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Treasures from the Rare Book Room: Girolamo Fracastoro’s Poem on Syphilis

FracastoroSyphilis ou le mal vénérien: Poeme Latin de Jerome Fracastor avec la traduction en François & des notes [Syphilis, or the venereal disease: the Latin poem of Girolamo Fracastoro with French translation & notes]. Paris, 1753

Girolamo Fracastoro (1478-1553) was a Venetian nobleman educated at Padua University. Although medicine was his true passion, he was also a poet, humanist, and scientist; and his many interests included astronomy, mathematics, physics, botany, geology, and geography. He counted Copernicus, the Renaissance mathematician and astronomer, among his friends.

As a physician, Fracastoro is considered one of the founding fathers of modern medicine. He discovered that microorganisms were able to transmit infection and proposed a scientific hypothesis on tiny particles or “spores” 300 years before the empirical formulation of germ theory was developed by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch.
Continue reading →

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Why is Searching PubMed in Late Autumn Different than Any Other Time of the Year?

PubMedReloadThe answer is simple and yet complex.

From mid-November to mid-December, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) does year-end-processing. During this time, extensive maintenance is done on MEDLINE. MEDLINE is the NLM database of biomedical journal citations and is the primary component of PubMed.

Daily “routine maintenance” on MEDLINE happens throughout the year and includes a variety of edits to MEDLINE citations. These edits include corrections of misspellings; the addition of published errata, retractions, and comments (including author replies); changes to journal titles and their abbreviations; changes to supplementary concepts such as chemicals, protocols, and diseases; and adjustments to MeSH (Medical Subject Headings).

The primary purpose of year-end maintenance is to update MeSH. Each year, new MeSH headings are added, other headings are replaced with more up-to-date terminology, and out-dated headings are deleted with no replacement. From mid-November to mid-December, NLM applies these MeSH heading changes to MEDLINE citations where necessary.

Things you should know when searching PubMed during the year-end-processing period:

  • All regular routine corrections to MEDLINE are on hold. MEDLINE corrections will appear when the update is complete.
  • “In process” citations (Figure 1) will continue to be added to PubMed. In-process citations do not have medical subject headings assigned to them, but they have undergone quality control review. As a result, the number of PubMed records labeled “in process” will temporarily increase, and the number of MEDLINE records will stay the same.

    Figure 1
    Figure 1
  • If you use a PubMed filter (human, review, etc.) or a MeSH heading in a search, you may not see any new MEDLINE citations until year-end-processing is complete in mid-December.

Things you should know when searching PubMed after the year-end-processing period:

  • By mid-December when year-end-processing is complete, “in process” MEDLINE citations will have 2014 medical subject headings assigned to them and these citations are then noted in PubMed as “indexed for MEDLINE” (Figure 2). Searches, including, “My NCBI” stored searches, containing these MeSH headings will automatically retrieve all applicable MEDLINE records.

    Figure 2
    Figure 2
  • You can scan the 2014 New MeSH descriptors to identify the MeSH headings that apply to your clinical and research interests.

NewDescriptors

  • You may want to check your saved My NCBI searches to make sure they reflect the 2014 MeSH headings.

For more information, send an e-mail to Ask a Librarian or call the HSLS Main Desk at 412-648-8866.

~ Charlie Wessel

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HSLS Staff News

The HSLS Staff News section includes recent HSLS presentations, publications, staff changes, staff promotions, degrees earned, etc.

Publications

Michele Klein-Fedyshin, reference librarian, published “American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Conference Liaison Report October 2-4, 2013,” in National Network, 38(2): 8-9, November 2013.

Presentations

Kate Flewelling, outreach coordinator, NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region, presented two lectures, “PubMed and Beyond: Clinical Resources from the National Library of Medicine,” at the Fulton County Medical Center, McConnellsburg, PA, on November 12, 2013, and “Online Resources to Support Mental Health: Information for Clinicians and Patients,” at the Commonwealth Medical College, Scranton, PA, on November 16, 2013.

Barb Folb, public health informationist, taught “Systematic Reviews: Skills to Develop Literature Searches, Manage Results, and Evaluate Findings” at the American Public Health Association annual meeting, Boston, MA, on November 2, 2013. Co-instructors were Joey Nicholson1 and Helen VonVille2.

1. Education and curriculum librarian, Langone Medical Center Library, New York University.

2. Director, School of Public Health, University of Texas.

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

Classes December 2013

HSLS offers classes on database searching, software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, bibliographic management, molecular biology and genetics, and library orientations. For more information, visit the online course descriptions.

Classes are held on the first floor of Falk Library (200 Scaife Hall) in Classroom 1 and on the upper floor of the library in Classroom 2. All classes are open to faculty, staff, and students of the schools of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. They are also open to UPMC residents and fellows.

No registration is required for any of these classes. Seating for classes is first-come, first-served, until the class is full. Faculty, staff and students of the schools of the health sciences will need a valid Pitt ID or e-mail account to attend these classes. UPMC residents/fellows will need to show their UPMC IDs.

Classes marked with an asterisk (*) qualify for American Medical Association Category 2 continuing education credit.

Class schedules are subject to change. Please consult the online class calendar for the most current information.

FlashClass

FlashClass is a “deal of the week” Groupon-like offer of timely and useful learning. Each week’s offer proposes one or two topics, and you’re invited to sign up to attend a one-hour class the following week. If at least three people sign up, we’ll hold the class. (We’ll notify you either way.)

HSLS CLASSES

EndNote Basics (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Friday, December 13 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Introduction to HSLS Resources and Services at Falk Library
(Meet inside entrance to Library)
Offered upon request to groups or individuals. Call 412-648-8866.

Painless PubMed* (Falk Library Classroom 1)

Monday, December 2 4-5 p.m.
Thursday, December 12 Noon-1 p.m.

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS RESOURCES

Pathway Analysis Tools 1* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, December 4 1-3 p.m.

Pathway Analysis Tools 2* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, December 11 1-3 p.m.

CUSTOMIZED CLASSES

Customized classes can be developed for your department, course, or other group.

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

What Do You Think?

The library newsletter, HSLS Update, has been published since January 1998 with the purpose of keeping you informed about library resources and services. Over the past few years, the format has changed from a static newsletter to a blog. Last spring, the HSLS Update began to be published monthly to provide timelier news. Now we’d like to know what you think.

Please take a moment to answer this brief three question survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CMQZ9XJ. The survey will close Friday, November 22, 2013. Continue reading →

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From Impact Factor to Altmetrics: How Did We Get Here? What Does It Mean?

Since the first scientific journal in 1665, the connection between article and journal has been unbreakable, bound by the printing press, but with access limited by delivery methods and geography. The print format was the quality filter: articles published in highly coveted journals had a greater chance of being read and cited. Three hundred and fifty years later, the article has been largely decoupled from the journal.1 Instead of browsing physical journals, we discover articles by searching online databases, like PubMed, where we can find articles based on their own merits. The journal impact factor was developed in the 1960s to identify journals with significant proportions of highly cited articles,2 but in the digital age our guides to content have expanded.

Enter alternative metrics or altmetrics, a complement to the impact factor. While the impact factor is derived from the long-term aggregate of a journal’s citation statistics, altmetrics provide immediate feedback to specific articles. Publisher PLoS calls these “article-level metrics” and displays them with each article published. Typically, altmetrics measure how many times an article has been viewed or downloaded to reference software, such as Mendeley, as well as linked to from other scholarly products such as blogs and social media (Twitter; Facebook), videos (YouTube), presentations (SlideShare), repositories (D-Scholarship@Pitt; PMC (PubMed Central)), and datasets (Dryad; GEO). The National Science Foundation (NSF) now requests that products other than publications be included in a grantee’s biosketch, indicating widening recognition.3 New digital tools made these contributions to scholarship possible, just as the printing press made the first scholarly journals possible.

Use altmetrics to promote and better disseminate your work and to discover collaborators. Monitor global discussion, citations, downloads, and more via Mendeley, PubMed, SlideShare, Facebook, blogs, and other outlets.

Leading altmetrics products include: Altmetric, providing analysis of single articles; ImpactStory, analyzing the output of individual researchers; and Plum Analytics, extending analysis to the institutional level by partnering with Pitt. Publishers PLoS, Nature, BMC, Scopus, and others present altmetrics with individual articles.

Learn more about altmetrics from the Impact Metrics section of the HSLS Scholarly Communication LibGuide. Also see the Altmetrics Manifesto by Jason Priem and The PLoS Altmetrics Collection (2012).

~Andrea Ketchum

1. “Toward a Second Revolution: Altmetrics, Total-Impact, and the Decoupled Journal,” Jason Priem/blog, video, 2012 (http://jasonpriem.org/2012/05/toward-a-second-revolution-altmetrics-total-impact-and-the-decoupled-journal-video/).

2. Garfield E, “The History and Meaning of the Journal Impact Factor,” JAMA 295, no. 1 (2006 Jan 4): 90-3, http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=202114.

