150.302  Genetics in Medicine and Society Spring 2007 Prof. Comfort

This page contains the information (and a little more) that we discussed during our library session on February 7. 

Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia of Bioethics -- Historical information as well as the ethical issues surrounding topics in medicine and biomedical sciences. The online edition is 2003.     
     1995 edition -- Science Reference, QH332 .E521 1995 QUARTO
     1978 edition -- regular shelves, QH332 .E521 1978 QUARTO

Primary Sources

Finding Primary Sources -- This guide will give you the definitions of and differences between primary and secondary sources, and strategies for finding them.

Microform Collections  -- These sources are on microfiche or microfilm (History of Science-related sources are at the bottom of the page). Most microform materials are housed at the Libraries Service Center; you can request them using Libraries Service Center request form.  They will scan the item and send it to you electronically! 
     The microform numbers appear in [ ] after individual listings.  The Audio Visual department on A Level has guides to some of these microforms.  If you have questions about this, please ask Tom Izbicki (contact info above). 

Image Archive on the American Eugenics Movement -- Mostly materials from “the Eugenics Record Office at Cold Spring Harbor, which was the center of American eugenics research from 1910-1940. In the Archive you will see numerous reports, articles, charts, and pedigrees that were considered scientific "facts" in their day.”

Profiles in Science -- This digital exhibition from the National Library of Medicine includes papers, photographs, and other archival information. Note: some papers and other documents from Rosalind Franklin have just been added!

Databases of Archives and Other Unique Collections 

Use these two databases to locate detailed descriptions of collections in archives, libraries, museums, and other places.

Archivegrid -- – Contains nearly a million descriptions of archival collections from around the world.   

ArchiveGrid  (Any location)

ArchivesUSA – Contains descriptions and indexes for about 4,400 repositories and 100,000 individual collections through the U.S.

ArchivesUSA  (All US JHU)

There are many databases to help you find articles in the scientific literature. Below are just a few to get you started. Many more can be found on the library's online resources page.

Multidisciplinary Databases

General Science Full-text (1983+) -- This database includes articles from Science, Nature, and the New York Times Science section. Remember that you can search several databases simultaneously if you "open database selection area."

General science full text (also part of OmniFile full text mega)  (All US JHU)

Web of Science (1945+) -- This database is huge and is good for getting started.  

Web of Science  (All US JHU)

Medicine and Bioethics 

Philosopher's Index (1940+) -- This database has sources and perspectives that aren't in PubMed. It indexes subjects, authors, and book reviews for scholarly articles, books, and conferences, including international, in philosophy and related disciplines. 

Philosopher's Index  (All US JHU)

PubMed (1950s+) -- To restrict your search to just articles in the history of medicine or in bioethics, use LIMITS.

Historical Databases

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (1975+) -- This database has journal articles, conference proceedings, books, book reviews, and dissertations in the history of science, technology, and medicine and allied historical fields.

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine  (All US JHU)

Historical Abstracts (old version)  (All JHU (incl. International))

Web Sites  

Human Genome Project Information -- The Department of Energy's page on Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of the project. It contains valuable background information on the issues.

National Human Genome Research Genome Research Institute, Bioethics page -- The NHGRI, which is one of the National Institutes of Health like the National Library of Medicine, has a page of varied and trustworthy resources in bioethics. 

Book Reviews

Use the General Science database (mentioned above) to search for book reviews from Science or Nature. 
     Tip:  Use the pull-downs to specify journal name and book review [document type]. To search for a particular book [not review] title, use the pull-down to choose books reviewed.

For more sources of book reviews, see How to Find Book Reviews. 

Other Important Things to Know

• How to cite print and electronic resources that you use -- For examples on citing online sources, choose Columbia Guide to Online Style.
• Research help -- This page has guidelines, lists, and many helpful things that you should know. Glance through it at least once so you’ll know what’s there.
• “Is This Item Peer-reviewed?” This page will give you some guidelines about what counts as a “scholarly” piece of information.
• RefWorks – Tips: Start by reading the “Quick Start” guide, and your pop-up blocker should be OFF. 

Who Can Help Me?

These are some of the librarians who can help you work on your incredibly interesting topics (I'm the first row):