Library Resources for Research
Health & Exercise Science Databases
Essential – Start Here
- SportDiscusInternational index that covers all aspects of sports, sports medicine, fitness, consumer health, nutrition, and related fields. Materials indexed include journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, audiovisual materials, and websites related to all aspects of sports and fitness. Provides access to over 500 full text journals.
- CINAHL CompleteCumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, including topics on nursing, allied health, biomedicine, consumer health, and health sciences librarianship. Materials indexed include professional journals, books, dissertations, standards of professional practice and educational software; some full text provided.
- PubMedU.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) database of biomedical and life sciences journal literature.
Health
- Health EvidenceProvides quality-rated systematic reviews evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions.
- Health Source: Consumer EditionHealth and medical information intended for a nonspecialist audience. Materials indexed include magazines, reference books, and health pamphlets as well as academic journals. Includes more than 18,800 Clinical Reference Systems reports.
- Health Source: Nursing/Academic EditionProvides access to scholarly journals focusing on many medical disciplines, such as nursing, allied health, critical care, mental health, nursing management, medical law and more. Some full text is available.
- PsycINFOCovers psychology and related disciplines in the behavioral sciences. Materials indexed include journals, book chapters, books, and dissertations. Some full text is available.
- MedlineIndex and abstracts to journals published internationally, covering medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other health fields. This link goes to the Ebscohost interface; searches via Ovid and FirstSearch are also available via libraries.ou.edu/eresources.
General Science
- Web of ScienceMultidisciplinary index covering topics in the sciences, social sciences and humanities. Some full text available.
- SciFinder1907 - present (with some 19th century material).
Focused on chemistry, but chemistry is defined broadly, so can be useful for biology, physics, engineering, astronomy, etc. Users must register. - Natural Science CollectionSearches multiple databases in the following science areas: Agricultural, aquatic, atmospheric, biological, earth and environmental.
- Academic Search CompleteComprehensive, multidisciplinary database covering social sciences, humanities, education, physical and life sciences, and ethnic studies with access to more than 7,000 peer reviewed journals and over 75,000 videos from the Associated Press.
- Google ScholarGoogle Scholar enables you to search for literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts, and technical reports from all broad areas of research. However, it indexes these items automatically and you should take care to verify the scholarly nature of items you find. Additionally, sometimes the OU Article Linker does not work correctly from Google Scholar results; in those cases take the title, journal, or authors and search in a database from the Libraries website.
- Engineering VillageEngineering database - searches Compendex, Inspec, and GEOBASE. Click "Check Access" then click on "sign in" via your institution. Type in "University of Oklahoma" (your email will not work) then select University of Oklahoma. This will prompt you to log in with your 4x4. Then click "continue without signing in". It's complicated but it's worth it!
- FirstSearch CollectionA list of databases available from FirstSearch on various subjects, including AnthropologyPlus, ArticleFirst, ClasePeriodica, Ebooks, ECO (Electronic Collections Online), ERIC, GEOBASE, GPO, History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Medline, OAIster, PapersFirst, Proceedings, World Almanac, WorldCat, and WorldCat Dissertations.
- JSTORFull text and complete archives of core scholarly journals in most disciplines. Some journals date from the 1600s. Current issues may not be available.
Finding Journals
- OU Libraries Journal SearchDo you know of a specific publication you're looking for? Search for journals by title or ISSN.
Looking for handbooks and encyclopedias? Go to the Background Information page. Looking for datasets? Go to Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis!
Websites
Evaluating Online Health Information
- Find Good Health Information: For Health Consumers and Patients – Medical Library Association guide for finding and evaluating health information on the internet.
- MedlinePlus: Evaluating Health Information – Links to resources about finding and evaluating health information on the internet.
General Health
- MedlinePlus – U.S. National Library of Medicine website for consumer health information. Use for: health and wellness, disease treatment, and links to in-depth information.
- Healthfinder.gov – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website for health and wellness. Use for health behaviors info, links to government consumer information sheets.
- Health Source: Consumer Edition – Health and medical information intended for a nonspecialist audience. Use for pamphlets, reference books, and popular magazines as well as academic journals.
Disease Information
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website. Use for disease info, data and statistics, and links to in-depth information.
- Mayo Clinic – Accredited and award-winning website. A-Z guide on diseases and their causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Nutrition
- Nutrition.gov – USDA National Agricultural Library website for food and nutrition advice.
Dissertations
Dissertations Written by OU Students
- Visit OU Libraries Discover/Local Catalog
- Search by author or title.
