Pumerantz Library Research Guides
Research Assistance, Subject Guides, & Useful Resources
Pharmacy: Research
- This guide is intended to provide students in the College of Pharmacy with a starting point for research and study. It can also be used by students in other colleges who need drug information.
Contact@Reference
Where to Start
A good place to start searching for articles is the Pumerantz Library Discovery Service on the library's homepage, which searches multiple databases and our online catalog. This is useful if you have one broad topic (for example, one drug or disease) and want a sense of how much information is available.
For more specific searches (for example, comparing the effectiveness of two different drugs), you should move to a specific database. Some good ones for pharmacy are:
- Embase This link opens in a new window Embase provides access to articles in biomedical and pharmacological literature. Users can also search Embase records by building a search strategy that uses PICO elements. tutorial
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- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window ScienceDirect provides access to journals and books on a wide array of scientific topics, including biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, chemistry, clinical medicine, engineering, and veterinary medicine. Topics pages provide an overview of new terms and concepts, with links to relevant literature. tutorial
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- Web of Science This link opens in a new window Web of Science provides access to thousands of journals covering disciplines in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. You can use Web of Science to link to an article’s references and see how many times the article has been cited. tutorial
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- Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window
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The Cochrane Library consists of a regularly updated collection of evidence-based medicine databases that help inform healthcare decision-making, including The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials (CENTRAL), and Cochrane Clinical Answers.
- ClinicalTrials.gov This link opens in a new window ClinicalTrials.gov provides patients, their family members, health care professionals, researchers, and the public with easy access to information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies conducted around the world.
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For tips on using the individual databases, please visit our Tutorials LibGuide or ask a librarian.
Making a PICO Question
Making a PICO question can help you narrow your search and guide your clinical evaluation of the evidence.
| What to Include | Example | |
| Patient | Relevant demographic information (sex, general age range) and disease state to be treated | Adult woman with allergic rhinitis |
| Intervention | What patient has been prescribed or is currently taking. | Benadryl |
| Comparison | An alternative treatment the patient or practitioner wants to consider | Claritin |
| Outcome | A measurable clinical outcome you hope to achieve as a result of treatment | Reduce nasal inflammation and sneezing fits |
Now turn your PICO statement into a clinical question. You can use the formula: "In P, does I or C O?"
Example: In an adult woman with allergic rhinitis, does Benadryl or Claritin more effectively reduce nasal inflammation and sneezing fits?"
Use your PICO terms (especially disease, intervention, and comparison) as your search terms and use your clinical question to evaluate how well the articles you find apply to your patient.