The best research assignments are ones that use a variety of resources including books, newspaper and journal articles, and internet sites. We encourage you to use all of these sources for this paper. You may apply for a library card and request materials online. We hope you will take full advantage of the many resources our libraries offer.
If you have questions about the
research and construction of the paper, post your questions in the discussion list in your eCollege VISTA class or send in-class email to your e-Librarian, Jimmi Rushing. You may also contact any of the Lone Star College-Kingwood Librarians. Write to instructor Jan Domenico using your eCollege VISTA e-mail with any questions about topic selection or other course questions you may have. She will refer research and formatting questions to your eLibrarian.
Decide on a current issue related to pharmacology and choose a side to discuss in your paper. If you are unsure of a topic, please discuss with your instructor. Here are several possible topics suggested by your instructor:
- Does the FDA spend too much (or not enough) time in the drug approval process?
- Should there be more widespread volunteer test programs to help speed up the approval process?
- Are there too many (or not enough) children being required to be medicated in order to attend school?
- Should children be required to be vaccinated to attend school?
- Should marijuana be legalized for medical purposes?
- Should there be limits on litigation when a drug is pulled off the market?
- Are there ways to bring down the cost of medications to make them more affordable and available to those who need them?
Additional current pharmacology topic ideas include the following: clinical trials, inspection of new drugs, medical ethics topics, controversial drugs (such as Prozac, Vioxx, or ephedra), antibiotic resistance, vaccine production issues related to the Avian Flu threat, the ADHD medication controversy, or the monitoring of alternative medicines, herbs, or supplements.
You are free to choose a topic not listed here, but it must be approved by your instructor.
 Librarian Talk about Getting Started:
As you begin, narrow your topic to a size that you can manage for the paper. Consider keywords that will help you find the information you need. These can be names of people, events, or broader identifying terms. Use these keywords for locating information in the library catalog, electronic databases, and on the internet.
Sample Keywords: clinical trials, drug research, drug safety, herbs, prozac, marijuana, ephedra, alternative medicine, FDA (Food & Drug Administration)
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FINDING BOOKS
Librarian Talk about Books
Apply online for a library card. Use your card to request a book and to access the databases from home.
The catalog is online at Lone Star College-Kingwood Library Catalog.
Electronic books or eBooks are available at NetLibrary. Login with your library barcode number. Create a free account in NetLibrary to save favorite book titles and notes.
Get a library card by submitting an online request for a card or get a photo ID from Student Services in the SFA Building on campus. It takes about a week to get a card through the mail. Or bring your library card and they will put your barcode number on the back or issue you a new one if you've never had a card.
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Here is a small sampling of related books and call numbers available from the Lone Star College-Kingwood Library. Find these and other information sources by searching the library catalog using your selected keywords. Books can be requested from the other college libraries by placing a Request, which takes just a few days, or try your local public library as well. From the library catalog record for each book, click on the subject links to find more books on the same topics.
| RA401.A3 E25 2005 - Eban, K. (2005). Dangerous doses : how counterfeiters are contaminating America's drug supply. Orlando: Harcourt. |
| RM263 .C75 2005 - Crister, G. (2005). Generation Rx : How prescription drugs are transforming American lives, minds, and bodies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. |
| HD9665.A94 - Avorn, J. (2004).
Powerful medicines: The benefits, risks, and costs of prescription drugs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. |
| BF671.A56 - Carroll, M. E. & Overmier, J. B. (2001). Animal research and human health: Advancing human welfare through behavioral science. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. |
| HD9666.5.A74 - Marica, A. (2004). The truth about the drug companies: How they deceive us and what to do about it. New York: Randomhouse. |
| RM332.B37 - Barondes, S. H. (2003). Better than Prozac: Creating the next generation of psychiatric drugs. New York: Oxford University Press |
| REF RM316.K84 - Kuhn, C. K., Swartzwelder, S., & Wilson, W. (2003). Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs From Alcohol to Ecstasy. New York: Norton. |
| RM302.5.C64 - Cohen, J. S. (2001). Over Dose: The Case Against the Drug Companies. New York: Putnam. |
FINDING ARTICLES: Databases
Librarian Talk about Finding Journal and Newspaper Articles:
Electronic databases are purchased by the libraries for your research use. Use them to find articles in newspapers and journals, letters, reference books, illustrations, photographs and more. Home access to article databases is available with your updated library card barcode. If you need assistance finding an article, contact the Reference Librarians and they will see that you get the article. They will need full bibliographic information and your name and address. Include your phone number so they can contact you if necessary.
Use your library card to login to these online journal databases.
When searching the databases, remember to select "full text" or "Articles with text" to limit your search. Choose HTML or PDF versions to view full text. You may want to limit your articles to those that are scholarly/peer-reviewed.
