Glossary

If you are not sure about any of the terms we use then check out our glossary below.
Is something missing or would you like to add an entry - let us know by posting a comment.

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1-to-1 - face-to-face training session involving only you and a librarian. The training session can be tailored to your individual needs.
7 day loan - shortest loan period for items available at the Health Library. You must renew or return items within the 7 day period.

A

Abstract - short description of a journal article or book outlining the basic aims, content and conclusions covered in the article or book.
Adobe Reader - software that displays Adobe Acrobat pdf documents. You can download a copy of the software from the Adobe website.
Alerts - emails sent to you whenever new material is published matching your search criteria. This may be for a single journal title or a database search.
Article - item published within a journal title.
Athens - now known as OpenAthens; authentication system that provides you with a username and password that will access many different resources. This authentication method is available for our NHS resources only.
Author - name of person writing a book, article or other text.

B

Barcode - code of lines and spaces, readable by computer scanning equipment. It contains a specific code relating to the item it is connected with, for example the barcode on your library card or the barcode on a book.
Bibliography - list of all the references you have used to create a piece of work. This may include items that you have not directly referenced in your work, for example background reading.
Blog - online journal or diary, also referred to as a "web log". This may include releases of current news as well as events and opinions.
Book Bin - container for returned library items.
Books - printed and published written texts.
Boolean operators - words used to combine search terms; including AND, OR and NOT.
Borrowing rights - rules that determine what a user can borrow from the library. Different types of library members may have different borrowing rights.
Bulletins - regular publications detailing recent news or listing recent publications.

C

Card Sensor - machine that will read information from a library or Keele card.
CASP - Critical Appraisal Skills Programme.
Catalogue - online list containing information about all the items within the library. This function is provided via Library Search.
CD-Roms - Compact-disk Read-only memory, disk readable by a computer.
Chapters - sections of a book relating to a particular subject.
Check out - to take a book out on your library card or have a book issued to your library card.
CINAHL - Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, online database, provided by Ebsco Publishing.
Citation - source information for a quote or reference, included in the body of a piece of text.
Classmark - classification code for an item in the library.
Combining terms - process of linking different search terms together, using AND, OR or NOT, to expand or focus a search strategy.
Comparison - process of analysing differences and similarities between different items, such are treatments and other types of interventions.
Contents page - page near the front of a book or journal listing the chapters or articles that it contains.
Copyright - legal right of a creator of a piece of work. More info from the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA).
Critical Appraisal - systematic examination of research to determine its validity and relevance. More here from CASP.
Current Awareness - keeping up-to-date with your topic or subject area, at the level that suits you.

D

Databases - application that manages the bibliographic details for a wide range of information sources (mainly journal articles) and provides a search interface allowing users to retrieve that information.
Download - save a copy of an item from a computer or the Internet.
Due date - the date that a borrowed item should be renewed or returned to the library.
DVDs - high density disk storing audio/visual material.

E

eBooks, also e-books and online books - electronic versions of books, made available via the Internet.

EBSCO - platform hosting databases and publishing journal titles
Edition - copy of a particular book / ebook. Different editions of an item will vary in some way.
eJournals, also e-journals and online journals - electronic versions of journals, made available via the Internet.
eResources, also e-resources and online resources - range of different types of electronic resources - including websites, reports, guidelines, journals, books, images, databases, social media, etutorials and more - made available via the Internet.
Evaluate - examine an information resource to identify whether it is reliable, valid and relevant to your needs.
Evidence-based Practice - "Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients" Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, 2011, available online [date accessed: 04/08/2012].

F

Fines - charges levied for failing to renew or return items to the library by the specified due-date.
Full-Text - format of an article which allows you to view the complete text of the article.

G

Guidelines - policy or procedure advised to follow; usually evidence-based.

H

Harvard Referencing - defined format for a reference ie what to record in the reference and in what order (having said that there can be slight local variations).
Health Library store - room behind the library counter which houses part of the print journal collection.
Health Library subscription - purchase made by the Health Library to provide our users with access to a particular resource.
Health Library website - the online Internet presence for the Health Library, available at URL http://www.keele.ac.uk/healthlibrary/ .
Holdings - list of issues held for a particular journal title, usually includes a range of years, volumes and issue numbers.

I

ILL - inter-library loan where we try to obtain an item, or copy of an item, from another library for you.
Imprint - the publication details for an information resource (usually a book or journal); includes the publisher, publication date, edition and place of publication.
Index - A to Z list of terms.
Information Skills - competencies required by users so that they can effectively search for, retrieve and manage information.
Inter-Library Loan - where we try to obtain an item, or copy of an item, from another library for you.
Intervention - action carried out to treat a patient.
ISBN - International Standard Book Number, 10 or 13 digit.
Issue - to check out or borrow an item.
Issue - part of a journal holding, a journal issue usually refers to the published single item.

J

Journals - scholarly published material, produced on a regular basis throughout the year.

K

Keele Card - your Keele University ID card which also acts as your library card.
Keele eJournals - electronic journals subscribed by Keele University.
Keele network - computer network, run and owned by Keele University.
Keele subscription - purchase made by the Keele University Campus Library to provide users with access to a particular resource.
Keeping up-to-date - current awareness around a particular topic or field of interest.
Keyword - significant word or phrase relating to an information need.

