Monday, May 02, 2011

Why Not Just Google for Evidence-Based Practice?

A recent study evaluated the information literacy skills of first-year dental students and looked to identify any significant associations between search engine use and database preferences.

Conclusion: The study confirmed that information literacy was lacking and that "preference for the use of Google was significantly associated with students who were unable to find evidence-based citations."
"Few issues in higher education are as fundamental as the ability to search for, evaluate, and synthesize information. The need to develop information literacy, the process of finding, retrieving, organizing, and evaluating the ever-expanding collection of online information, has precipitated the need for training in skill-based competencies in higher education, as well as medical and dental education."
Recommendation: Integrate evidence-based learning modules early in the curriculum to help students filter and establish the quality of online information.

Click post title for full text of the research article: "Why not just Google it? An assessment of information literacy skills in a biomedical science curriculum." (April 25, 2011), Kingsley K [et al], BMC Medical Education 2011, 11:17doi:10.1186/1472-6920-11-17.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Advanced Searching for PubMed

A more user-friendly Advanced Search interface is now available for PubMed.
Click on the title for more information on features and capabilities
from the NLM Technical Bulletin No. 362, May/June 2008.

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