In case you get any questions about it, there are a few compatibility issues with the new Windows operating system (Vista) and RefWorks Write-N-Cite.
Write-N-Cite is compatible with Office 2007, as long as you select the Word 97-2003 format (*.doc) instead of the Word 2007 (*.docx) format in which to save your document. This is known as "compatibility mode" in Word 2007. If you save your document in the Word 97-2003 format first, then you should not get an error message when you go to cite a document.
There a problems in submitting a document for bibliographic formatting due to the increased Internet security in Windows Vista. The work around is to submit the document from the RefWorks browser session instead of directly from Write-N-Cite.
A newer version of Write-N-Cite that is compatible with Windows Vista is due to come out this summer--so you'll only have to use these work-arounds for a short while.
Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Liz
Hello,
I've added Hospital Compare to the Reference Quicklinks page on the Bio-Med Web site. Thought it might come in handy when people are seeking quality information about hospitals. Here is some information from their About page:
"Hospital Quality Overview
The Hospital Compare website was created through the efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), along with the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA). The HQA is a public-private collaboration established to promote reporting on hospital quality of care. The HQA consists of organizations that represent consumers, hospitals, doctors and nurses, employers, accrediting organizations, and Federal agencies. The information on this website can be used by any adult needing hospital care.
Hospital Compare displays rates for Process of Care measures that show how often hospitals provide some of the care that is recommended for patients being treated for a heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia, or patients having surgery. Hospitals voluntarily submit data from their medical records about the treatments their adult patients receive for these conditions, including patients with Medicare and those who do not have Medicare.
This website also displays information on 30-day Risk Adjusted Death (Mortality) Rates for patients with Medicare who were admitted to the hospital for heart attack and heart failure. The 30-day period is used because this is the time period when deaths are most likely to be related to the care patients received in the hospital. The CMS compiles this information from claims and enrollment data for patients in Original (fee-for-service) Medicare. Unlike the rates for the Process of Care measures, which reflect care for people in Medicare Advantage plans or people who do not have Medicare, the mortality rates show information only for patients in Original Medicare. It does not include people in Medicare Advantage plans or people who do not have Medicare.
Neither process of care information nor information on death (mortality) rates are available on this website for children’s, psychiatric, rehabilitation, or long-term care hospitals.
This information helps you, your health care provider, family, and friends compare the quality of care provided in the hospitals that agree to submit data on the quality of certain services they provide for certain conditions. This quality information not only helps you make good decisions about your health care, but also encourages hospitals to improve the quality of health care they provide.
Quality information is not available on this website for children's, psychiatric, rehabilitation or long-term care hospitals because they generally do not treat adult patients for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia, or perform surgeries on adults."
Cheers,
Martha
Hi all,
I got an email question from someone who had created a new output style in RefWorks (by editing an existing style), and was having some problems making the bibliography come out right. When she previewed the style in the Output Style Editor, it looked like everything was formatted correctly. However, when she actually created the bibliography, it didn't reflect any of the changes she had made to the style. This is especially puzzling because it looked like the style should be coming out fine based on the preview.
I've had this problem in the past, and the solution just dawned on me. When you create a new style, the default is to change the output style for Reference Type "generic [defined]". Since most things imported to RefWorks from an article index end up being defined as Reference type "journal [defined]", it doesn't apply the new style to them because they're not defined as "generic."
Here's what you do. Through the bibliography button, choose the new style and click "edit" (if the patron has the problem described above, s/he already knows how to edit a style). Change the Reference Type from "Generic [defined]" to "Journal [defined]". Then, underneath the output field order section, choose "copy fields from... generic" (since that's what all the original changes were set under). Click "copy", and it will apply the generic settings to the journal article format.
You basically have to define the bibliographic format for each Reference Type you're going to use. People are often only using journal articles, so it's not usually a big deal. But remember that the changes need to be copied to (or created specially for) any type that's going to show up in the bibliography (book chapter, website, etc.)
