Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Reference management workshops and resources - use them!

YORK
The rejigged York Skills Guide for reference management has a new nice 4 min video, and collapsible sections on Paperpile, Mendeley, and EndNote
Next week's Digital Wednesdays is on reference management focusing on Mendeley and Paperpile. Mendeley is a great all-rounder. It’s not as good at collecting as Paperpile, but it does have a built-in PDF annotator, and it works with Word

HULL
... and of course Hull has nice bibliograhic online resources too, focusing on EndNote and RefWorks.
The University Library has workshops on Using EndNote this Friday, and again on December 6th, as well as one of Referencing with Harvard or APA on Tuesday next week.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Trial of JBI SUMARI tool to support systematic reviews

JBI SUMARI (System for the Unified Management of the Assessment and Review of Information) allows you to 'develop, conduct and report on systematic reviews of evidence related to the feasibility, appropriateness, meaningfulness and effectiveness of health care interventions or professional activities.' 

Trial access to this, and other associated Joanna Briggs tools, are available via the University of York until 14th December 2017

To access the trial go to http://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/az.php?q=jbi%20tools and login using your University of York account. Select JBI SUMARI and login using your Ovid Personal Account (or create one if needed). Select the Green Wolter Kluwer/EBP Network Account option and you are ready to start.

We are very interested in knowing if this tool is valuable to staff and students undertaking systematic reviews. Please send any feedback you may have to library@hyms.ac.uk. 

For further information on SUMARI go to https://www.jbisumari.org/#features. There are also some video tutorials on using the software at  https://jbisumari.org/#tutorials. Copied below is a summary of the resource from https://www.jbisumari.org/faq.html#general-what-is-sumari:



The System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information (SUMARI) is the Joanna Briggs Institute's premier software for the systematic review of literature.
It is designed to assist researchers and practitioners in fields such as health, social sciences and humanities to conduct systematic reviews. SUMARI supports 10 review types, including:
  1. Reviews of effectiveness
  2. Qualitative research
  3. Economic evaluations
  4. Prevalence/incidence
  5. Aetiology/risk
  6. Mixed methods
  7. Umbrella/overviews
  8. Text/opinion
  9. Diagnostic test accuracy
  10. Scoping reviews
It facilitates the entire review process, from protocol development, team management, study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, data synthesis and writing your systematic review report. Essentially, it is a word processor, reference management program, statistical and qualitative data analysis program all in one easy to use web application.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

SPSS, stats, maths: where do I go??

We have had a couple of queries lately regarding maths, stats and SPSS support at the universities so here's some info for anyone else interested:

At the University of Hull have a look at the information and support at https://canvas.hull.ac.uk/courses/644 . You might also be interested in signing up for a SPSS workshop at http://libguides.hull.ac.uk/UGworkshops/spss.

If at York see https://www.york.ac.uk/it-services/software/a-z/spss/ for support and information for SPSS and for more general support see information about the Maths Skills Centre at  https://www.york.ac.uk/students/studying/develop-your-skills/study-skills/maths-skills-centre/.


(Image from https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-writing-on-notebook-669615/, CCO licence)

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

How to lie with *ahem* use numbers

This post linked to here is interesting from several perspectives.

Read as a cheat sheet for what not to do as a researcher - but maybe as a politician?...
... and a reminder of what to be on the lookout for when assessing the works and words of others.

Numbers have power, handle with care!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Navigating and getting library links in Google Scholar

Google Scholar is really useful, but I hate the so-called "advanced" search interface, I cannot combine my searches and thus use any intricate search strings in Google Scholar to try and filter through the immense amounts of information out there systematically and not just by whatever happened to be on the first two screens...

But the powers that be at Google Scholar have at least made some of the interface easier to navigate by introducing the drawer as an eased access to various features. The drawer contains the settings, which is handy for getting your library links. The library links is what lets you go directly through the pay-wall to the full text via your Hull, York login (for those items one or both university libraries have bought access to).

Go to the drawer top left (three horizontal bars left of the colourful "Google Scholar"), go to settings (the cog-wheel now visible to the right of the ever colourful Google Scholar), click Library links, search for University of York and University of Hull, tick them and click "save". Lo and behold you should now have blue links appear to the right of some of your search hits in Google Scholar saying something boring but useful like "Full Text @ York" or "Find@Hull". Tadaaaa....

But don't forget all the wonderful paid for search resources where you can refine your search results to get fewer, more useful hits ;)

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

"Bad Science makes Big Headlines"...

