORCID record’s “Trusted Parties” area.
  • Only Me – Information is for personal use only and not publicly available to anyone.

Questions? Email orcid@utsouthwestern.edu or consult the Library’s ORCID Portal for more information, training videos and FAQs.

New service changes coming to Interlibrary Loan service in mid-September

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Beginning in mid-September, a few changes are coming to the UT Southwestern Digital Library and Learning Center’s Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service.

Delivery Service Changes

We are excited to offer an expanded free and convenient delivery service of books directly to all UT Southwestern-affiliated borrowers on campus. Additionally, the Bass Center ILL office (BL5.500) will be the only pick-up location available during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.).

Pick-Up Options

  • Delivery Service – This free and convenient service is available to affiliated clients on-campus.
  • In Person Pickup – The Bass Center ILL office is located at the Bass Center, 6363 Forest Park Rd (Tower #2), Room BL5.500, during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.). The South Campus Library will no longer be a designated pick-up location.

Drop-Off Options

  • South Campus Main Library Book Drop Slot (near E2.408, 24/7 badge access)
  • North Campus Branch Library (ND2.300, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
  • Bass Center ILL Office  (BL5.500, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

New Terms of Agreement

The Library has a new ILL Terms of Agreement. When logging into your ILLiad account to request materials, you will receive a one-time request to accept the new terms.

For any questions or help, please contact the ILL office during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) by email, on LiveChat, or by phone at 214-648-2002.

Interested to learn more about getting help with or using ILLiad? Go to the ILLiad FAQs.

Looking to increase productivity and efficiency? Try the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE)!

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Did you know that the Library offers a resource that can help UT Southwestern labs increase productivity and efficiency?

JoVE’s Science Education collection offers simple, easy-to-understand videos that teach and reinforce laboratory fundamentals. JoVE developed this on-demand learning approach in collaboration with experts at top institutions, ensuring high quality, trusted content. The Library-funded Basic Biology Science Education video database can reduce time spent teaching laboratory basics or providing refreshers to research assistants, students, post docs, and other researchers.

Read about a recent case study at one of UCLA’s labs, which describes how they were able to increase productivity and reduce lab expenses with the animal research training videos that are part of the Basic Biology collection.

Users can view concise lessons repeatedly at any time to help improve learning and retention. An added bonus is the accompanying translation option that allows one to watch the videos and download the accompanying text in other languages such as Chinese, German, and Spanish.

JoVE’s Basic Biology Science Education collection includes the following components:

In addition to the Basic Biology Science Education collection, the Library provides access to all JoVE video journals that focus on biological and medical research. The journals provide experimental techniques, using the same high-quality visual format, with detailed text protocols for increased scientific reproducibility and productivity. JoVE is the leading peer-reviewed, PubMed/Medline indexed methods journal with more than 8,000 published articles. JoVE journal sections include Behavior, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biology, Cancer Research, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Immunology and Infection, Medicine, and Neuroscience.

Research lifecycle resource: SAGE Research Methods

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SAGE Research Methods

SAGE Research Methods

Looking for more information on research methods? SAGE Research Methods helps researchers, faculty, and students with their research projects. Dive into research methods at various points along the research lifecycle with more than 1,000 books (including the Little Green Books, SAGE’s popular Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences series), journal articles, reference works, datasets, cases, videos, podcasts, and more.

Need help getting started with research methods? Try the Methods Map, which provides key terminology definitions, and aids in exploration and discovery of various research methods. Identifying content related to measurement error, research impact, teaching research methods, and more is easy to do using the Methods Map. In addition to the Methods Map, user-driven reading lists, a project planner guide, and a stats test are also available.

SAGE Research Methods has a wide variety of resources of use to students, researchers, and faculty. One can also browse SAGE Research Methods by topic, discipline, or content type. Of particular interest within SAGE Research Methods are the following:

  • SAGE Research Methods Cases provides more than 1,100 selected case studies, showing the challenges and successes of doing research. Written by the researchers themselves, the cases explain why the researchers chose the methods they did, how they overcame problems in their research, and what they might have done differently with hindsight. Cases are peer-reviewed and include learning objectives and discussion questions.
  • SAGE Research Methods Datasets is a collection of selected teaching datasets and instructional guides that give students a chance to learn data analysis by practicing themselves. This bank of topical, engaging practice datasets, indexed by method and data type, are optimized to use in classroom exercises or in exam papers, saving faculty members hours spent sourcing and cleaning data themselves.
  • SAGE Research Methods Videos contains more than 125 hours of video, including tutorials, case study videos, expert interviews, and more, covering the entire research methods and statistics curriculum.

