LibGuides: Pharmacy: E-resources

Search Summon discovery service

Search Summon to find online journal articles and book chapters.

Key databases

These are the major resources for finding literature and information in this subject.

Drug databases

British Pharmacopoeia [full-text] This link opens in a new window
Access to the latest edition of The British Pharmacopoeia (BP), the leading collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances.

Help and guidance
How to use the BP

Does this resource support EndNote?
No
MedicinesComplete [full-text] This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the British National Formulary, British National Formulary for Children and Stockley’s Drug Interactions.

It is also possible to access the BNF and BNFC free via the NICE website and download an app for Android and Apple devices. Note that Pharmacy students still need to use the print version of the BNF for workshops and assessments.

You can find a print copy of Martindale: the complete drug reference on the 3rd Floor of the main Library at LARGE --F 615.11-MAR.

Does this resource support EndNote?
No.

Key databases for finding journal articles and systematic reviews

MEDLINE/PubMed This link opens in a new window
References to journal articles in the biomedical sciences.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
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.

Scopus gives references to peer-reviewed literature in all subject areas. It includes journal articles (including 'in press' items), books, conference proceedings and patents.

It is possible to search for topics, authors (including by ORCID ID), author affiliation and funders.

Extensive analytical tools also allow you to:

-analyse your search results by year, source, author, affiliation, country or territory, document type and subject area
-compare journal impact to help you decide where to publish
-see the citation impact and scholarly community engagement for an article
-analyse the citation trend for any given article, set of results or for a list of author documents
-view an author profile to analyse and track an individual's citation history

Help and guidance
Scopus Quick Reference Guide (PDF)
Tutorial of creating alerts
Scopus learn & support site

Does this resource support EndNote?
Yes- for standard instructions on using EndNote, please see EndNote textbox. If the instructions for the resource are non-standard you will find them below.

You can save your references to EndNote in the following ways. Just select your references in Scopus using the checkboxes to the left of each item and click on 'Export' . Select the 'RIS Format' for your download.
For EndNote online - Download & import using the 'Scopus' import option.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive database covering all subjects. Provides references to journal articles, books, conference papers, patents, and research data on all aspects of pharmacy and related subjects. The MEDLINE subset of Web of Science duplicates many of the references found in PubMed.
The Cochrane Library [full-text] This link opens in a new window
Information on the effects of interventions in healthcare. Use to find systematic reviews and clinical trials.

Includes:

-The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Reviews)
-The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
-The Cochrane Database of Methodology Reviews (Methodology Reviews)

Help and guidance
You can find training materials and videos by registering with the Cochrane Library Training Hub (requires an e-mail address).

Does this resource support EndNote?
Yes- for standard instructions on using EndNote, please see EndNote textbox. If the instructions for the resource are non-standard you will find them below.

Follow these steps to save groups of references from a search results list into EndNote online:

1. After selecting the references you wish to download, click Export selected citation(s).
2. Select the RIS (EndNote) format.
3. Tick the box to include the abstract.
4. Click Download.
5. Import the file into EndNote online using the RIS RefMan Import option.

To save individual article citations into EndNote online:

1. In the individual review you would like to download, click Cite this Review.
2. Select the RIS (EndNote) format.
3. Tick the box to include the abstract.
4. Click Download
5. Import the file into EndNote online using the RIS RefMan Import option.

Other useful resources

These specialist sources may be useful for final year projects.

PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
A database for psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines, including pharmacy.

Gives references to journal articles, books and book chapters.

Does this resource support EndNote?
Yes- for standard instructions on using EndNote, please see EndNote textbox. If the instructions for the resource are non-standard you will find them below.

For Desktop EndNote - Direct export - just select 'Export' and 'Export to: EndNote

For EndNote online - Download & import follow the steps below:

1. After selecting the references you wish to download, click Export
2. Choose the following options:
- Export To: Reprint/Medlars
- Fields to Display: Complete Reference
3. Click Export Citations
4. Save the file as a text document.
5. Import the file into EndNote online using the PsycINFO (OvidSP) Import option.
reaxys This link opens in a new window
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.

Includes:

-Beilstein Database - covers organic chemistry from 1771 to date. Based on Beilstein's Handbuch der organischen Chemie. It contains over 8.2 million structures, 10 million reactions (making it the world's largest reactions database), 20 million property records and 50 million hyperlinks. It also gives references to journal articles from 1980- present including abstracts and links to full text for articles Reading readers are entitled to access.

-Gmelin Database - covers inorganic and organometallic compounds from 1772 to (presently) 1995. It contains all the structural, factual, and bibliographic data cited in the Gmelin Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie. The database currently comprises over 1.5 million compounds, including glasses, alloys, ceramics, minerals and coordination compounds, and 1.3 million reactions.

-Patent Chemistry Database - Organic chemistry and life science patents from US (since 1976), World and European patent publications (since 1978).

Help and guidance
Help using Reaxys is available via the Reaxys Support Centre, and there are also training videos available.

Does this resource support EndNote?
Yes- for standard instructions on using EndNote, please see EndNote textbox. If the instructions for the resource are non-standard you will find them below.

You can export documents (not structures or reactions) into EndNote from Reaxys.

