Health and Medical Studies: Journal/Review Articles

Filter the results by the subtopics displayed to find more specific journals for your research

A quick tutorial on reading and understanding a scientific paper, created and shared by Dr. Jennifer Raff, a research fellow in Anthropology at the University of Texas-Austin.  

When looking for articles on your topic, the best way to start is to search within article databases. The Library has access to dozens of databases, which in turn index thousands of periodicals. Many, but not all, contain the full-text of articles.

Finding Databases

To find the appropriate databases, go to the Library website.

• If you need a few good articles, search under the Articles tab on the library homepage.
• If you have a specific database in mind, go to Databases A-Z
• If you don't know which database to use, go to Research Guides

Using Databases

Once in a database, start with a KEYWORD search using words relevant to your topic. When you see an article that looks interesting, click on the title to see the complete citation. If there are SUBJECT TERMS or DESCRIPTORS, click on those that seem related to your topic to get other articles on the subject.

Some tips:

• Not all databases have the full-text of articles. Some only provide citations and abstracts. Use the Look for full text with LinkSource icon to see if the full-text of the article is available in another database.
• If the Library doesn't have access to a journal, you can obtain the article through interlibrary loan.
• Almost all Library databases can be accessed from off-campus. The easiest way to do this is to use links from the Library website. You will then be prompted for your Centre ID and password to authenticate yourself as an authorized user.

"A review in which bias has been reduced by the systematic identification, appraisal, synthesis, and, if relevant, statistical aggregation of all relevant studies on a specific topic according to a predetermined and explicit method."      -Moher et al. (1999). Lancet, 354 (9193)

Use Systematic Reviews because...

• They combine single studies and may provide new evidence
• The promotion of a scientific approach to summarizing what is known
• Issues more reliable evidence
• Minimizes inaccuracies resulting from bias 
• Enhances replicability

When writing a systematic review...

1. Formulate a resarch question
2. Conduct a comprehensive data search
3. Critically appraise the previous studies
4. Synthesize the data
5. Interpret the findings

Review the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews with these Checklists:

• AMSTAR 2
• ROBIS Tool

Review publications contain articles that review the research already done in a given area. A review article can give you a synthesis of a particular topic and provide you with an extensive bibliography.