Literature Retrieval and Interpretation: A Nontraditional Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory
Associate Professor John S. Williamson Ph.D.Assistant Professor John M. Rimoldi Ph.D.
Professor Ronald F. Borne Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Head Nancy F. Fuller MLS
pages: 17 - 38
- DOI: 10.1300/J060v06n04_03
- Version of record first published: 10Jun1998
Abstract:
The project objective was to introduce students to the methods of scientific literature retrieval. We have developed a medicinal chemistry class project to teach scientific literature retrieval methods. Students were presented with lectures and demonstrations of how to search for, analyze, and recover scientific literature from traditional library sources, electronic databases, and the World Wide Web (WWW). Students were presented with a drug name and required to search the literature for various pharmacological aspects of their drug. After the completion of a comprehensive written literature summary, students were divided into groups according to the pharmacological class of their assigned drug and required to present an overview of the pharmacological class. This project provided an innovative mechanism for introducing students to the methodologies of scientific literature retrieval, the use of computer technology, functioning in small problem-based, learning-type groups as well as public presentations, and an introduction to the chemistry and pharmacology of drug classes.