3. NSF 13-1 January 2013: GPG Summary of Changes. Significant Changes to Implement the Recommendations of the National Science Board’s Report entitled, “National Science Foundation’s Merit Review Criteria: Review and Revisions,” Chapter II.C.2.f(i)(c), Biographical Sketch(es). http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf13001/gpg_sigchanges.jsp

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Data Management Planning: Privacy and Ethical Issues

If you are a biomedical researcher, then you are well aware that funding agencies and publishers have guidelines for ensuring the privacy and ethical treatment of animal and human subjects. Any research institution that accepts federal funding is legally required to have policies in place to oversee its research programs. These policies include monitoring conflicts of interest, reporting misconduct, ensuring adherence to safety regulations, and maintaining committees that review animal and human research protocols.

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees the appropriate care and humane treatment of animals being used for research, testing, and education. The purpose of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to protect the rights and welfare of individuals participating as subjects in the research process.

In the context of data management, the IRB has three roles:

  • Reviews data management plans to examine feasibility (cost, infrastructure, staffing).
  • Reviews data collection forms to limit the amount of personal identifiable information being collected.
  • Reviews research protocols to determine how data will be safeguarded.

The rules about safeguarding include consideration of who will have access to the data technically, physically, and administratively, as well as for what purpose. These are occasionally called the privacy or confidentiality rules. However, the University of Pittsburgh IRB makes an important distinction between the two terms:

  • “Privacy” refers to the individual’s right to control access to themselves, including personal information and biological specimens.
  • “Confidentiality” refers to how an individual’s private information will be protected from release by the researcher, which is an important element of the consent process.

At the federal level, health data are protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Information about the University of Pittsburgh’s HIPAA policies and procedures with regard to research may be found on Pitt’s Institutional Review Board’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Web site, including sample protocols and consent forms.

If you are submitting a grant to either the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation, be sure to review their guidelines on human subjects and privacy issues before creating your data management plan. If you have additional questions, refer to the University of Pittsburgh’s IACUC and IRB Web sites.

For previous articles on Data Management published in the HSLS Update, see:

~ Carrie Iwema

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

Health Information Access in Community College Libraries

MissyHarvey1
Missy Harvey

Missy Harvey, academic liaison for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NN/LM MAR), has worked in academic libraries for 30 years and is familiar with the challenges faced in college and university libraries.

In 2012, NN/LM identified the need to enhance outreach to community college librarians. These librarians serve an important role in the training and development of students in the allied health professions. A nationwide task force was created. Continue reading →

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

MLA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Annual Meeting Held in Pittsburgh

macmla2013logoThe Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association held its annual meeting in Pittsburgh on October 13-15, 2013. Many HSLS librarians participated in the conference.

Committee Participation

Debbie Downey, Linda Hartman, Andrea Ketchum, Melissa Ratajeski, and Ester Saghafi were members of the Hospitality Committee.

Melissa Ratajeski chaired the Poster Committee.

Nancy Tannery co-chaired the meeting.

Charlie Wessel chaired the Keynote/Invited Speakers Committee and co-chaired the Hospitality Committee.

Contributed Paper

Carrie Iwema presented “Dealing with Data: Surveying Researchers to Understand Their Data Management Practices.” Co-authors were Andrea M. Ketchum and Melissa A. Ratajeski.

Poster Presentations

Julia C. Jankovic presented “On the Go: Usage of a Library’s Mobile Resources Web Page.” Co-author was Melissa Ratajeski.

Andrea M. Ketchum presented “A Renaissance of Resources Used for Clinical Searching: What’s the Impact of the NIH Public Access Policy and Open Access on Morning Report?” Co-author was Michele Klein–Fedyshin.

Charlie Wessel presented “A Clinical Information Tool for Community Health Centers: A Feasibility Study Funded by the National Library of Medicine with the University of Pittsburgh.” Co-author was John LaDue.

Other Conference Activities

Melissa Ratajeski and MAC Chair Stephanie Warlick
Melissa Ratajeski and MAC Chair Stephanie Warlick

Linda Hartman was awarded a MAC Research Grant for her project, “Barriers to Searching the Literature.”

Carrie Iwema taught the continuing education course, “Personal Genomics, Personalized Medicine, & You.”

Melissa Ratajeski was awarded the MAC Award for Professional Excellence by a New Health Sciences Librarian.

~ Jill Foust

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

HSLS Staff News

The HSLS Staff News section includes recent HSLS presentations, publications, staff changes, staff promotions, degrees earned, etc.

News

Pat Weiss, reference and information technology librarian, was appointed faculty representative to the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees’ Property and Facilities Committee for 2013-14.

Publications

Jonathon Erlen, history of medicine librarian, along with co-author Jay Toth, published “American Indian Dissertation Abstracts,” in Indigenous Policy Journal 24, no. 2 (2013).

