LibGuides: Health Sciences: Finding literature in databases

Introduction to database searching

If you are searching for a topic or subject rather than a specific article you might like to search one of our databases. These often focus on a particular subject area or discipline and reduce the amount of results you receive from irrelevant subjects.

Databases are collections of resources such as journal articles and conference papers, and also sometimes book chapters and reports. If you are doing a literature search or systematic review they are a key resource to use.

There are two main kinds of database:

Bibliographic - they won't show you the full paper straight away, but you can often read an abstract and see the author details. You'll need to check with SFX if King's has access to the journal article
Full text - will let you open and read the article directly from the list of results

LIB229: Literature review workshop for Health & Clinical Sciences

Presentation: LIB229 Literature review workshop for Health & Clinical Sciences

Databases and journal collections for health sciences

General Health Topics
Anatomy
Bioscience journals
Nursing & Midwifery
Psychology & Neuroscience

Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with medical and health topics. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:

A-Z Databases for Medicine

Embase (Ovid) - King's

Embase contains over 22 million records spanning 1947-present, with over 1 million records added annually. Each record contains the full bibliographic citation, indexing terms, and codes; and 80% of all citations in Embase include author-written abstracts. The Embase journal collection is international with over 7,500 active peer-reviewed journals more than 90 countries. Updated daily and weekly.
Broad biomedical scope covering the following areas:
• Drug therapy and research, including pharmaceutics, pharmacology and toxicology
• Clinical and experimental (human) medicine
• Basic biological science relevant to human medicine
• Biotechnology and biomedical engineering, including medical devices
• Health policy and management, including pharmacoeconomics
• Public, occupational and environmental health, including pollution control
• Veterinary science, dentistry, and nursing
You can access databases on the Ovid platform on campus without logging in at: https://ovidsp.ovid.com/autologin.cgi
Note: For help with logging in see this webpagefor more details.
Medline (Ovid) - King's

Bibliographic database of references to journal articles, with an emphasis on clinical medicine, dentistry and biomedical research. Also covers nursing, chemistry and pharmacology, biological and physical sciences, microbiology, nutrition, health care delivery and social sciences. 1946 to date.

Note: For help with logging in see this webpage for more details.
PubMed for King's staff & students

PubMed comprises more than 28 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. It is free for anyone to use.
King's SFX links will automatically appear in PubMed if you access PubMed from here and will link directly to the full text if King's has a subscription.
See this page for more information
Web of Science (formerly Web of Knowledge)

Web of Science provides access to the world’s leading scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities and examines proceedings of international conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions. It is a gateway to:
Science Citation Index Expanded (1900-present)
Social Sciences Citation Index (1956-present)
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present)
Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (1990-present)
Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities (1990-present)
Emerging Sources Citation Index (2015-present)
BIOSIS Citation Index (1969-2008)

New to using online databases?

Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information section of KLaSS:

KLaSS Module (KEATS)
Learn how to use Library Search, find journals in databases and choose referencing software.

Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with anatomy topics and resources. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:

A-Z Databases for Medicine

Anatomy TV

Anatomy TV is a specialised resource featuring anatomical pictures that can be rotated, and layers can be removed in order to expose underlying structures.
3D Human Anatomy & Physiology

Anatomy & Physiology Online includes 20 comprehensive modules on the human body.
Acland's Video Atlas of Human Anatomy

Acland's Video Atlas of Human Anatomy is an accessible source of anatomical knowledge. With simple language and realistic, 3D visuals, it may be used as an adjunct to dissection as well as for students who need to re-learn clinically relevant anatomy for their surgical rotations or who are taking anatomy modules.

New to using online databases?

Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information section of KLaSS:

KLaSS Module (KEATS)
Learn how to use Library Search, find journals in databases and choose referencing software.

Below are a small selection of journals for browsing Bioscience topics. For a more complete list of databases and resources related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:

A-Z Databases for Medicine

Annals of Anatomy
British Journal of Pharmacology
Cell
Forensic Science International
Genome Research
Immunity
Journal of Physiology
Journal of Molecular Biology
Nutrition reviews
Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Physiotherapy
Trends in Neurosciences

Find these journals, and more on Library Search:

Library Search @ King's
Find journal articles online, locate and request books, pay fines and more!

New to using Library Search?

You can find online tutorials on using Library Search to find books and journals around your subject. Find them in the Getting Started With Your Studies section of KLaSS:

KLaSS Module (KEATS)
Learn how to use Library Search, find journals in databases and choose referencing software.

Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with nursing & midwifery topics. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:

A-Z Databases for Medicine

CINAHL - King's

A bibliographic database for the fields of nursing and allied health literature indexing over 5,000 journals. Available via the EBSCO Host service.
If you have problems logging in paste this URL into your browser http://search.ebscohost.com//login.aspx?authtype=ip,shib&custid=s5003934&profile=ehost&defaultdb=cin20
Maternity & Infant Care Database (MIDIRS) (Ovid)

Index to journal articles, books and reports on all aspects of midwifery and infant care. Over 550 English language journals are included from the mid 1980s to the present day.

Note: For help with logging in see this webpagefor more details.

New to using online databases?

Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information section of KLaSS:

KLaSS Module (KEATS)
Learn how to use Library Search, find journals in databases and choose referencing software.

Below are a small selection of databases for getting started with psychology, psychiatry & neuroscience topics. For a more complete list of databases related to health subjects, visit the A-Z list of databases for Medicine:

A-Z Databases for Medicine

PsychiatryOnline

PsychiatryOnline provides access to 4 journals and over 20 ebooks, which include psychiatric textbooks, manuals and guidelines as well as patient information and self-assessment tools.
The full list of ebooks can be found at books
PsycInfo (Ovid) - King's

You can access databases on the Ovid platform on campus without logging in at: Ovid
PsycINFO covers the behavioural sciences and mental health, with references to papers, chapters and dissertations, relevant to psychiatry, medicine, management, social science, neuroscience, law and social work.

Note: For help with logging in see this webpage for more details.

New to using online databases?

Complete interactive tutorials on literature searching and earn badges in the Finding and Evaluating Information section of KLaSS:

KLaSS Module (KEATS)
Learn how to use Library Search, find journals in databases and choose referencing software.

Getting the full text

If a database lists something you want to read but does not provide the full text look for a button that says 'SFX@King's' . SFX will look up the article you have clicked to check if King's subscribes to its journal.

King's doesn't subscribe:

Submit an Inter Library Loan for the item. Learn how to submit an Inter Library Loan in the Getting Started With Your Studies section of KLaSS:

I can't see the SFX button

If the SFX button is not available then you should use Library Search to see if the article or book is available through another database.

Library Search @ King's
Find journal articles online, locate and request books, pay fines and more!

New to using Library Search?

You can find online tutorials on using Library Search to find books and journals around your subject. Find them in the Getting Started With Your Studies section of KLaSS:

KLaSS Module (KEATS)
Learn how to use Library Search, find journals in databases and choose referencing software.

Library Guides

Health Sciences: Finding literature in databases

Introduction to database searching

LIB229: Literature review workshop for Health & Clinical Sciences

Databases and journal collections for health sciences

Getting the full text