- Online full text access to doctoral dissertations (Masters' theses are not available electronically).
- Print copies can be checked out (shelved by author's last name in the Great Reading Room, with overflow into the nearby Decks).
- SHAREOK Repository https://shareok.org/
- Joint repository of digital items for OU and OSU
- Since 2014, OU dissertations have been deposited there so that they are freely available
- Items can be found through a Google (or other search engine) search.
Dissertations & Theses from Other Universities
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses – Formerly known as Dissertation Abstracts. Provides full text access 1997-present to most dissertations from U.S. institutions. Provides indexing information to dissertations 1861 - present. Many universities, including OU, no longer submit the full text of their dissertations in this database. Instead, they post their dissertations in an institutional repository (at OU, this is SHAREOK). If the dissertation is not available electronically, you can order through interlibrary loan.
- DART-Europe E-theses Portal – Dissertations from European universities
- UK Theses
Professional Societies in Health & Exercise Science
To find grey literature, identify professional societies in your discipline and use a web browser such as Google to search their web sites for publications or report series or search for "grey literature" plus your discipline. The list below is non-exhaustive and adapted from Syracuse University. Want to recommend an addition to the list? Email libstem@ou.edu.
- American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
- American College of Sports Medicine
- American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- American Kinesiology Association
- American Physical Therapy Association
- American Society of Biomechanics
- American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP)
- Association for Applied Sport Psychology
- Clinical Exercise Physiology Association (CEPA)
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs: Exercise Science
- Exercise Safety Association
- International Federation of Sports Medicine
- National Academy of Kinesiology
- National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education
- National Athletic Trainers Association
- National Federation of Professional Trainers
- National Strength and Conditioning Association
- North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine
- North American Society for Sport History (NASSH)
- North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
- Orthopaedic Research Society
- Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE)
Health & Exercise Science Government Documents
Federal Resources
- Center for Disease Control: Vital Statistics of the US
- Department of Agriculture: Food and Nutrition
- Department of Health & Human Services
- Department of Health & Human Services: Healthfinder.Gov
- Department of Health & Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Health Care.gov
- Library of Congress: Health/Medical
- Library of Congress: Sports and Recreation
- Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
- MentalHealth.gov
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging
- National Institute of Medicine, National Institutes of Health: MedLine Plus
- National Library of Medicine: Pub Med
- Nutrition.gov
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
International Resources
- European Union Homepage, Europa
- Library of Congress, Country Studies
- UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
- United Nations Homepage
- United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
- US Central Intelligence Agency, World Fact Book
- US State Department Bilateral Relations Fact Sheet (Background Notes)
- World Food Programme
State Resources
- Oklahoma State Department of Health
- Oklahoma State Department of Health, OK2SHARE Service Databases
- Statistical Abstract of Oklahoma
Questions? Reach out to OU Government Documents Librarian Jeffrey Wilhite.
Patent Searching
Business Information
- GreyNet International
- World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
- Business Source Elite – covers business, management, economics, banking, finance, and accounting. Materials indexed include scholarly, peer-reviewed, and some trade journals. Some full text is available.
- ABI/INFORM (ProQuest One Business) – Now included in the ProQuest One Business database, this resource covers business and management topics with information on more than 60,000 companies through journals, newspapers, executive profiles, reports on market conditions, and in-depth case studies of global business trends.
- Industry Reports OU Libraries guide
Popular Treatments of Health & Exercise
Send us your recommendations: libstem@ou.edu
- Good to Go byCall Number: RC 1235 .A78 2019ISBN: 9780393254334Publication Date: 2019-02-05An eye-opening exploration of how the human body can best recover and adapt to sports and fitness training.
- Intangibles byCall Number: GV867.64 .R93 2020ISBN: 9780316434935Publication Date: 2020-04-28From baseball to biology, an award-winning journalist highlights the power of team chemistry in this "terrific" data-driven investigation of human relationships (Billie Jean King).
- Runner's High: how a movement of cannabis-fueled athletes is changing the science of sports byCall Number: RC1230 .H48 2021ISBN: 9780593191170Publication Date: 2021-09-14Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind meets Christopher McDougall's Born to Run in this immersive, investigative look at the hidden culture of cannabis use among elite athletes (as well as weekend warriors)--and the surprising emerging science behind the elusive, exhilarating "runner's high" they all seek.
- The Body Keeps the Score byCall Number: RC 552 .P67 V355 2014ISBN: 9780670785933Publication Date: 2014-09-25A pioneering researcher and one of the world's foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for healing.
News
- EurekalertNews releases from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Podcasts
Videos
- KanopyProvides access to streaming video supporting classes in the arts, business, health, media/communication, science, humanities and education. NOTE: Kanopy video access is mediated. This means that any video not currently licensed for use will require the user to request access. Access is being enabled for class use with instructor approval.
- Internet ArchiveNon-profit archive dedicated to preserving digital content.
- PBS VideoPublic Broadcasting Service
The Library's Role Is Providing Access
Databases are searching tools designed to help researchers find information. Check out OU Libraries' What are Databases? handout to learn more.
OU Libraries subscribe to both databases (paying for the indexing that the databases do) and to publications (paying for full text access). In the age of the internet, there are many ways to publish information; as such, the library connects you to many different types of resources. Don't hesitate to reach out to the Research Help Desk or the STEM Services team for assistance.
Struggling to find the full text of an item? Look for the OU Link to Article button in the database or try searching the library catalog. Check out OU Libraries' Finding Full Text guide. You can also try the interactive tutorial, Access Full Text. If we don't have a resource available here, often another library has it and is willing to send us a copy via Interlibrary Loan. The Lean Library browser extension can make accessing full text easier and will even direct you to Interlibrary Loan where needed.
Scholarly Sources
Peer review is a system within the academic community that is widely accepted. Generally, the peer review process is an evaluation of an academic work (a submitted manuscript or preprint) done by other professionals (reviewers) in the same field. Scholars rely on peer review to check each others' work and ensure published information is factual and accurate. The peer review process is used to evaluate journal articles, but also books (also called monographs) and sometimes conference papers and grant applications.
Many scholars consider an article trustworthy once it has been peer-reviewed; when crafting a bibliography for a course assignment, it is often expected that most sources be peer-reviewed, and some professors require this for all sources (ask your professor!).
The question of what counts as "scholarly" is often answered by peer review, but there are other forms of vetting information, such as review from a committee or the oversight of a standard issuing body or government organization. This can start to fall into the "grey literature" region – think about your research needs and what each perspective might offer. It is helpful in the long term to learn how to differentiate between sources and recognize an article as peer-reviewed.
How can I know for sure if an article is peer-reviewed?
- Identify the journal's title, then visit their website to view their policies
- Search the journal or periodical in the UlrichsWeb International Serials Directory
- In Ulrichs, journals that have a icon are "refereed," which is a common term for peer review.
If you are still not sure, reach out to your librarian.
Grey Literature
We went over peer review in detail, but scholars communicate with each other in many ways. Could your research question be informed by any of the following types of publications?
- Conference papers or proceedings
- Theses or dissertations
- Handbooks
- Standards
- Codes or safety data
- Industry websites
- Datasets
- Clinical trials
- Trade journals
- Patents
- Technical reports
- Government documents
- Market and industry reports
- Interviews, newsletters, press releases
Library databases do a very good job of listing and organizing the published literature of a discipline – particularly articles and books. Many library databases also include these other kinds of documents. However, many disciplines produce information that might not be part of library databases.
For example, the discipline of engineering produces countless technical report series published by universities, funding agencies, government agencies, and professional engineering societies. Some, but not all, of these report series are indexed in the enormous database Engineering Village. It can be difficult to find documents that aren't published commercially and aren't readily accessible via library databases. As a whole, these documents are sometimes referred to as "grey literature."
Grey literature search tips:
- Identify the important professional societies in your discipline, and search their web sites for publications or report series.
- Examine the "works cited" section of influential published books and articles on your topic.
- Use a web browser such as Google to search for "grey literature in engineering" or "grey literature in economics" (or whatever your discipline is).
- Consult your librarian.
Popular Works
Popular works have their time and place in the research process. Newspapers and magazines are considered popular works – check out OU Libraries Newspapers & Magazines guide, and our Popular Magazines guide lists common magazines!
Popular sources do not face the scholarly publication timeline. So, while the information does not undergo a vetting process, it is often more timely. CQ Researcher is a resource that might fit better under grey literature due to its congressional association, but its reports explore "hot" issues in the news each week, including political, social, medical, international, educational, environmental, technological and economical issues.
Visit the News Literacy research guide for information on identifying fake news, teaching news literacy, and resources for fact-checking.
OU Libraries Handouts
- Popular vs. ScholarlyLearn about the differences between popular sources and scholarly sources.
- What are databases?Learn about databases and how to access them from OU Libraries' website.