Duke Medical Center Library & Archives Blog
Category: Explore Tools

Zotero: A Free Reference Management Tool
Posted On: Sunday, March 26, 2023 - 21:18 by Leila Ledbetter
Zotero is a freely available reference management and writing tool that makes capturing citations easy. It has a browser plugin that works in Chrome, Firefox or Safari, and with one click you can add a journal article, Web page, video, or many other resource types to your library.
One of Zotero's strengths is that it is uncomplicated to us, making collaborative projects, especially with people at other institutions, relatively simple via Google Docs.
You will never have to worry about losing your library of citations because everything is backed up to the cloud. Syncing to the Web version of Zotero allows you to access your library from any computer with Internet access. If you run out of Zotero's free storage, additional storage can…
MORECategories: Explore Tools
Tags: zotero

Vivli: A Data Repository for Clinical Data
Posted On: Thursday, February 23, 2023 - 15:22 by Lesley Skalla, Ph.D.
Now that the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy is in effect, researchers are taking a closer look at their options for where to deposit their data once the research project is complete. Indeed, the new policy requires researchers to prospectively plan for where they will share their data when they apply for NIH funding. If you work with human participant data and need a controlled access repository, Vivli may be a good option!
Vivli is a global clinical research data-sharing platform that focuses on sharing anonymized individual participant-level data. The platform includes a controlled access data repository, search engine, and secure research environment…
MORECategories: Explore Tools

New Open Access Publishing Agreement with PLOS
Posted On: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - 22:37 by Li Ma
Duke University Libraries and the Duke Medical Center Library & Archives have entered into a two-year publishing agreement with PLOS, a non-profit scientific Open Access publisher with global reach. This agreement provides authors affiliated with Duke University, Duke Health, and Duke Kunshan University with unlimited, no-fee publishing in all twelve PLOS journals. Coverage includes articles accepted between January 3, 2023 and December 31, 2024, with all published articles being immediately Open Access and free to read for everyone.
The PLOS agreement will expand publishing opportunities for all Duke authors by eliminating expensive Article-Processing-Charges (APC), which are usually paid by authors and range from $800 to $5,300 per article for PLOS journals. Duke…
MORECategories: Explore Tools, Resource Updates

Coming Soon: Automated NIH PAP Compliance Emails
Posted On: Sunday, October 23, 2022 - 16:34 by Beth
The NIH Public Access Policy mandates that all publications produced with NIH funds must have a PMCID within 90 days of acceptance and must be made available in PubMed Central within 1 year of publishing. This policy ensures that the public has timely access to the published results of NIH funded research, but is an extra step that researchers must perform upon the acceptance of the manuscripts. The Medical Library is committed to supporting researchers throughout the compliance process.
To this end, library staff have been actively working to build an automated email tool that will update researchers who are out of compliance with this policy. These emails will come from "Duke NIH Public Access Compliance" (…
MORECategories: Explore Tools, Resource Updates
Tags: NIH Public Access Policy

Reporting Guidelines for Studies
Posted On: Thursday, October 13, 2022 - 12:34 by Sarah Cantrell
Starting a new research project without a reporting guideline can feel daunting – a bit like driving without Google Maps. You may have a vague sense of where to go and what you need to do, but the details and street names are a bit hazy.
Thankfully, numerous "roadmaps" for health research studies exist. The EQUATOR Network has helpfully gathered these reporting guidelines all in one convenient location and includes reporting guidelines for case reports (CARE), quality improvement studies (SRQR), observational studies (STROBE), randomized controlled trials (CONSORT), and systematic reviews (PRISMA), among others.
The…
MORECategories: Explore Tools
Tags: guidelines, PRISMA, CONSORT

NIH Data Management & Sharing Policy Update
Posted On: Tuesday, September 27, 2022 - 16:34 by Lesley Skalla, Ph.D.
Is your research funded by NIH? Does your research generate scientific data? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you will need to submit a Data Management & Sharing Plan with your grant applications with receipt dates on/after January 25, 2023. Here are the latest updates relevant to the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy:
- This policy applies to new applications for receipt dates ON/AFTER January 25, 2023 (see Data Management & Sharing Overview).
- Implementation changes for genomic data…
Categories: Explore Tools
Tags: data management, data sharing, NIH

VisualDx Trial Begins
Posted On: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 - 09:36 by Sarah Cantrell
The Medical Center Library & Archives is pleased to announce a yearlong trial of visualDx, a clinical point-of-care tool, educational resource, and decision support system designed to enhance diagnostic accuracy, aid therapeutic decisions, and improve patient safety. The trial began in July 2022.
For those of you just meeting visualDx, this resource is:
- Renowned for its depth of diverse clinical images – 14,000+ images of variations in skin color
- A valuable diagnostic clinical tool that helps you build a differential diagnosis
- Useful for…
Categories: Databases, Explore Tools, Resource Updates