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Choose from the following databases. You do not need to search them all; be selective and choose the databases that may best suit your topic.
General Databases
Health & Medical Databases
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Alt HealthWatch - For a different perspective on herbal and nutritional supplements and alternative treatments, try this database which includes full-text research journals, pamplets, reports, proceedings and consumer health newsletters. If you have trouble finding enough articles, try clicking on the link to "Subjects." Search your term and retrieve a list of alternative subject terms.
- Consumer Health Complete - Features an emphasis on topics of consumer interests and easy-to-search format. Select "Medications" under the Topics list on the homepage. Enter your search terms (liability, testing, etc.) to search for articles on your specific interest area. Click on the "Alternative Health Source" to find articles written from different perspective.
- Health Reference Center Academic - Includes articles from medical and healthcare journals, reference books, and dictionary definitions. After performing your search, use the specific subjects provided to narrow your search.
- Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition - An excellent source for scholarly journal articles, with an emphasis on nursing, this database also includes the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide, which provides access to 1,300 drug monographs. For articles from popular consumer magazines, books and pamplets, search Health Source: Consumer Edition.
- PubMed Central - From the Library of Medicine, this resource links to articles from government agencies and hospital and health organizations. All articles are full-text and free. Include images.
Current Issues Databases
- Opposing Viewpoints
- Includes articles on both sides of current issues. Select from the listed topics, such as marijuana, mental health, narcotics legalization, or others; or use search box with your own keywords (such as the name of a drug) to pull up articles.
- Issues & Controversies on File - Search this database of articles related to current issues.
- CQ Researcher - Find reports on several drug topics by going to Browse by Topic and choosing from the alphabetical list of topics, such as Drugs and Pharmaceutical Industry, Vaccines, Alternative Medicine, or others. You can also do a subject search for your topic.
Business Database
- Business Source Complete - You may want to research drug companies, such as to learn the financial impact of drug recalls or other issues. Provides full text for over 3,500 scholarly business journals and is updated daily.
INTERNET SITES
Librarian Talk about the Internet:
The Internet is a wonderful source of original documents. Remember to find reputable sites. Use the following criteria to evaluate web sites:
- Accuracy - The information should be researched and show proof of that research with references.
- Source - Look at the domain; valid research sources include the following:
.edu .gov .org .net
- Authority - What are the author's credentials? (Don't quote from another college freshman's paper.)
- Coverage - Does the page have the information you need for your research?
- Objectivity - If a work is biased, use it - just make sure your professor knows YOU know. Offer both sides of issues, where applicable.
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Currency - Is the information recent? Look for the date of publication.
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Be selective and choose from these or other web sites that best suit your topic.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Information about clinical trials, human research subjects, new drug development and pre-clinical testing, drug recalls, research regulations, institutional review boards, drug labeling, and more. See sections on information for consumers and also for healthcare professionals.
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) - This organization is part of the FDA. Find statements the FDA has made about specific drugs, general drug information, regulation information, and much more.
- ClinicalTrials.gov - Government database of clinical research studies across the U.S. Under the Resource area, see Understanding Clinical Trials for general information about participants, protocols, informed consent, benefits and risks, and more.
- MEDLINEplus - Highly Recommended.
- Choose Health Topics to find information on topics such as Drugs, Over-the-Counter Drugs, Drug and Medical Device Safety, Depression, Teen Mental Health, Child Mental Health, ADHD, Alternative Medicine, Herbal Medicine, and others. Each topic has current health news articles, statistics, and links to related organizations and web sites.
- Choose Drug Information to search for prescription and over-the-counter drugs by generic or trade name.
- WebMD - Search the news archives, diseases, drugs and herbs, clinical trials, and the Medical Library for reliable information.
- Aetna InteliHealth - Featuring Harvard Medical Schools Consumer health Information. Under Healthy Lifestyles, choose Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Also link to the Virtual Herb Garden from this page under Interactive Tools for research information about various herbs.
SUPPORT: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Librarian Talk about Support:
Support for a successful paper is more than finding the right resources. Putting it all together takes time and effort. Consider using the following list of resources.
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Avoiding Plagiarism | Excellent information and guide on how to avoid plagiarism from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.
Learning Center
| Check our hours for in-house tutoring.
Post your library research and resource questions on your eCollege VISTA class, under the discussion topic "Ask a Librarian." Email your e-Librarian, Jimmi Rushing, in your eCollege VISTA class or contact any reference librarian for help.
Contact your instructor, Jan Domenico, for further questions about your assignment.
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Talk to a librarian. If there is no answer, please leave a message and we will e-mail a reply as soon as possible.
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Page created by Carolyn Harty, Feb. 2005, updated 7/06 BB; rev. 9/07 JR.