We have been meaning to put this up for quite a while, since it is increasingly an issue. This specific post from Huffpost is from back in February, but is an ongoing issue and has been from time immemorial.

It is a very nice little piece on critical thinking in academic, journalistic and everyday life.

"... neither academic publishing nor scientific journalism are immune to misleading headlines and invalid findings. If journalists can be fooled by bogus or simply bad science, how is a layperson supposed to sort out the hype from the help?"

The author Steven N. Austad goes on to present six down to earth tips on how to discriminate muck and treasure.


Get more help on information skills, critical thinking and source evaluation included ;)

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

24 Hour Party People



The Brynmor Jones Library is now open 24 hours for 362 days per year: so with the exception of Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day you can use the BJL to your heart’s content. If that’s not enough to get excited about, the new Allam Medical Building is now open too!

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Books on trial: give us your verdict!

HYMS Library, via University of York Library, have trial access to several key medical titles until 31 October 2017. You can access them from the front page of the library website, you’ll need your York details to access them.

Never ones to offer you something and take it away, we’re interested to know whether you would like us to buy any of these titles, so take a look at the trial texts, and if you think they are any good, or otherwise, let us know by completing this short survey.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

By 'eck Quality Training From YHEC: Systematic Reviews, Trials Registers and More ...

York Health Economics Consortium have just announced several workshops that HYMS researchers may find interesting:


Health Economic Evaluations and Economic Evidence (6th September 2017) http://www.yhec.co.uk/training/economic-evaluations-and-evidence/

   Searching Trials Registers and Regulatory Agency Sources (11th October 2017) http://www.yhec.co.uk/training/searching-trials-registers/

 Advanced Search Techniques for Systematic Reviews, HTA and Guidelines (17th October 2017) http://www.yhec.co.uk/training/advanced-search-techniques/

  Advanced Search Strategy Design for Complex Topics (18th October 2017) http://www.yhec.co.uk/training/advanced-search-strategy-design/

 Software to Support the Systematic Review Process (19th October 2017) http://www.yhec.co.uk/training/software-to-support-systematic-review/
For further information on these courses please visit our training pages at: http://www.yhec.co.uk/training


Thursday, May 11, 2017

MoreBooks

More Books from the UoY  Library returns next week, and they want to hear from you! MoreBooks will be open for two weeks from Monday 15 May, during which time they'll collect your requests. Then select which ones to buy and get back to you with decisions to purchase.


So let us know about those books you think we should have but don't, or just let us know the books you want more copies of, and look out for a form on the UoY library website.

We aim to buy e-books through the scheme where possible, so even if you're based at Hull, dig out your York username and password and get requesting.


We’ll send out a link on Monday when More Books opens; but for the eager among you keep an eye out on Twitter @UoYLibrary or @HYMSLibrary and the catalogue at York from Monday.

Friday, April 21, 2017

Keep your HRI out



You may have seen the recent announcement on the VLE about the completed  refurb at Hull Royal Infirmary Library. If you did (and even if you didn’t) you will have seen something like this:



It looks very shiny and new, amazing right? The good folks at HRI have installed completely new furniture and you can charge your phone/tablet/laptop there now as well. Not forgetting, of course the range of NHS Athens resources and a decent set of books to boot. All very good. We don’t think the photo doesn’t do it justice though; for one, a library is for people to study and research in, and as good a shot as that photo is, it really isn’t a library unless you are in it, doing something scholarly, so you should do that, otherwise it’s just a room with some computers and books in, and that doesn’t get anybody anywhere.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

BoB's Your Uncle


Box of Broadcasts, known as BoB, is a service which records free-to-air broadcasts from 65 TV and radio channels (see the full list here), and makes the programmes and films discoverable for educational purposes online. You can watch any of the 2 million+ programmes it contains, dating back to the 90s, on any device, anywhere in the UK.

If an excerpt from BoB appears on your reading list then make sure you use your Hull login details. To access BoB go to the HYMS Library pages and see the images and videos section.

The University of York have put together this Frequently Asked Questions page, which goes into a bit more detail about how to use it and what it does. But for this blogpost we want to explore some amazing things you can do with BoB.

1. Make playlists


BoB isn't just a giant vat of films and programmes - it allows you to curate the material to your own ends. So for example we've created a playlist to compare great movie trilogies:
You can check out the trilogies playlist here if you like. You can create your own too, perhaps adding in some more trilogies that BoB has on it (Bourne, Jurassic Park, er, Austin Powers, for example...) - just find any broadcast and click 'Add to playlist'.

