Use the resources listed on this page to find relevant information on topics in pharmacology. They will give you access to both primary and secondary sources of information.
These are the major resources for finding literature and information in Pharmacy.
Access to the latest edition of The British Pharmacopoeia (BP), the leading collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances.
Provides access to the British National Formulary, British National Formulary for Children and Stockley’s Drug Interactions.
Please note, due to licensing restrictions students and staff must access the BNF and BNF for Children on the MedicinesComplete platform. Use of the NICE BNF platform is only permitted for those working for, or on placement with, the NHS.
References to journal articles in the biomedical sciences. Covers 1950 to the present day. Includes 'In press' articles.
Gives references to journal articles, books, conference proceedings and patents in all subjects. Also offers extensive tools to analyse results, and measure impact for articles, journals and authors.
Systematic reviews, protocols and trials on the effects of interventions in health care. Free to UK residents
These specialist sources may be useful for some topics.
Full-text articles in the life sciences from a scholarly publishing cooperative which provides open access to quality research journals published in developing countries. Covers health (tropical medicine, infectious diseases, epidemiology, emerging new diseases), biodiversity, the environment, conservation and international development.
Gives references to journal articles, books and chapters in psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines including education, linguistics, medicine, and physiology. Includes links to full-text articles in PsycARTICLES.
An integrated chemical information system. Use to find physical properties, structures and reactions. Includes inorganic (Gmelin) and organic chemistry (Beilstein). also gives references to articles and patents.
Chemical information, plus references to articles and patents in this subject.
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Visible Body is a comprehensive resource of 3D interactive modules illustrating the basic movement of a variety of muscles throughout the human body as they interact with bone, nerves, and ligaments.
Key resources
Pharmacology
Access to the latest edition of The British Pharmacopoeia (BP), the leading collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances.
Medicinal chemistry
Medicines/pharmacy resources
Provides access to the British National Formulary, British National Formulary for Children and Stockley’s Drug Interactions.
Please note, due to licensing restrictions students and staff must access the BNF and BNF for Children on the MedicinesComplete platform. Use of the NICE BNF platform is only permitted for those working for, or on placement with, the NHS.
Glossaries & dictionaries
Most of these resources are freely available. Those only available to University members have red icons next to the name.
ImageQuest is a high resolution image library of over 2.7 million images which are rights-cleared for academic use from various collections including National Geographic, Getty Images, National History Museum and more.
Visible Body is a comprehensive resource of 3D interactive modules illustrating the basic movement of a variety of muscles throughout the human body as they interact with bone, nerves, and ligaments.
PubMed is a great place to search for articles and gives access to many freely available PDFs, but it doesn't show which ones you have access to via the Library. Install the LibKey Nomad browser extension for quick access to articles we have. It will display a 'Download PDF' button under each article accessible via the University:
This short playlist shows you how to prepare for and perform a literature search. The first video introduces literature searches and their role. The second video covers using the search operators AND and OR to create a search statement, and explains the role of wildcards and truncation in constructing a comprehensive search.
We also have the following generic guide to literature searching and searching databases:
Use the template below to help plan out your own literature search - identifying keywords and synonyms. There's also an example to help guide you and an example of adapting a search for different databases.
Our Inter-Library Loans service can get articles, books and other publications not held at Reading from other libraries (usually from the British Library).
For more information see our webpages: