Pharmacy 81 - Prof Casas Online Library Resources: Drug Information

Use the following databases to find articles that are most relevant to your topic. They are in order of those that are usually most useful for pharmacy research.  See the Database Page for a complete description of the Cerritos College Library online resources. Before you can get into a database, you will be asked to log in using your student ID number and your 8 digit birthday (mmddyyyy).

Remember:

• Always search databases using only the keywords that best describe your topic
• Keywords can be combined into a search string with the operators "and", "or", "not"

The full-text for AHFS Consumer Medication Information is inside Health Source: Consumer Edition, so you may just want to search for your medication inside Health Source: Consumer Edition. You can also search for articles on topics.  Example: obesity and chronic diseases

These next two databases come from the same company.  They contain drug information, but not periodical articles.  Facts & Comparison eAnswers is the less complex one.  It does not have as many tools, but it has plenty of drug information.  Lexicomp has similar drug information and additional tools.

What is a Scholarly Journal?

Scholarly journals are generally published by and for experts. A publication is considered to be peer reviewed if its articles go through an official editorial process that involves review and approval by the author’s peers (people who are experts in the same subject area.) Articles in scholarly journals present new, previously unpublished research. Scholarly sources will almost always include:

• Bibliography and footnotes
• Author’s name and academic credentials

Use scholarly journals for highly focused original research. 

Examples: AMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, African American Review, Modern Fiction Studies, American Psychologist and American Sociological Review 

What is a Popular Magazine?

Articles in popular magazines tend to be written by staff writers or freelance journalists and are geared towards a general audience. While most magazines adhere to editorial standards, articles do not go through a peer review process and rarely contain bibliographic citations. Popular magazines are periodicals that one typically finds at grocery stores, airport newsstands, or bookstores. Use popular magazines for a general overview of current news and opinions, or firsthand accounts of an event.

Examples: Popular magazines range from highly respected publications such as Scientific American and The Atlantic Monthly to general interest magazines like People, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek and US News & World Report.

What is a Trade Publication?

Trade publications focus on a specific profession or trade. Articles in trade magazines cover the interest of skilled laborers, technicians, and artisans. Professional magazines cover the interests of professors, librarians, and members of other fields that require advanced degrees. Subject magazines cover a topic of interest to one or more professions. Use trade magazines for overviews of news and research in a particular field.

Examples: Legal Assistant Today and Library Journal

For some research assignments, it is important to use primary sources, instead of or in addition to secondary sources. What’s the difference?

Primary sources are original documents or objects—first-hand information or the raw material. These original documents are often diaries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches, or interviews. They may also include published pieces such as newspaper or magazine articles, as long as they are written soon after the fact and not as historical accounts. Eye witness accounts, photographs, audio or video recordings, research reports in the natural or social sciences, or original literary or theatrical works are also considered primary sources.

Secondary sources interpret primary sources. Secondary sources include comments on, interpretations of, or discussions about the original material. You can think of secondary sources as second-hand information. Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that evaluate or criticize someone else’s original research.

Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources