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"Tips & Tricks"
The National Center for Biotechnology Information collects and curates thousands of protein sequences and related information, so it’s a great place to start if you need information fast.
Step 1: Go to the library homepage at www.library.tufts.edu/hhsl and click the PubMed@Tufts link.
Step 2: In the search box type: “ProteinName AND OrganismName[organism]” and select Protein from the dropdown menu on the left. Click search.
Step 3: Filter by RefSeq on the top right. (These are all standardized and approved protein sequences.)
Step 4: Click on a record of interest.
Step 5: Explore! The links in the right column allow you to find information about the coding gene, see conserved domains, find species with homologous genes, view 3D protein structures, view pathways that contain the protein (often from KEGG), and much more!
Have questions or need help? Contact katie.houk@tufts.edu to schedule a consultation!
Searching for basic information about a disease, treatment, signs & symptoms, or medical policy? The Toolbelt may be just the resource you need to find your answer.
Located in the orange “Popular Links” dropdown menu on the library homepage, the PBL Toolbelt can be accessed by logging into TUSK with your Tufts username and password.
Each toolkit is organized into a broad category for easy browsing. Each list is made by a librarian and contains the most useful and popular resources for answering common medical questions. The majority are electronic resources so you can access them from home!
We even include a useful guide for evaluating the resources you find to ensure they are top quality.
We welcome comments and feedback about the toolkits via our feedback survey!
Looking for a scanner at the Hirsh Health Sciences Library?
Check out room 524 on the 5th floor near the Library IT Service Desk.
We have three scanners that are completely free and easy to use!
The book scanner allows you to scan directly to e-mail, USB, printer, or Google Docs.
Not sure how to use it? Ask at the Library IT Service Desk on Sackler 5.
Thinking about undertaking a systematic review or wondering what they are?
Then check out our new research guide!
It provides an introduction to the requirements, search strategies and resources needed to conduct the literature review portion of a systematic review.
The guide contains links to major guidelines, provides information for formulating good searchable questions, tips & tricks for searching databases and extensive lists of databases and resources for your searching pleasure. We’d love for you to take some time and discover what the guide has to offer. Please contact us with suggestions and feedback!
Find it:
http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/SystematicReviews
You can also find it linked from the portals and on the Research Guides page under “Services” on the Library homepage.
When you check out at iPad from the Library IT Desk, you have access to a wide variety of apps.
In addition to the standard Apple apps, HHSL provides other apps for productivity, social media, and medical.
- Evernote – an app that allows you to create, edit, organize, sync, and share notes across devices.
- Lieberman’s iRadiology – provides access to over 500 radiology cases which allow scrolling and zooming of the images.
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention – an app by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which allows access to health articles, “disease of the week,” and current updates regarding health concerns.
- QBank USMLE – an app by USMLEWorld, LLC which allows you to customize and create tests to fit your study preferences.
For a complete list of the apps we have available, go here.
What is scholarly communication?
Scholarly communication refers to “the system through which research and other scholarly writings are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the scholarly community, and preserved for future use (Association of College and Research Libraries ).”
Scholarly communication relies in part on the ability of research libraries to purchase published works. The marketplace for scholarly publishing has developed in ways that challenge libraries’ ability to acquire the works needed by their users. Commercialization of publishing in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors has led to egregious price increases and unacceptable terms and conditions of use for some key research resources needed by the scholarly community.
How can Tufts University Libraries help?
The Tufts University Libraries are here to help you navigate through the publishing landscape and learn about copyright, fair use, and open access publishing.
Some ways Scholarly Communications @Tufts can help you:
- Learn about managing your copyrights, and use the Author’s Amendment when you negotiate with publishers.
- Consider using a less restrictive Creative Commons license.
- Deposit your research in the Tufts Digital Repository, so that it can be openly accessed.
- Consider putting your course in Tufts OpenCourseWare, and construct it carefully, so that you have the necessary permissions to do so.
- Consider publishing in an Open Access Journal.
- Keep up with developments in the open access movement by regularly reading:
- Open Access News – daily blog following the latest open access developments supported by the Open Society Institute and SPARC
- Create Change – advocacy and education campaign cosponsored with the Association of Research Libraries and the Association of College and Research Libraries to engage the academic community in reclaiming scholarly communication.
- The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), is an alliance of universities, research libraries, and organizations built as a constructive response to market dysfunctions in the scholarly communication system.
For more information about Scholarly Communications @Tufts visit the website. And if you’re interested in keeping up with changes to publishing and open access visit the Scholarly Communications Team’s reading list.
Need a break from studying, but you’re still interested in reading about health science topics? Check out the New York Times blog, Well. The blog has a range of health related topics, among them are personal health, fitness, doctor-patient relationships, and mind/body. They update it frequently and have contributing authors working in the health professional field. There’s something for everyone, especially if you’re generally interested in consumer health. Recent and past posts include:
Did you know you can checkout electronic equipment from the Hirsh Health Sciences Library for four hours at a time?
Stop by the Library IT Desk on the 5th floor Monday-Thursday 9am-6pm and Friday 9am-7pm to checkout any of the following items:
- Macbooks (with a charger and a mouse)
- iPads – See what apps we have available here.
- Headphones
- Macbook chargers
- Apple iPad/iPod/iPhone chargers
- VGA adaptors for Apple devices and PCs to connect your device to a projector
- A myriad of other devices and cables such as S-video and HDMI
Equipment items can be checked out at the 4th floor Library Service Desk when the Library IT Desk is closed.
For more information regarding checkout policies, see the laptop page on the HHSL website.
“Good quality health care should be possible everywhere, even in poor, remote areas.” Sumaira Yaftali
Sumaira Yaftali (b.1982), physician at Malalai Maternity Hospital in Kabul, the biggest women’s hospital in Afghanistan
“I want to become a good doctor because the Afghan society is so damaged.War has brought many needs, especially for women. Our culture makes access to health care very difficult…Whomever I marry must agree to my profession and to the objective of helping our people. Good quality health care should be possible everywhere, even in poor, remote areas.”
Learn more about Sumaira Yaftali:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_53815.html
Have you heard about Google Glass?
The newest innovation from Google allows you to record, photograph, and view your world – hands free. You can share what you are seeing and experiencing in real time.
Timothy Aungst, PharmD recently shared his ideas about Google Glass and healthcare for iMedicalApps. One scenario is the ability for first responders to live stream from the scene of an accident to the Emergency Department so they can determine the status and trauma of the patient and prepare for their arrival. Read more innovative ideas in the iMedicalApps post.
Have a question? Ask Us!
