Key databases and services
Databases, courses and services at the Library of Medicine
Databases and reference works
Databases
- PubMed / Medline via Ovid – a central database for articles in medicine and the health sciences
- Embase – medical articles with particularly good coverage of pharmacy
- Web of Science – a multidisciplinary article database with citation searching
- Cochrane Library – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane Trials and Clinical Answers. Cochrane Trials covers quality-assessed individual studies, and Cochrane Clinical Answers is an easy-to-read collection of answers to clinical questions based on Cochrane Systematic Reviews.
- Epistemonikos – systematic reviews on clinical questions
- Database overview for medicine and health sciences (Oria)
Clinical reference works and guidelines
- UpToDate – a knowledge-based clinical reference work, mainly on diagnosis and treatment
- BMJ Best Practice – knowledge-based decision support for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention. Also contains patient information
- NEL – Norsk elektronisk legehåndbok – for UiB-affiliated users only
- The Pyramid Search (McMaster / helsebiblioteket.no) – searches across quality-assessed databases. The PLUS section is especially valuable, where staff at McMaster University have quality-assessed and included summaries and individual studies according to a set of criteria.
- National and international guidelines (helsebiblioteket.no)
Contact persons
Kristin Chisholm Valeur Børresen · Malik Beglerovic · Regina Küfner Lein · Christine Tarlebø Mjøs · Barbara Hammer · Ida Sofie Karlsen Sletten
Course offerings at the Library of Medicine
Overview of online courses, open courses and tailored courses at the Library of Medicine:
The Library of Medicine has created online courses. These can be used for self-study or as support and reference after you have attended a library course.
- Study tips from the library (UB MED 101)
Finding your syllabus? Writing references? Finding articles? Or using the library? See our short course with tips on things students often wonder about.
- Literature searching in medical databases (UB MED 102)
The course covers preparing for a literature search, and the three major subject databases PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. The skills you learn in the course can be transferred to other databases.
- Literature assignments in medicine and health sciences (UB MED 103)
The course is for students who are to write a literature-based assignment as their bachelor's or master's thesis. The course consists of various modules that can help you in your work on a literature assignment in medicine and the health sciences. The final module is for supervisors.
Open courses autumn 2026
The Library of Medicine offers the following courses in autumn 2026. More information and registration to follow.
- Literature assignments for students, 2 September 11.15–12, Zoom
- Literature searching in PubMed & Embase, 9 September 9.15–12, Zoom
- Introduction to Zotero, 16 September 10.15–12, Zoom
- Introduction to systematic reviews in medicine and health sciences (in English), 23 September 9.15–12, Zoom
- Literature searching in PubMed & Embase (in English), 30 September 9.15–12, Zoom
- Introduction to EndNote for medical researchers (in English), 14 October 9.15–12, Zoom
- Introduction to Zotero (in English), 21 October 12.15–14, Zoom
Tailored courses and department visits
Do staff in your research group or at your department need a refresher in literature searching, an overview of subject-relevant databases, or reference management? We are happy to visit. Contact us by email to arrange the content and time. The number of participants must be at least 5 people.
Literature searching and guidance
At the Library of Medicine you can get practical help and guidance with literature searching for, among other things:
- scholarly articles, project applications, the synopsis of a doctoral thesis
- clinical procedures and mini health technology assessments
The library helps you find relevant databases, carry out structured searches, manage references and obtain full-text access. Request a guidance session from the library
If you are going to write a systematic review, the staff at the Library of Medicine can help you with the literature search, and with tips and advice in the working process.
Books and journals in the library
The Library of Medicine has a large collection of books and journals, both electronic and printed in the library. The books are shelved by subject; see Library of Medicine for a general overview. Printed journals are shelved alphabetically by title. All electronic documents are easiest to find in the library catalogue Oria.
For staff at Helse Bergen
Staff at Helse Bergen have the same access to electronic literature as UiB staff (with few exceptions).
Access to full text and ordering
Staff at Helse Bergen have the same access to electronic literature as UiB staff. This applies from computers on the hospital network or via the hospital's remote-working solution.
PubMed and other databases must be opened from the library's database overview to access full-text links (the UBB button / Access Options@UiB)
To order articles, log in to Oria with your library card number (e.g. ubbXXXXXXX). Drop by the Library of Medicine to get a user account and library card.
Remote working: contact the IT department at Helse Bergen for a VPN solution, or see Accessing e-resources from your own device if you also have a UiB account.