This list of library resources is intended to aid you in your research in the field of Occupational Therapy. Electronic indexes available through the Library are listed first, print sources second, and internet resources last. This handout is meant to be a guide, not to answer specific questions. Please consult a librarian at the Reference Desk for more detailed assistance. You may also call to schedule an appointment (941-4000).
ELECTRONIC INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS
Annual Reviews
Covering over 29 fields in three subject areas (biology and medical sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences), this database provides full-text annual reviews from 1996 to the present, and searchable bibliographic records from 1984-1995. Updated annually.CINAHL with Full Text
The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature contains citations to articles published in more than 1,200 journals. There are some full-text articles. CINAHL indexes selected books, book chapters, pamphlets, pamphlet chapters, dissertations and master’s theses, audiovisuals, and software.Contemporary Women's Issues
Covering over 1900 sources comprising journals, newsletters & pamphlets, reports, as well as bibliographies, directories, fact sheets, and various guides, this database includes articles as recent as the current year and previous years as well for individual sources.ERIC
Searchable either through the free, public AskERIC web site (click on "ERIC Database") or through FirstSearch, ERIC is the most comprehensive index to the literature of education. The scope does not just include elementary and secondary education, but also areas of research at the college level. Consequently, in addition to being a good source of information on children in the schools, it is also a good source of information on occupational therapy education as well. If searched through FirstSearch, ERIC also has links to full-text journal articles and ERIC documents.FirstSearch
First Search contains 59 databases in a variety of subject areas, and has many full-text articles. Those appropriate to occupational therapy are ECO - Electronic Collections Online, a full-text, multidisciplinary database containing scholarly journals from 1995 to present, and Article Search, a large, interdisciplinary index of articles taken from the contents pages of journals (some full-text). Also consider ERIC (see description above) and MEDLINE (see following description).JAMA
Access the full-text of archival copies of articles from this journal. Contact the Reference Desk for the User Name and Password.Lexis-Nexis
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe is an valuable source for both legal information (including health care law) and news information (including medical news).MEDLINE/PubMed
PubMed, the search engine developed by the National Library of Medicine, provides free public access to MEDLINE, a database of more than 10 million bibliographic citations and abstracts in the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care systems, and preclinical sciences. Coverage extends back to 1966 and new material is incorporated weekly.MEDLINE is also available in FirstSearch.MEDSCAPE
Access to Medscape is free, but it requires a one-time membership registration. Medscape is organized by medical specialty, with each supported specialty having its own custom web site. The content comes from an assortment of sources including: clinical e-journals, more than 50 medical journals and textbooks, professional medical news from Reuters, MedscapeWire, and medical news journal publishers, business and finance publishers, managed care and medical practice publishers, and more. This Internet site is updated daily, and it contains links to MEDLINE as well as other web-based medical sites.Mental Measurements Yearbook
Mental Measurements Yearbook, produced by the Buros Institute, contains full text information and reviews of all English-language standardized tests covering educational skills, personality, vocational aptitude, psychology, and related areas as included in the printed Mental Measurements Yearbooks. This database product contains data from Yearbooks 9 through 15.OT Search
Containing only bibliographic citations (not full-text), this database is nevertheless the most comprehensive index to the literature of occupational therapy. Items indexed are monographs, proceedings, reports, doctoral dissertations, master's theses and journals and newsletters, which comprise the entire contents of the Wilma L. West Library.ProQuest
ProQuest is a collection of 5 databases you may search individually or simultaneously. Those most appropriate for occupational therapy are ProQuest Nursing, ProQuest Education, and ProQuest Research and AMA Titles . Approximately 60% of the articles are full text and may be e-mailed, printed or downloaded.PsycINFO
This is the primary index for the literature of psychology, and it contains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports, as well as citations to dissertations, either in the field of psychology or pertaining to the psychological aspects of other disciplines.Science Direct
Includes the full text of 175 Academic Press journals. Its aim is to improve access to scientific journals starting with the complete 1996 issues. Over 2000 articles are added monthly. Subject areas covered in this database are applied sciences, social sciences, dentistry, medicine, nursing, economics, business law and finance.SpringerLink
Kluwer provides electronic access to 720+ full text journals of Kluwer Academic Publishers. Subjects covered include science and technology, biological, agricultural and environmental sciences, medicine, business, humanities and social sciences, and law; coverage is from 1995 to the present. A PDF icon will lead to the full text articles.WilsonWeb
Wilson Web hosts a variety of databases relevant to OT, including Applied Science Full Text (good for biomedical engineering information), General Science Full Text (good for medical information), and Social Sciences Full Text. Additional databases are Education Full Text and Biological and Agricultural Index.REFERENCE BOOKS
The following books are found in the Reference section of the Library, and are arranged here by format.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
American heritage Stedman’s medical dictionary. A standard medical dictionary. Look for others in close proximity to this call number, including Dorland’s and Black’s. [REF RM930.D455 1995]
Eisenberg, Myron, ed. Dictionary of rehabilitation. Based on the Dictionary of rehabilitation medicine by Herman L. Kamenetz, MD. Includes bibliographical references. Section I covers vocabulary, Section II, rehabilitation organizations, and Section III, health care abbreviations and symbols. [REF RM930 .D455 1995]
The Gale encyclopedia of medicine. A five-volume set containing articles on common medical disorders, conditions, tests, treatments and therapies, in alphahabetical order, with an index to all the volumes in the final volume. Intended to fill “the gap between basic consumer health sources… and highly technical professional materials.” [REF RC 41 .G35 1999]
Quick reference dictionary for occupational therapy. Edited by Karen Jacobs and Laela Jacobs. Pocket-sized dictionary of over 3,600 OT terms. Includes 60 appendices containing important resources used in everyday practice and in the classroom. [REF RM735.J345 2004]
Directories
AHA guide to the health care field. Published by the American Hospital Association, this is a comprehensive directory of accredited United States hospitals, long term care facilities, health organizations and agencies. Hospitals with Occupational Therapy Services or Rehabilitation Inpatient or Outpatient Units can be readily identified by the “Facility Codes.” [REF DESK RA 977 .A44]
Handbooks
The Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy. Periodically updated, this authoritative source lists entries containing a definition or description of various disorders, their etiology, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. [REF RC55 .M4 1992].