SAGE Research Methods is provided by UT Southwestern and the University of Texas System Digital Library.

New D2L faculty resources: AcESO Curriculum Builder tutorial and April 3rd Turnitin: Feedback Studio faculty training

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Make Reading Lists in Your Courses Using a New AcESO Curriculum Builder Tool in D2L  

The Library is launching a new discovery tool which allows you to search all Library holdings using one search box. AcESO (Academic Enhanced Search Option) will search books, journals, available full-text articles, and UT Southwestern Archives digital images, as well as Institutional Repository content including theses, dissertations, contributed academic posters, Grand Rounds videos, and more!

Along with AcESO, we have purchased Curriculum Builder, which integrates AcESO with D2L Brightspace (D2L) and provides the ability to create reading lists in class sections that are linked directly to electronic content to which the Library subscribes.

To learn how to use the Curriculum Builder tool in D2L, view the Making a Reading List in D2L using UTSW Library’s AcESo Curriculum Builder Tool brief tutorial on the Library’s YouTube page.

Questions about AcESO or Curriculum Builder? Contact LibWebmaster@utsouthwestern.edu.

Turnitin: Feedback Studio (anti-plagiarism software) Faculty Training on April 3rd

As an instructor would you like to:

  • Know if your students are writing original papers?
  • Help your students write better papers by improving their style and grammar?
  • Show your students how their grade relates to competencies or assignment requirements?
  • Grade quickly using a set of reusable marking tools?
  • Have students provide peer feedback?

Turnitin enables you to do all these things. Turnitin works with your courses in D2L, and you can even use Turnitin without using D2L.

Are you ready to learn how to use it?  A trainer from Turnitin will lead a hands-on how-to webinar that covers how to configure a D2L assignment to utilize Turnitin.

You will also learn how to use the online Feedback Studio tool to:

  • See and evaluate possible plagiarism and writing style problems
  • Use the QuickMark tool to provide drag and drop feedback
  • Link feedback to competencies or assignment requirements
  • Create and use grading rubrics
  • Provide quick verbal or written feedback
  • Push the grade to the D2L gradebook

The training session will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2018, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Bring your laptop and join Dr. Yulia Piller, AIS Manager of Educational Technology, and Martha Buckbee, D2L Administrator, in NL03.120 or join from your office. You should be able to follow the steps in your sandbox course. Let Martha know by March 30, 2018, if you do not have a sandbox and would like one.

Don’t click! Phishing scam email identified regarding Library access

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The Library was just made aware of a phishing scam email requesting Library access renewal but masking our information with erroneous information. A sample of the email is below. This is not a legitimate email. Our Library would never request that you update your access status in this manner.

If you have received this email, please delete it immediately. If you have clicked on the link in error, please contact Information Resources and change your password immediately.

ALCEP funding highlights—Texas County Histories & African American Historical Serials

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A wide group of online resources was recently purchased by the University of Texas Digital Library with Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) funds. The UT Board of Regents allocates ALCEP funds for one-time collection purchases to broaden the research and scholarly capabilities of the System’s fourteen institutions. The UT Southwestern Health Sciences Digital Library and Learning Center now offers online access to two history-centric resources through an ALCEP purchase: Texas County Histories and African American Historical Serials.

The Library now has perpetual access rights to Texas County Histories, a collection of more than 80 ebooks within Accessible Archives. Accessible Archives is a full-text, searchable database that includes serial publications such as newspapers and magazines, as well as books and county histories. Note: Other content within the Accessible Archives database is only available through September 2018.

Some of these ebooks also provide information on the history of medicine in Texas. The Encyclopedia of Texas, written in the 1920s, has a chapter on the history of the Texas medical profession, written by R. W. Knox, M.D., who had been a president of what is now known as the Texas Medical Association. Another chapter highlights Dallas as the medical center of the Southwest.

The other history-related resource of interest is African American Historical Serials, which is available through EBSCO. Developed in conjunction with the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) as an effort to preserve endangered serials related to African American religious life and culture, this database is a centralized and accessible digital resource of formerly fragmentary, widely-dispersed, and endangered materials originating from various institutions and sources, including some that had not previously participated in preservation projects. This collection documents the history of African American life and religious organizations from materials published between 1816 through 1922.

Some of the online materials within this resource that chronicle the history of medicine include the Report of the State Hospital at Goldsboro, North Carolina, which covers every other year between 1902 to 1916, and the Annual Report of the Lincoln Hospital & Home, which covers some of the years between 1915 and 1922. These reports provide images of hospital buildings, department staffing, statistics on patient stays, local medical advertisements, and more.