For EndNote online follow these steps:

1. Run a document search and click the check box next to the items you want to keep.
2. Select Export.
3. Select Literature Management Systems as the file format. You can also choose whether to include the abstract for your records.
4. Select Export.
5. Select Download at the bottom of the page to download your citations.
6. In Desktop EndNote, open the .ris file to transfer the items to your library. In EndNote online import the file using the 'Refman (RIS)' as the import option.
SciFinder-n This link opens in a new window
Chemical information, plus references to articles and patents in this subject.

Register to use SciFinder-n now (University username and password required)

SciFinder is a key resource for chemistry-related research. Use it to find substance and reaction information and literature. Specifically you can use it to: identify a chemical substance and its related chemical structures; find chemical names, find regulatory information, and properties, including CAS Registry Numbers®; find reaction schemes; and view step-by-step experimental procedures, detailed conditions, and product yields. It gives references to journal articles and patents.

Also useful for researching in related areas such as: agricultural science; biomedical sciences; engineering; food; geological sciences; materials science; medical sciences; and physics.

More about SciFinder-n

Help and guidance
SciFinder-n support and training

Does this resource support EndNote?
Yes- for standard instructions on using EndNote, please see EndNote textbox. If the instructions for the resource are non-standard you will find them below.

You can save your references to EndNote in the following ways. Firstly mark the items you are interested in saving by clicking in the check box to the left of each one. Click the 'Download Results' button and select File Type: 'Citation (.ris)' and click 'Download.

Forf Desktop EndNote - Direct export click on the downloaded file to import the references into Desktop EndNote.
For EndNote online - Download & import using the 'Refman (RIS)' import option.
Visible Body [images] This link opens in a new window
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.

You can rotate, flip, zoom in/out and highlight models, as well as hide, isolate, fade and peel away structures and layers.

There are thousands of medically accurate anatomical structures and hundreds of thumbnails with pre-set views of body systems. The platform also provides pronunciations and detailed definitions for all structures, and quizzes for self assessment.

Modules included:

- Human Anatomy Atlas
- Muscle
- Physiology & Pathology

Help and guidance
For guidance see the Visible Body Help Centre for FAQs and user guides for each of the modules.

Does this resource support EndNote?
No.

Accessing online Library resources

If you are on campus you will be able to access most e-journals and e-books, and some databases, without entering a username and password because your IP address identifies you as being at the University of Reading.

For any that require a login, see the Off-campus tab.

Terms of Use

When you use our e-resources you are agreeing to our Terms of Use. Please take a moment to look at these by following the link below:

Terms and conditions of use for Library e-resources

When you are off-campus you will need to login to identify yourself as a member of the University of Reading to gain access to our protected databases, e-books and e-journals.

Your login details

You login in the same way as for Blackboard - via Microsoft. Just enter your University username followed by @student.reading.ac.uk (e.g. ab123456@student.reading.ac.uk) and your password. If this is the first time you have logged in via this method when off-campus you will be asked to complete a Multi-Factor Authentication. For more information see:

Find out more about multi-factor authentication

Getting to the login page...

For most resources, if you follow a link from our website or catalogues your login will be picked up automatically or you will be prompted to login straightaway.
If you access resources via another route you will need to look for a login option once you reach the resource you are trying to access. Look for an institutional or shibboleth login option and pick 'University of Reading' from a list of institutions. This will then pick up your login or prompt you to login. For more information about institutional login, please see the link below:

Find out more about the Institutional login

Logging in to Library resources

Watch this short video on how you login to use Library resources.

Getting articles not held at Reading

Our Inter-Library Loans service can get articles not held at Reading from other libraries (usually from the British Library).

For more information see our webpages:

Inter-library loans service
Use this service to get publications not held at the University of Reading.

Video: discovering online articles and chapters with Summon

Literature searching guidance

This series of three videos (available via the tabs in this box) cover:

What is a literature search: tips on getting started and techniques to use
Finding journal articles using Summon, PubMed and Web of Science
Using the following specialist resources: MedicinesComplete (BNF/BNFC/Stockleys drug interactions), British Pharmacopoeia and The Cochrane Library (systematic reviews).

You will need to login using your University email address and password to view the videos.

We also have the following generic guides to literature searching and searching databases:

Literature searching
A guide to finding articles, books and other materials on your subject
Guide to searching databases

Literature search plan template and example

Use the following documents to help you plan your literature search to make it as comprehensive as possible.

Literature search plan template
Download this Word document to help you analyse your topic and plan a literature search
Literature search plan example - blueberries and cognition
This is an example of a completed literature search plan.

This video covers finding journal articles using Summon, PubMed and Web of Science.

This video covers using the following specialist resources: MedicinesComplete (BNF/BNFC/Stockleys drug interactions), British Pharmacopoeia and The Cochrane Library (systematic reviews).

Doing a systematic review

An introduction to planning your systematic review.

You will need to login using your University email address and password to view the videos.

See also our detailed guide to doing a systematic review:

Doing a systematic review
An introduction to the steps involved in doing a systematic review and how it differs from a literature review.

This video covers the first four steps in doing a systematic review, including creating a protocol and searching for literature.

This video covers the fifth and sixth steps in doing a systematic review. It focuses on using EndNote Online to manage references and sifting the literature.

The final in a series of four videos on systematic reviews which covers writing it up.