Quick reference to occupational therapy. The purpose of the book is to provide “an overview and quick reference to disorders and problems seen by occupational therapists.” [REF RM735.3 .R42 1991]
Occupational therapy assessment tools: an annotated index. Ina Elfant Asher. Each entry is a summary of a profile of an assessment instrument. Entries are arranged by topic--performance areas, performance components, and performance contexts. Profiles represent a cross-section of occupational therapy practice. [REF RM735.3 .A84 1996]
Occupational therapy: enabling function and well-being. Edited by Charles H. Christiansen, Carolyn M. Baum, this is a standard reference tool. [REF RM735 .O36 1997]
Physician’s Desk Reference. Annually updated, this is the most commonly used source for information about currently available prescription drugs. It includes generic trade name and product category indexes, as well as a very useful picture identification section. [REF DESK RS75] Annual.
Willard and Spackman's occupational therapy. Another standard work, Willard & Spackman's is useful for getting an overview of topics and trends important to occupational therapy. [REF RM 735 .O29 2003]
Statistics
Health, United States, [year]. Updated annually, this source presents statistics concerning recent trends in the health care sector. Also available online on the National Center for Health Statistics' Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm. [REF DESK RA407.3 U57] Annual.
Style Manuals/Writing
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Often referred to as the APA Manual, this reference book spells out all the rules for manuscript preparation in the social sciences. The latest edition is kept at the Reference Desk. [REF DESK BF 76.7 .P83 2001]
American Medical Association manual of style: a guide for authors and editors. A style guide for medical writing, including how to cite sources, published by the AMA. Kept at the Reference Desk. [REF DESK R119 .A533 1998]
Borcherding, Sherry. Documentation manual for writing SOAP notes in occupational therapy. A workbook designed to facilitate the learning of note writing for medical documentation. [REF RM701.6 .K48 1995]
Research primer in occupational and physical therapy. Charlotte B. Royeen This work covers the basics of research and intends to teach OT students "how to (a) read research, (b) understand the role and 'culture' of research, and (c) use or apply research." [REF RM 735.3 .R69 1997]
Successful scientific writing: a step-by-step guide for the biological and medical sciences. Janice R. Mathews, John M. Bowen, and Robert W. Matthews. "[A] user-friendly book providing detailed practical guidance to help students and researchers in the biological and medical sciences to communicate their work effectively through the published literature." [REF R119 .M28 2000]
INTERNET SOURCES
There are many excellent sources of information available on the Internet. Listed below are just a few.
The American Occupational Therapy Foundation - A non-profit charitable, scientific, educational and literary organization. This site offers scholarship information, news & upcoming events, a library, doctoral network, articles on research, and the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (current issue available and back issues searchable).
American Occupational Therapy Association - The AOTA has information on educational and professional issues, their publications (some articles in the Journal of Occupational Therapy Students and the American Journal of Occupational Therapy are full text), OT in the news, and other information for consumers as well as OTs.
Digital Librarian: Health & Medicine - Scores of websites, including links to some full-text journals, of interest to both the professional and the consumer. Includes information on diseases, organizations, associations, an online version of Gray’s Anatomy, laws pertaining to health care, and more.
Health, United States - Updated annually, this source presents statistics concerning recent trends in the health care sector, with issues available in PDF format online.
Healthfinder - "A free gateway to reliable consumer health and human services information developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." The site includes links to selected online publications, clearinghouses, databases, web sites, support and self-help groups, as well as government agencies and non-profit organizations.
HealthWeb - "HealthWeb provides links to specific, evaluated information resources on the World-Wide Web selected by librarians and information professionals at leading academic medical centers in the Midwest. Selection emphasizes quality information aimed at assisting health care professionals as well as consumers in meeting their health information needs." Go to the subject listings for "Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation," which has links to OT and disability information.
MEDLINE Journals Database - Search here by abbreviation for the full name of journals indexed in the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE.
Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. - POTA seeks to be a networking resource for Pennsylvania therapists, and has links for legislative information (including links to state legislators), continuing education, and a calendar of events.
Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Sources - A lengthier discussion (which includes tertiary sources as well), with examples across different disciplines.
Sensory Integration Resource Center - "Our mission is to post quality resources about sensory integration for individuals with SI problems as well as the family members, friends, therapists, physicians, teachers and researchers who care about and work with them."
Prepared and updated by Bonnie Oldham 30 August 2005
