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Medical Student Course Guide for accessing UCI Libraries' Resources

This guide is specifically designed for UCI medical students. It provides direct links to online key resources and textbooks for the undergraduate medical education curriculum.

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Clinical Foundations 1: 445ABC

* = UC Irvine access only. UCI VPN login is required. 

Required Textbooks:  

Optional Textbooks:

Key Resources with ebooks and Study Tools for CF1

Point-of-Care Clinical Decision Support Tools

Differential Diagnosis Tools

Drug Information 

Summaries of New Research Plus Experts' Commentary

Researching the Best Available Evidence to Answer Your Questions: A Three-Part Self-Directed Learning (SDL) Activity for CF1

Assignment #1 Tasks: Download and complete Worksheet #1

  1. Provide a research question and translate it into a clinical question using the PICO framework.
  2. Perform a literature search and describe your search strategy – Specify the keywords and resources used for the search to find the answer to your clinical question.
  3. List the top three citations in AMA style – These citations should be selected from your literature search results and are relevant to your clinical question.
  4. Write the strengths (usefulness) and weaknesses (limitations) for each of the three references listed.
  5. Briefly describe the barriers or challenges encountered during the search – Explain the strategies you employed to overcome these challenges.
  6. Upload the completed worksheet on Canvas by Nov 8, 2024.

Assignment #2 Tasks: Abstract Submission 

  1. Download Worksheet #2 for the abstract instruction and template.
  2. Write a structured abstract with approximately 500 words that Include the following sections:
    • Title: Catchy headline version of your original clinical question (same as your final project e-poster).
    • Background: Briefly summarize prior knowledge/experience on the topic and describe the PICO framework used
    • Methods: Describe your search strategy in a few sentences.
    • Results: Summarize the best evidence supporting and opposing your question in 4-5 sentences.
    • Conclusion: Provide a concise answer to your question in 1-2 sentences.
  3. Upload the structured abstract on Canvas by Jan 24, 2025.

Assignment #3 Tasks: 

  1. Create the final SDL research project poster by Feb 17, 2025. 
  2. The small group presentation is scheduled for Feb 25, 2025. 
    • Describe your research findings and challenges you encountered during this project and the strategies you used to overcome those challenges.

General EBM Resources


PubMed@UCI -- Tutorials

PubMed Search Tips 

  • PubMed may add a number of synonyms, spelling variations, MeSH etc. Check the Search Details to see how PubMed translated your search terms. Did it interpret your search how you wanted?
  • Use only “essential” terms. PubMed's simple search box may look the same as Google’s, but PubMed is constructed very differently with a sophisticated search engine. Unlike Google, PubMed has a database of subject headings and key medical terminology through which every search is filtered. When conducting your search, use nouns or MeSH terms with the Boolean search concepts AND, OR, or NOT connecting them. Putting too many words or full sentences will only muddle your search results. PubMed is not Google!
  • Use PubMed Additional Filters to refine your search results to recent publications, Language - English, Species - Human, and Article Types - Clinical trial, Randomized Controlled Trial, etc.
  • Don’t restrict the search results to Free Full-text or Full-text. Very few articles are available free of charge for download.  Most peer-reviewed journals require annual subscriptions. The Full-Text filter option may cause you to miss relevant results from resources that the UCI Libraries own or those that could be requested through UC-eLinks Request It.
  • Avoid using acronyms or other abbreviations as search terms. PubMed is often able to discern the meaning of SOME acronyms and abbreviations, e.g., GERD = gastroesophageal reflux. However, some common abbreviations are NOT recognized by PubMed, e.g., UTI, AOM, ACBE, etc.
  • Do not include “placebo” OR “no treatment” in the search strategy.Avoid using imprecise search words. Some words you might try as search terms may be used inconsistently in published articles or are too imprecise to be useful, e.g., increased, better, greater, less, worse, etc.
  • Display Options – Summary or Abstract.   Sorted by Best match is set as the default display.  Select Sorted by Publication Date or Most Recent.
  • Cite – Allow you to o copy or download a single citation in a specific style format.
  • Similar articles – if you find too few results, the abstract page of a citation provides a pre-calculated set of additional PubMed citations closely related to that article.