Medical Literature Basics

Reference Textbooks Websites Research Journal Review
Journal articles:
  • Original research published in scientific journals; reaches a wide audience rapidly.
  • Most current source for information on diagnosis and therapy.
    • Journals produced by national, state, or regional professional associations, such as the American Medical Association (AMA) or the Massachusetts Medical Society, contain more material of interest to practicing physicians.
      • Examples: Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), New England Journal of Medicine.
    • Associations, societies, and medical specialty organizations also produce journals containing reports of basic or specialized research.
      • Examples: Archives of Internal Medicine, Lancet, Gut.
Review articles:
  • Organize and summarize new information drawn from journal articles as well as earlier review articles and books.
  • Bridge the gap between the original research published as journal articles and the more formal presentation of current knowledge in textbooks.
  • Commonly deal with topics in great depth.
  • Usually contain extensive bibliographies of earlier journal articles, book chapters, and books.
  • Can be found by doing a MEDLINE or PUBMED search on the topic with a publication type of “review”
  • Uses/Purposes:
    • Acquiring needed information in unfamiliar fields.
    • Updating one's knowledge of a subject.
  • Examples found in: Journal on Continuing Education in the Health Professions;
Textbooks and Monographs/Books:
  • Compile, organize and summarize information found in journal and review articles as well as earlier monographs/books and textbooks.
  • Are only as current as two to three years prior to the date published.
  • Medicine's scope is so wide that textbooks in the field frequently are multi-authored and focus either on:
    • Medicine and surgery of particular groups of people, or
      • Examples: Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine; Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics
    • Specific medical specialties:
      • Medical specialty textbooks and monographs/books usually emphasize either:
        • Basic sciences (anatomy, physiology, histology, cytology, microbiology, pathology, immunology, parasitology, etc.) or
          • Example: Grant’s Atlas of Anatomy
        • Clinical sciences (surgery, radiology, clinical pathology, ophthalmology, dermatology, oncology, etc.).
          • Example: Danforth’s Obstetrics and Gynecology
Reference books are resources for concise/quick [not usually comprehensive] information, such as:
  • Dictionaries define words or terms used in specific disciplines such as medicine or nursing.
    • Example: Stedman's Medical Dictionary Illustrated [27th ed., 2000]; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary [30 th ed., 2003] .
  • Single volume reference books provide an overview of major fields of practice as well as diagnosis
    • Example: Cecil’s Textbook of Medicine; Merck Manual.
  • Drug books provide information on pharmacology, uses, adverse effects, drug interactions, etc.
    • Example: AHFS Drug Information; Mosby’s Drug Consult, USP DI (Drug Information).
  • Current therapy books provide brief articles on clinical problems, approaches to diagnosis, and treatment.
    • Example: Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; Nuclear Medicine: Diagnosis and Therapy.
Medical Web Sites on the Internet:
  • Publish either original material or compiles or summarizes print formats (e.g. journal articles, textbooks, reference books) into web pages to reach a wide audience instantaneously.
  • Web sites of professional medical organizations, societies, or colleges as well as those of the government or universities provide the most accurate information.

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