A few common questions - if the patron wants an abbreviated journal title to appear in the bibliography, the abbreviated title has to appear in the RefWorks record. Sometimes it comes over from the article index, and sometimes it doesn't. If articles show up in the bibliography with the full title instead of the abbreviated title, figure out which articles are missing the abbreviated title, and find each record in the RefWorks account. Edit the record (link on the right side of the screen, by the FindIt link) and fill in the "Periodical, Abbrev" field with the abbreviated title. It will then insert it into the bibliography.
This goes for any information that is output strangely in the bibliography - double-check the source information in the RefWorks record. If it's incomplete or incorrect there, it's not going to magically come out right in the bibliography.
You can also define a reference type by editing the record - if you're still experiencing strange results with a new output style, double-check the defined Reference Type for the problematic citations.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks,
Liz
Greetings, campers!
Here are the search questions for our first Search Camp. Remember, one is a more traditional literature search question, and the other is a clinically-oriented question.
For the first Search Camp, we won't be putting one of you on the spot - Liz or Del will present the searches in the manner we'd like to run the sessions for the summer. That way, you can get a feel for how it will be done. Remember, though, that you'll get the most out of this if you work on the questions in advance. After the presenter goes over how s/he did the search, we'll open it up to discussion. Be ready to contribute!
And here are the questions:
1. Find studies on the use of colloidal silver as an antimicrobial agent.
2. A 14 year old boy presents in clinic with five days of persistent headache. Find clinical tools to help support the physician.
Some hints - for number 2, useful things include a differential diagnosis (ddx) list, which is a list of possible conditions that could cause persistent headache; guidelines on evaluating and treating headache in adolescents, etc. Try to anticipate the types of questions a clinician might have in this situation. Check out the "Resources for Clinicians" page, and the matrix I put together about our clinical resources (http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/help/guides/resourcesforclinicians).
Let me know if you have any questions, and see you on Wednesday at 10:00 in 555!
Liz
Hello all! With summer upon us, it’s time for Reference Training to morph into Search Camp!
We haven’t done Search Camp in a few years, so here’s general idea of what it is. For June, July and August, we’re going to focus our reference training program on developing and refining our literature search skills. We will also include search questions with a clinical focus, to foster experience with our vast array of clinical tools.
Here’s how it will work. Instead of one long monthly reference training meeting, we’ll have two shorter bi-monthly ones. Meetings will fall on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, at 10:00 (as part of both the regularly-scheduled reference training and reference staff meetings). We’ll spend about 30 minutes at the beginning of each meeting on Search Camp, then cover other reference business when we’re finished so non-reference staff are welcome to leave after the Search Camp potion. Of course, you’re welcome to stay as well.
Here’s how meetings will be run. A few days before the meeting, I’ll send out two questions – a typical literature search question, and a more clinically-oriented (Morning-Report-Type) question. Both the questions will be real ones we’ve received from patrons in the past. Please work on the questions before the meeting, and come prepared to discuss your strategy: where you looked, how you searched, what you found, and questions or problems that came up. At the meeting, we’ll call someone up and give him or her the podium to show how s/he did the search, and reflect on the results. Then, we’ll open it up to discussion where others can share their ideas, strategies, questions, reflections, etc.
So, please come, no matter what your experience level. Everyone has things to learn and things to contribute. This is a great opportunity to help each other, pool our brain waves, and become super rock star searchers! Please don’t be intimidated by the format – it will be a friendly, supportive environment, and we’re all used to being on the spot on the reference desk anyway!
We will also have a search blog, where the questions will posted before the meeting, and strategies will be posted after. That way, we’ll have a record of the work we do to refer back to later.
Our first Search Camp is next Wednesday, June 13 at 10:00. The questions will be posted in the next few days, so stay tuned! If you have any questions, talk to me or Del.
Thanks, and see you next Wednesday!
Liz