Presentations

Renae Barger, executive director, NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region, and Kate Flewelling, outreach coordinator, NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region, presented a lecture, “Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce: A Resource for Evidence-based Practice,” on October 16, 2013, at the Pennsylvania Public Health Association and Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health Annual Conference, in Harrisburg, PA.

Michelle Burda, network and advocacy coordinator, NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region, presented two lectures, “Meeting the Challenge of Change,” on October 14, 2013, at the MLA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Annual Meeting, in Pittsburgh, PA, and “Health Literacy: Its Importance to You and Healthcare Professionals,” on October 17, 2013, at the Upstate New York and Ontario Chapter MLA, in Fairport, NY.

Lydia Collins, consumer health coordinator, NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region, presented several lectures, “Supporting a Healthy Community,” on October 22, 2013, at the Pennsylvania Library Association Annual Conference, in Seven Springs, PA; “Introduction to the National Library of Medicine’s Toy Box,” on October 15, 2013, and “National Library of Medicine: Environmental Health and Genetics Resources at Your Fingertips,” on October 16, 2013, at the New Jersey Science Convention, in Princeton, NJ; “MedlinePlus and Affordable Care Act Resources for Delaware,” on October 3, 2013, at the Delaware Division of Libraries, Dover Public Library, in Dover, DE; and “MedlinePlus and Affordable Care Act Resources for Pennsylvania,” on October 1, 2013, at the Delaware County Library System, in Media, PA.

Charlie Wessel, head of research and reference initiatives, provided a systematic review update to National Institutes of Health informationists and librarians on September 25, 2013, at the NIH Library, Bethesda MD.

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

Classes November 2013

HSLS offers classes on database searching, software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, bibliographic management, molecular biology and genetics, and library orientations. For more information, visit the online course descriptions.

Classes are held on the first floor of Falk Library (200 Scaife Hall) in Classroom 1 and on the upper floor of the library in Classroom 2. All classes are open to faculty, staff and students of the schools of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. They are also open to UPMC residents and fellows.

No registration is required for any of these classes. Seating for classes is first-come, first-served, until the class is full. Faculty, staff and students of the schools of the health sciences will need a valid Pitt ID or e-mail account to attend these classes. UPMC residents/fellows will need to show their UPMC IDs.

Classes marked with an asterisk (*) qualify for American Medical Association Category 2 continuing education credit.

Class schedules are subject to change. Please consult the online class calendar for the most current information.

FlashClass

FlashClass is a “deal of the week” Groupon-like offer of timely and useful learning. Each week’s offer proposes one or two topics, and you’re invited to sign up to attend a one-hour class the following week. If at least three people sign up, we’ll hold the class. (We’ll notify you either way.)

HSLS CLASSES

Adobe Photoshop (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Tuesday, November 19 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Advanced PowerPoint for Presentations (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Tuesday, November 12 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Data Sharing and Discovery: Why and How (102 Benedum Hall)

Registration required

Wednesday, November 20 Noon-1 p.m.

EndNote Basics (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Monday, November 18 4-6 p.m.

Focus on Behavioral Medicine: Searching in PsycINFO* (Falk Library Classroom 1)

Wednesday, November 6 9-10:30 a.m.

Introduction to HSLS Resources and Services at Falk Library
(Meet inside entrance to Library)
Offered upon request to groups or individuals. Call 412-648-8866.

Painless PubMed* (Falk Library Classroom 1)

Friday, November 8 10-11 a.m.
Tuesday, November 12 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 20 9-10 a.m.

PowerPoint for Conference Posters (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Tuesday, November 5 12:30-2:30 p.m.

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS RESOURCES

SNPs & Genetic Variation* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, November 6 1-3 p.m.

Primer Design & Restriction Analysis* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, November 13 1-3 p.m.

Introduction to CLC Main Workbench* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, November 20 1-3 p.m.

CUSTOMIZED CLASSES

Customized classes can be developed for your department, course, or other group.

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

UpToDate Mobile App Now Available

HSLS is pleased to announce the availability of the UpToDate Mobile App. The app is available to Pitt and UPMC users through the HSLS subscription to the full UpToDate site. UpToDate provides evidence-based, peer-reviewed medical information. The continuously updated content is written by more than 5,100 authors, all of whom are practicing physicians and specialists within the subject area they author.

Compatible Devices

The app is free to download and is available for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad from the iTunes App Store, Android devices from the Google Play Store, and Windows 8 phones and tablets from the Windows Store.