Mobile Apps from the Medical Center Library
Posted On: Friday, August 26, 2022 - 14:17 by Brandi Tuttle
With nearly 2 million apps in the Apple App store alone, it can be tricky to figure out which apps are worth your time and/or money. Before you go hunting in the App or Play Store, don’t forget about the health-related apps you can get through Duke. You can visit our Mobile Apps guide to get started or read on for some highlights!
Our most popular point-of-care apps include UpToDate and DynaMed, which feature an impressive variety of medical calculators and clinical evidence. Did you know that you can get CME/CE from both UpToDate and DynaMed? These will fulfill MOC CME requirements of some ABMS Member Boards including the ABIM.
Lexicomp…
MORECategories: Databases, Explore Tools
Tags: mobile apps, visualdx, UpToDate, DynaMed, Lexicomp

Now Open: Audio/Video Recording Studio
Posted On: Thursday, August 25, 2022 - 11:38 by Megan Von Isenburg
Creating high quality recordings for a podcast, class, or interview can be a challenge on a busy medical campus. Our new Audio/Video Recording Studio, which features acoustic wall panels and recording equipment, is designed to make it easier.
The Audio/Video Recording Studio is located in Room 322 on Level 3 of the Medical Center Library & Archives and is available for reservation Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Once you have a reservation, stop by our Service Desk to check out the key to the room.
Equipment includes a Lenovo ThinkCentre with Windows 10, Osborn 4k camera with…
MORECategories: Explore Tools, Resource Updates
Tags: multimedia, podcasts, building, services

Clinical Tools: A Quick Connection to the Evidence
Posted On: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - 12:18 by Sarah Cantrell
Seeking quick and reliable answers to your clinical questions? Look no further than the Library’s Clinical Tools page! Here you will find a handy list of links to point-of-care resources, decision-support tools, core eBooks, guidelines, and patient education information.
Some of these include:
- DynaMed, which provides evidence-based clinical information concerning diseases, drugs, and other therapies that is highly useful when making decisions about patient care.
- The ability to craft a single search for your patient’s problem/intervention…
Categories: Databases, Explore Tools, Resource Updates

More Color Code Readings
Posted On: Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - 12:21 by Megan Von Isenburg
It's time for more recommended readings for those of you following along with the Color Code podcast from STAT. As a reminder, this podcast is examining racial inequities in American health care, and members of our staff are offering some additional readings for each episode. Below are recommendations for episodes 3-4. For episodes 1-2, please see our earlier blog post.
Episode 3: "Dismantling medical racism starts in the classroom" explores anti-racism work in medical education, including innovations to disrupt racism and the backlash against them.
- …
Categories: Explore Tools, Resource Updates

Springer Experiments & Protocols Available
Posted On: Friday, May 27, 2022 - 00:59 by Anu Moorthy
The following Springer resources are accessible from the Databases, Journals & Books section of our Website.
- New research solution to help researchers find, evaluate and implement protocols and methods to support their projects
- Covers a number of disciplines including biochemistry, biotechnology, cancer research, genetics/genomics, pharmacology/toxicology, plant science, and more
- Combines the key features of a database with indexing and discovery features supported by laboratory procedure specific functionalities
- Retrieves…
Categories: Databases, Explore Tools, Resource Updates
Tags: for researchers
Summer Reading, Listening & Learning!
Posted On: Monday, May 23, 2022 - 15:15 by Samantha Kaplan, Ph.D.
Have you been meaning to brush up on your Excel skills? Learn how to use Canvas? Read that NYT bestseller? This Summer is the perfect time and the library is here to help! Your NetID gives you access to LinkedIn Learning and Coursera – online platforms with hundreds of courses on different software like Tableau, and topics like Presentations or Educational Technology. If you're planning to hit the beach, you can still hit the books with Duke's collection of ebooks and …
MORECategories: Explore Tools
Tags: e-books, audiobooks, podcasts

Recommended Listening: Color Code
Posted On: Thursday, May 19, 2022 - 15:56 by Megan Von Isenburg
Many of our staff members are following along with Color Code, a new podcast that is examining racial inequities in American health care. Produced by STAT and hosted by Nicholas St. Fleur, this series started on March 21st and is releasing a new episode every other week. Each episode is about 30 minutes and features compelling stories, interviews, and research.
We invite you to listen in. We will be sharing some additional readings and resources here on our blog to simplify further exploration of each episode's theme. We will go two episodes at a time, recognizing that some of us are bingers, while others may choose to savor each episode at a time.
To get started, you can access links to the podcast through these various providers:…
MORECategories: Explore Tools, Resource Updates

Systematic Review Screening Tool Available
Posted On: Monday, March 21, 2022 - 12:23 by Sarah Cantrell
Duke Medical Center Library & Archives offers an institutional site license for Covidence!
What is Covidence?
Web-based software platform designed to facilitate the systematic review process.
What does Covidence do?
Assists with multiple steps in the systematic review process, including:
- Importing data from citation management tools like EndNote
- Screening and selecting studies
- Resolving conflicts
- Extracting study data
- Assessing study quality/risk of bias
- Exporting data to multiple file types
- Creating PRISMA diagrams
How do I access Covidence?…
MORECategories: Explore Tools
Tags: covidence, systematic reviews