If you need to watch a bunch of films or shows for a particular module, just create a playlist to keep them in one easy to find place. Or if you're the academic running the module, create the playlist and just share the URL with your class, or put each programme on your Resource List for the students to find.

2. Search programme transcripts

By default, BoB's search will be looking for your keywords not just in programme titles but in their transcripts. (It's worth going into Search Settings and changing it to 'Title Only' for times when you don't want this to happen.) This opens up a whole new way of studying television and radio, allowing you to keyword-search in an amazing way.



So for example if you type in "Werner Herzog" then of course you get the legendary director's films (including Cave of Forgotten Dreams which some have nominated as the greatest documentary of all time) and his TV documentaries, but you also get TV interviews with him and radio interviews with him, you get films he's acted in like Jack Reacher, you get Alan Yentob's Imagine special on him, you get episodes of Mastermind where he's the specialist subject, you get the time on University Challenge where he was the answer to a question that no one got right, you get the episode of The Simpsons in which he guest starred...  

This ability to search programme transcripts is the equivalent of full-text searching but for multimedia, and surely opens up whole new avenues of scholarship.

3. Create your own clips

It is ridiculously easy to create a clip - you just press the button and drag sliders into place to cover the part of the programme you want. This can be great for collecting, for example, a series of clips about patient experiences. Then you can collect them together in one place, and share them with other BoB users if you wish, or embed them in the VLE or even embed then in a PowerPoint presentation. Head to the BUFVC's site for video tutorials on how to do all these things.  

So, what will you do with Box of Broadcasts? How will it change the way you study at HYMS?

Friday, March 31, 2017

MBBS Year 1 Revision List Available Now

Revision, revision, revision, oh actually that’s repetition, sorry. Well it’s coming up to exam time and deciding which resources to use to help you revise, can feel a bit repetitive, not in a Campbell’s soup-can arty way either, just plain, boring, dull, hell. Not that revision resources intrinsically hold those negative qualities, essentially, they are quite good, but, knowing what’s useful, or what resources you feel have real impact or value on your revision strategy is essential.

Thankfully you told us, many thanks to Lucy Adams, library rep extraordinaire, for compiling a list of all the resources you have found most useful. Being library bods and in the business of sharing we thought we’d make these available to you in the HYMS MBBS Year 1 area (you’ll need to login to Blackboard first, you can find the list on the left-hand menu).

If you want to take some time out from revising there’s always the city of culture on the doorstep too. The National Portrait Gallery are exhibiting Paul Smith to JK Rowling, sadly there’s no pop art in there though.

Monday, March 27, 2017

Easter opening 2017

If you’re planning on hitting the library over the Easter vacation, well now Hull is staying open 24/7. York is also open 24/7 too!

If you are travelling over the Easter vacation you may want to take advantage of the SCONUL scheme.This allows undergraduate students reference use of other university library's physical book stock during vacation times. Postgraduates, part-time and distance learning or placement students can also borrow books and journals at other participating libraries.

See the SCONUL Access for more information. Information about the scheme is also available from  Hull  and York.    

We have also produced this handy guide to help with registering for SCONUL access.

Happy reading and have a fantastic Easter!


Friday, March 17, 2017

By jove ... another fantastic resource available to HYMS staff and students


Have you ever read an article and thought to yourself: ' I'd like to see how that is actually done?"
Well, now you can, the Journal of Visualised Experiments is a unique resource: there are hundreds of recorded experiments and lab tests, supported by high quality videos and images, including supporting articles. Not only does this make replicating experiments easier, but in terms of learning and teaching it is transformative - each article comes with a lovely reference friendly doi link that you can slot straight into your essays or reading lists, if Box of Broadcasts did lab work this would be it! Currently, the folks at JoVE are also running a competition open to MBBS, post-grad and post-doctoral students and faculty ($3k cash prize), all you have to do is create a 2 minute film (we all saw the mannequin challenge we know you've got the directorial skills) of a scientific experiment or technique, if you're interested, JoVE have a competition entry page. So how do we get to this lovely resource, I hear you cry? Well as always we've placed it up on the HYMS Library page JoVE lives in the Image and Videos section, as does Box of Broadcasts if you were wondering what all that was about. We're a curious bunch so let us know what you think of JoVE by contacting us at library@hyms.ac.uk 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Saturday night live

OK hands up, we’re not exactly hobnobbing in the green room with Melissa McCarthy, or anyone else for that matter. But if you need library support, and it’s past 5pm, or over the weekend, then the University of York Library have got you covered.  
During full service hours on weekdays and at the weekends, you'll be able to use their online chat service to talk to a member of Library staff without leaving your desk (or the warmth of your bed!) They'll provide the same level of support as you'd receive if you went to visit them at the Help Desk.
During self service hours (eg overnight) they'll continue to use the out of hours chat service, which is staffed by librarians from participating organisations across the globe. These librarians can't access your account, but they can answer many library related enquiries - if they can't help with a query, they pass it on for our staff to pick up during full service hours.


