Writing an abstract for a journal article or report

If you are tearing your hair out trying to write an abstract then, the Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have produced a handout on writing abstracts which may be of help.

This handout provides definitions and examples of the two main types of abstracts: descriptive and informative. It also provides guidelines for constructing an abstract and general tips for you to keep in mind when drafting. Finally, it includes a few examples of abstracts broken down into their component parts.

This handout is licensed under Creative Commons.  Click here for details of the license

New books for Autumn

These books are available in the library.  Some may not yet be processed but please ask at the desk and they will be given priority.

Anaesthetics

Essentials of anaesthetic equipment (2013)

Al-Shaikh, Baha             617.96 ALS

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Anaesthesia and intensive care A-Z : an encyclopaedia of principles and practice (2013)

Yentis, Steven M            617.96 YEN

Core topics in paediatric anaesthesia (2013)

James, Ian                      - 617.96 JAM

Clinical Skills

Macleod's clinical examination (2013)

Douglas, Graham             - 616.075 DOU

Wound healing and skin integrity : principles and practice (2013)

Flanagan, Madeleine -

Critical Care

Critical care manual of clinical procedures and competencies (2013)

Mallett, Jane                   - 616.028 MAL

Examinations

MRCS part A : essential revision notes book 1 (2012)

Chalmers, Claire Ritchie    - 610.76 CHA

Primary FRCA : OSCEs in anaesthesia (2013)

Simpson, William              - 610.76 SIM

MRCOG Part 1: 550 SBAs and MCQs (2013)

Andersen, Katherine – 610.76

OSCEs at a glance (2013)

Blundell, Adrian                610.76 BLU

Succeeding in the MRCS part B exam (2013)

Pawa, Nikil                        - 610.76 PAW

Gastroenterology

Emergencies in gastroenterology and Hepatology (2013)

Marks, Daniel                     - 616.33

Laboratory Medicine

Clinical biochemistry : an illustrated colour text (2013)

Gaw, Allan                          - 577.1 GAW

Law

Medical law : text, cases and materials (2013)

Jackson, Emily                   - 344.41041

Mentoring

Mastering mentorship : a practical guide for mentors of nursing, health and social care students (2013)

Bailey-McHale, Julie           610.7307115

Mentorship and clinical supervision skills in health care : learning through practice (2013)

Wigens, Lynne                   610.7307115

Practice based learning in nursing and healthcare : supervision, mentoring and facilitating (2013)

Scott, Ian                            - 610.7307115

Midwifery

Legal aspects of midwifery (2013)

Dimond, Bridgit -

Nephrology

Harrison's nephrology and acid-base disorders (2013)

Jameson, J Larry                - 616.61 JAM

Oxford handbook of renal nursing (2013)

Mahon, Althea                   616.61

Vander's renal physiology (2013)

Eaton, Douglas C               - 616.61 EAT

Nursing

What is nursing?  Exploring theory and practice (2013)

Hall, Carol -

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy and older people (2013)

McIntyre, Anne                  - 615.85

Paediatrics

A manual of neonatal intensive care. (2013)

Rennie, Janet M               618.9201

Pharmacology

Medicines management for nursing practice : pharmacology, patient safety, and procedures (2013)

Brack, Graham                  - 615.1

Physiology

Essential cardiac electrophysiology : self assessment (2013)

Abedin, Zainul                   - 612.171

Physiotherapy

Physical therapy case files : acute care (2013)

Jobst, Erin E                     - 615.8

Reflective / Evidence-based Practice

Becoming a reflective practitioner (2013)

Johns, Christopher            370.1523 JOH

A beginner's guide to evidence-based practice in health and social care professions (2013)

Aveyard, Helen                  361.941

Respiratory

Harrison's pulmonary and critical care medicine (2013)

Loscalzo, Joseph                - 616.2 LOS

Speech & Language Therapy

Introductory linguistics for speech and language therapy practice (2013)

McAllister, Jan                    - 616.855

Surgery

Kirk's general surgical operations (2013)

Novell, Richard                   - 617.91 NOV

Surgery at a glance (2013)

Grace, Pierce A                617 GRA

Systematic Review in 5 minutes

Exciting news - a systematic review in five minutes, who wouldn’t want that? Well, earlier this week the people at Trip Database released the innovative Trip Rapid Review system, a system to perform a semi-automated review and synthesis of the literature in five minutes. Not quite a systematic review, but getting there. In many ways it’s a very interesting proof of concept! It’s free to use and is available via a button next to the search box. A few links to help explain and illustrate the service:

A screencast showing it working
How it works
Early test results
A worked example using SSRIs and hot flushes/flashes

A significant stimulus to the above work was their frustration with the current status quo with systematic review production. For further details see critique of the Cochrane Collaboration.