L

Library Account - your record on the library management system, detailing your contact details and list of currently loaned items.
Library Search - use this to search for books, ebooks and journals as well as Keele-subscribed resources. You can also access your library account here.
Library use only - for use in the library for reference only, cannot be borrowed or removed from the library.
Limits - characteristics that will focus or limit your search criteria; for example date range, geographical area, patient characteristics such as gender or age.
Literature Search - systematic search through a range of literature types such as books, journals, databases and the Internet.
Literature Searching Sites - special web page on the Health Library website listing a wide range of Internet sites suitable for searching for good quality health-related information.
Loan Status - indication of whether an item can be borrowed or not.
Loan Type - indication of the length of time that an item can be borrowed before it needs renewing or returning. This may vary dependent on your membership.
Location - which collection you can find an item listed on the catalogue, for example: the Health Library, the Campus Library, etc.

M

Medline - bibliographic database listing articles from a wide range of medical-based journals.
Membership type - code linking a library member to borrowing rights.
MeSH - Medical Subject Headings, an agreed thesaurus of medical terms used to index journal articles.

N

NHS OpenAthens - single sign-on authentication system to allow you to access NHS-subscribed resources.
NHS Core Content - collection of electronic resources purchased centrally by the NHS; includes ebooks, ejournals and databases.

NHS Knowledge and Library Hub - interface providing search options to execute searches across a wide range of NHS and healthcare based resources.
NHS Library Card - the library card that we at the Health Library supply you with so that you can access our facilities, services and resources.
NHS network - computer network, run and owned by NHS organisations.
NHS subscription - purchase made by the NHS or the Health Library to provide users with access to a particular resource.
NICE - National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

O

Off-campus - away from the Keele computer network ie using some other computer network such as work-based, other university or college, or from home.
Online Forms - request or application forms, available from our Forms webpage, via the Internet.
Online Guides - instructions or guides to using individual resources, available from our Training section, via the Internet.

OpenAthens - authentication system that provides you with a username and password that will access many different resources. This authentication method is available for our NHS resources only.
Outcome - changed situation as a result of a treatment or intervention.
Outreach - part of the Health Library that delivers services in the workplace.
Overdue Charges - fines or charges applied because a borrower has not returned or renewed an item within the due date.

OVID - platform hosting databases and publishing journal titles

P

Patient Characteristics - attributes that describe a patient group or particular patient, examples include gender, age, condition, social class etc.
Patient Group - group of patients with similar characteristics.
PDF file - computer document available in the portable document format. Usually read-only printable documents.
Photocopier - machine for reproducing copies of printed material.
PICO - acronym for Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome; tool used to help formulate clinical questions.

Platform - resource hosting and providing access to multiple resources
Population - group of people with common characteristics.
Print Journal - scholarly journal published in print format.
Printing - producing printed material via the equipment in the IT suite.
Professional Networks - online groups of similarly qualified people.

ProQuest - platform hosting databases and publishing journal titles
Publication Date - date that a book, journal etc is published. The minimum information available is the year (eg for books).
Publisher - individual, company or organisation responsible for the publication of material. This material may be a book, journal, guideline, report, website etc.

Q

Quick Links - list of popular website pages listed on the homepage of the Health Library website.

R

RAMMbo - acronym for a tool to help you to critically appraise published research.
Reading List - list of recommended books, journals and websites from your tutor or course leader. You can borrow these from the library.
Reference - information about material that you are directly referencing in your work.
Reference list - list of all the material that you are directly referencing in your work.
Reference only - loan type for some material within the Health Library. This item cannot be borrowed or removed from the Health Library.
RefWorks - reference manager software.
Renew - to have a borrowed item re-issued to you.
Reprint - another print of an item which is an identical copy. Note that this is often used in books where another run is made to reprint the book. Note that this is not the same as an edition.
Reservation - to request that a book already on loan by someone else is reserved for you so that you can borrow it next.
Return - to bring a borrowed item back to the library.
Rotunda - central, circular area in the Health Library which houses the print books and journals and study area.

S

Scanner - equipment attached to a computer allowing you to transfer printed material into a digital format.
Scheduled training programme - the regular training course programme released by the training librarians detailing the dates and times of various courses.
Search engine - Internet-based interface allowing you to search across a wide range of Internet-based resources.
Search History - list detailing the previous searches that you have executed within a search engine or database.
Search Plan - see also Search Strategy; detailing a set of actions describing how you would carry out a search for information; includes detailed explanation of the question, the search terms you would use, any limits that need to be applied, the resources you would search, how and why you have selected you sources.
Search Skills - competencies required to effectively and efficiently search for information.
Search Strategy - see Search Plan above.
Self-service - using the relevant machines to manage your own library account, including issuing and returning books yourself.
Self-issue - using the self-service machines to check out items from the library.
Shelfmark - code from the catalogue indicating where on the shelves within the library you can locate an item.
Single sign-on - username and password that will allow you to access many types of subscribed eresources.
Standard loan - loan period, usually 2 weeks or 4 weeks depending on your membership type.
Subject Heading - official consistent headings used in catalogues and databases to index material in a systematic manner.
Subject Links - list of Internet links available on the Health Library website, organised into subject areas.

T

Table of Contents - list of items / articles available from a individual issue of a journal.
Thesaurus - list of selected words, often including synonyms, organised in a related manner.
Title Page - page within a book listing the title, author and publication information.
TOCs - short for Table of Contents.
Training Course - scheduled training session delivered by our training librarians.
Tree Views - related words and medical terms, linked and grouped together via a tree structure.
Truncation - to shorten a word to its root letters eg child* (truncation for child and children), nurs* (truncation for nurse, nurses, nursing)

U.

UHNM - University Hospitals of North Midlands

V

Vancouver referencing - defined format for a reference ie what to record in the reference and in what order (having said that there can be slight local variations).
Volume - part of a journal title

W

Web Portals - subject-based websites containing links to other related websites.
Wildcard - symbol used to represent a single or group of letters within a word; often ? is used as a wildcard; for example wom?n can refer to woman or women

X

Y

Z

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