Hull also have a chat service currently available weekends 9-5, weekdays 9-8pm; outside of these hours you can use their LibAnswers service and someone will get back to you as soon as possible the next day.

As well as the chat service; training is also available from The Skills Team (Hull) and the Learning and Teaching Team (York). We’ve added a bit to the HYMS library website so that you can see what’s coming up and to give you an overview of the training available to you. See the Training Sessions at Hull and York bit of our webpage.


Wednesday, February 1, 2017

More Books for HYMS Students at Hull and York: Read, Request, Repeat

More Books from the UoY  Library returns later this term, and they want to hear from you! They're running the scheme a little differently this term - it will be open for two weeks from Monday 6 February, during which time they'll collect your requests. Then select which ones to buy and get back to you with decisions to purchase.


So get thinking about those new titles you wish you had access to but were too afraid to ask, and look out for a form on the UoY library website.

We aim to buy e-books through the scheme where possible, so even if you're based at Hull, dig out your York username and password and get requesting.


We’ll send out a link on Monday when More Books opens; but for the eager among you keep an eye out on Twiiter @UoYLibrary or @HYMSLibrary and the catalogue at York from Monday.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Hull Needs Your Help

The University of Hull Library need your help! They are currently looking at improving their website. If you have used the library website at Hull and thought it could be improved, well, speak now or forever hold your peace! It took us about 8 minutes to complete at: bit.ly/2iQEFd3. Go on, be part of the solution!




We know surveys aren’t that fun (according to most people we surveyed in the office this morning) so we thought we’d point out something a little more interesting too. BBC Radio 4 recently broadcast two episodes looking at the NHS; the first looks at how the NHS is responding to increased demand and decreased resources - the second, explores recruitment in the NHS and the role that overseas trained professionals play in the NHS. Both episodes are very pertinent and well worth a listen. They are available from BBC iplayer or you can download the BBC radio app, if you are so inclined.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Key Resources for HYMS students

Get your head around key resources available to you at HYMS. Whether you just need a reminder of what’s available or you’re  unsure what we have, the best place to start is the library website. The finding resources tab has all the usual suspects here: Medline from Ovid which is  pretty much the Grandmaster Flash of medical databases (if medicine was hip hop). We’ve also got the Cochrane Library and while we’re bragging Embase too. But we’ve got so many great resources it would just be too cluttered to have them all there on the website. So, you need to use the cross search to get to the other good stuff like Acland’s Anatomy, New England Journal of Medicine or BMJ Journals. Remember that at HYMS you benefit from the resources of both the University of York and the University of Hull so make sure you are checking both catalogues with cross search.  If there’s something that you think we should have but can’t find, let us know about it by emailing library@hyms.ac.uk  




Tuesday, January 17, 2017

New Web Page for HYMS Researchers

HYMS Research PageWe know that the research landscape can seem like an over complicated place. As if just doing the research and writing up isn’t hard enough, there’s: RDM, OA, ORCID, REF and no doubt a whole host more acronyms out there, and they are important! But getting your head around what they all mean, what’s best for your publication, or just getting to grips with how an ORCID can help you, or how to make your research REF-ready is not always easy. We also appreciate that our parent institutions use different pieces of kit to help manage the scholarly communication process, does PURE or Hydra mean anything to you? With all that in mind, and from some of our conversations with you, we thought we would set up a page that contains key guidance on the entire research process, linking out to relevant training, guidance, or contacts from either York or Hull as relevant. We hope you find this page useful, let us know if you love it, or would like to suggest how we can improve it by emailing library@hyms.ac.uk.  

In the meantime best of luck with your research!

Friday, January 6, 2017

Happy New Year

We hope you have all had a good break over the Christmas and New Year period. If you want to brush up on your search skills after all that festive downtime, don’t forget that you can access HYMS Library training materials from the library webpages including our handy guide to systematic reviews.

If that’s a bit too much for the first week in January see our last post to get in on Hull’s City of Culture Lines of Thought  Exhibition which lasts until the end of February.  

Best of luck with your studies and research over the coming year.

If you need to get in touch with us you contact the HYMS Library Team by emailing library@hyms.ac.uk.