Assignment

Module 2

Types of research, effective literature search and citing biomedical documents and sources

Training course in research methodology, research protocol development and scientific writing 2026

September 9, 2026 - Geneva

A. Required readings

Types of research

• Go over the set of slides: An introduction to research designs and developing SRH research projects - Moazzam Ali (WHO).
• Study sections 3.2.4 ‘Quantitative versus qualitative research’ and 3.2.5 ‘Action research’ on pages 27 and 28 of the document: Fathalla MF, Fathalla MM. A practical guide for health researchers (WHO Regional Publications, Eastern Mediterranean. Series 30). WHO; 2004.

Effective literature search and citing biomedical documents and sources

• Go over the set of slides: Introduction to the WHO Library - Raqibat Idris (GFMER)
• Go over the set of slide sets of 2: Discovery and re-use of scholarly literature (Research4Life, 2023)
  • Identifying information sources
  • Using information resources
  • Copyright, licensing and ethical considerations
  • Citing, reference management and collaboration tools
• Go over the web file: Search PubMed
• Go over the web document: Cochrane Library user guide (Cochrane Library, 2025)
• Study section 3.6 (pages 36 to 39) of the document: Fathalla MF, Fathalla MM. A practical guide for health researchers (WHO Regional Publications, Eastern Mediterranean. Series 30). WHO; 2004.

B. Assignment

Complete and submit the short paperwork assignment.

Interactive videos

• PubMed: Find articles by author (PubMed, 2020) (2 mins)
• PubMed: Find articles by journal (PubMed, 2020) (2 mins)
• PubMed: Find articles from a citation (PubMed, 2020) (2 mins)
• PubMed: Find articles on a topic (PubMed, 2020) (1 min)
• PubMed: Get the full text for an article (PubMed, 2020) (2 mins)
• PubMed subject search: How it works (PubMed, 2020) (4 mins)
• PubMed: Save searches and set e-mail alerts (PubMed, 2020) (2 mins)
• Navigating the Cochrane Library (Cochrane Library, 2019) (2:32 mins)
• Searching the Cochrane Library (Cochrane Training, 2019) (2:51 mins)
• Animation: Using Boolean Operators (L) (Cochrane Training, 2017) (2:38 mins)

Additional online resources

• APA Format Citation Guide
  This is a complete guide to APA (American Psychological Association) in-text and reference list citations.
• Citing Medicine - NCBI Bookshelf
  This is a complete guide to NLM reference style.
• Cochrane Library Training Hub
• Grey Literature Interactive Tutorial (University of Toronto, n.d.) (10 mins)
• Harvard Format Citation Guide
  This is a complete guide to Harvard in-text and reference list citations.
• PubMed® Online Training
  Other online tutorials by PubMed
• Webinar: Joining and using Research4Life (60 mins YouTube video by Research4Life)
• WHO Library and Digital Information Networks

Citation managers

• Mendeley Reference Manager
  This is a free tool to manage your references. (Getting started with Mendeley Reference Manager)
• MyBib
  A free online tool that allows you to format references in different styles.
• Zotero Reference & Citation Manager
  This is a free tool to manage your references. (Quick Start Guide)
• ZoteroBib
  A free online tool that helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.
• PubMed Single Citation Matcher
  This is a free PubMed online tool that enables you to find PubMed citations.
• EndNote
  Paid reference manager, but you can download a free 30 day EndNote trial.

Reference document

• Fathalla MF, Fathalla MM. A practical guide for health researchers (WHO Regional Publications, Eastern Mediterranean. Series 30). WHO; 2004.