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