All mobile devices must support HTML, cookies, and JavaScript. Specifications for each device include:

iPhone/iPod touch/iPad:

  • iPhone 3G or better (or equivalent iPod touch) that is running iOS 5 or better
  • Any iPad running iOS 5 or better

Android devices:

  • Android devices running Android OS version 2.2 or higher
  • The device must have at least 50 MB of free phone memory
  • SD card installation is supported

Windows 8 Tablets:

  • Any Windows 8 tablet
  • The device must have at least 50 MB of free memory

Windows Phone 8:

  • Any Windows Phone 8 smartphone
  • The device must have at least 50 MB of free memory

Getting Started

To access the mobile app, begin by creating an UpToDate personal account.

  • From any onsite Pitt or UPMC computer, direct your browser to the HSLS homepage.
  • In the “Quick Links” box on the right side of the screen, click on UpToDate.
  • On the UpToDate homepage, click on the red Log in/Register button in the upper right corner of the screen.
  • Complete the registration form (leave the NPI Number box blank if you don’t have one or don’t know it).
  • Once you have downloaded the app, you’ll be asked to log in with your personal account information. After that, you should not be asked to do that again (unless you choose to log out of the app).

Access requires Wi-Fi or 3G (or better). The app can be downloaded for use on two devices.

Account Expiration

In order to maintain uninterrupted service, you must verify your Pitt or UPMC affiliation every 30 days by logging into UpToDate from an onsite Pitt or UPMC computer or on a mobile device connected to the Pitt or UPMC Wi-Fi. An in-application and e-mail message will remind you to do this. If you don’t, your mobile access will be suspended until you do. You can also check your expiration date by clicking on the Home icon in the app, and then clicking on Account Info.

Features

UpToDateMobileThe Search feature is the meat of the UpToDate Mobile App and allows you to search by topic, including diseases, drugs, or procedures. You can limit search results to “All search results,” “Prioritize adult topics,” “Prioritize pediatric topics,” and “Prioritize patient topics.” The Outline feature allows you to quickly navigate to a particular section of a topic.

The UpToDate Mobile App also includes mobile-optimized Medical Calculators as well as the “What’s New” feature that provides you with important new information added in recent weeks.

Other key features of the UpToDate Mobile App include:

  • Ability to earn CME/CE/CPD credit
  • Personal account tracks CME/CE/CPD credits earned while searching UpToDate
  • Create Bookmarks and quickly review your search History
  • Print or e-mail topics and graphics
  • While there is no full-text article access, the app does include embedded references that lead to PubMed MEDLINE abstract displays of articles

For more information about the UpToDate Mobile App and other mobile friendly versions of HSLS resources, such as Micromedex or AccessMedicine, direct your browser to the HSLS Mobile Resources Web site. You can also contact the HSLS Main Desk at 412-648-8866 or Ask a Librarian.

~ Jill Foust

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

Undead PubMed: Join us if you dare…

undeadPubMedDuring this Halloween season—when the undead walk—your greatest weapon just might be current biomedical information. So, in the spirit of the season, HSLS is offering a ghoulish twist on our basic, weekly, Painless PubMed search class. In one horror-filled hour, Undead PubMed will use creepy examples to introduce or update you on: accessing PubMed from a safe location, building an effective search strategy, retrieving full-text articles if the library has been overrun by zombies, using a MyNCBI account to save your searches, and (maybe) save the world.

Please join us—if you dare—for Undead PubMed (costumes are optional):

Thursday, October 10, 2013, 10 a.m.–11 a.m.

Falk Library, Classroom 1

 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013, 9 a.m.–10 a.m.

Falk Library, Classroom 1

 

Tuesday, October 22, 2013, 2 p.m.–3 p.m.

Falk Library, Classroom 1

 

Thursday, October 31, 2013, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Falk Library, Classroom 1

 

BE FOREWARNED! For those brave enough to attend, this class will not be painless. But, don’t be afraid, because the Painless PubMed version of the class returns in November.

~ Rebecca Abromitis and Mary Lou Klem

This information is over 2 years old. Information was current at time of publication.

BrowZine: A Browsable Newsstand of Scholarly Journals

nursing library
The Browzine “Nursing” Library

Pitt users now have access to BrowZine, a new tablet application that allows you to browse, read, and monitor numerous scholarly journals. All in a format optimized for iPad, Android, and Amazon tablets. You can search for Open Access and available Pitt journal subscriptions in BrowZine by category or individual title. Select your favorite journals and then add them to your Bookshelf where they’ll be available for quick and easy access.

Full-text articles of interest can be downloaded to a “Saved Articles” area and read later without an Internet connection. Articles can also be exported to other apps such as GoodReader and Notability. To help keep all of your information together in one place, you can save to Zotero, Mendeley, Dropbox, and other services. Continue reading →