QMedCONNECT April 2018 : Learn: Gray Literature for Systematic Reviews. When did NLM became part of the NIH?

QMedCONNECT Newsletter: April 2018

Dear friends

In the recent months I have been getting more requests for help with literature searches for Systematic Reviews. One of the important things to include when we search in this context is to search for gray literature too. And so in this issue, we include an interesting article on how to locate gray literature for systematic reviews.

Another area where we often observe confusion is about the origins of PubMed, and about the NLM and its parent - the NIH. When we received an interesting alert, telling us about the history of the NLM and when it officially became a part of the NIH, we thought it would be good to share this with Indian health professionals. So, do check out both these sections in our newsletter and do read the respective blogposts.

April was also a busy month with five lectures and three workshops.

Two of the lectures (guest lectures at events) were at AIIMS, New Delhi. I was very happy to learn there, that AIIMS and PGI Chandigarh have subscribed to EMBASE - probably the first two academic institutions in the country to do so. I do hope more will follow in the coming years.

In April, we also welcome a new intern - Ms. Nandini Dasgupta at QMed. Nandini has done her Masters in Library and Information Sciences from TISS, Mumbai and she has a passion for writing. We wish her the very best!

Vasumathi Sriganesh

Interesting Reading

Gray Literature: An Important Resource in Systematic Reviews

Paez A. J Evid Based Med. 2017 Aug; 10(3):233-2

Clinical trials and large studies are important for synthesizing evidence, but a researcher cannot ignore Gray literature. Here is an article by Arsenio Paez advocating the same. Gray literature comprises the whole collection of research works not controlled by commercial publishers. In other words, it encompasses valuable unpublished literature. It enables you to get in touch with information works or sources otherwise unavailable via commercial vendors. Paez also presents a sample study, establishing gray literature as a means to enrich the evidence base for your systematic review. Read up to know more, and don’t hesitate to look for/use gray literature for supplementing your study/ information need.

Click here for Detailed blog post

QMed's blog - Interesting Articles

Did You Know

NLM: A Brief History of Inception

Among Indian health professionals, there is often a sense of confusion about PubMed, the NLM and the NIH. So, when we got an alert from the NLM - the title of which read:

No Fooling: NLM Officially Became Part of NIH on April 1, 1968

we thought that we must share more about the NLM, the NIH and PubMed through a blog post. The alert we received, briefly discusses the history of the NLM and how it moved to its present location. And our blog post on the same, helps you understand how PubMed has been a labor of love, developing constantly since 1879 to assist you with your information needs. You will learn about the beginnings of the NLM, changes in authority, affiliations, and addresses. We hope it gives you an insight into the parent organization behind a database you rely on every day.

Click here for Detailed Blog Post

QMed's blog - Do you know

From QMed’s Calendar

Talks on Literature Search / Referencing & Citing at

• All India Occupational Therapists Association (Searching) - 22 April

• All India Occupational Therapists Association (Reference Management)- 24 April

Guest lectures

• On Literature Searching for Medical Professionals @ AMLEE-2018 Workshop, AIIMS Delhi - 16 April

• On Literature Searching for Librarians @ AMLEE-2018 Workshop, AIIMS Delhi - 17 April

• FAIMER Workshop on literature searching - 24 April

Regular workshops at institutions:

• Mastering PubMed- Basics (Interactive) at QUEST, Pune - 10 April

• Mastering PubMed - Basics & Reference Management with Mendeley
at PBMA’s H. V. Desai Eye Hospital - 15 April

• Mastering PubMed- Basics (Interactive) at QUEST, Mumbai - 18 April

From Our Picture Gallery

Participants of the "Continuing Occupational Therapy Education(COTE) Workshop" organised by the All India Occupational Therapists' Association

Medical students in QUEST Workshop on Literature Searching, Pune

Medical professionals attended the National Seminar on Access & Availability of Medical Literature in Electronic Environment (AMLEE-2018) at AIIMS, Delhi

Vasumathi Sriganesh @ E- Bulletin Launch of AIIMS, Delhi during AMLEE 2018 Workshop

Workshop participents @ PBMA’s H. V. Desai Eye Hospital, Pune