Category Archives: About Resources

New eBook: Molecular Diagnostics: Fundamentals, Methods and Clinical Applications

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The Library has acquired a new eBook, entitled Molecular Diagnostics: Fundamentals, Methods and Clinical Applications. This text covers the fundamental principles of molecular biology, current methods, and their clinical applications, with a focus on the application of molecular concepts to diagnostic purposes and the use and interpretation of molecular-based assays in patient care.

This third edition now contains an expanded discussion of nucleic acid sequencing, with added emphasis on next generation sequencing (NGS), and updated coverage of proteomics and mass spectrometry applications.

Similar Articles Search in PubMed

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The Similar articles feature is one of many built-in tools that PubMed offers for finding references. This tool works by using a specific article as a starting point, and using it’s own internal algorithm identifies articles that are similar to the original article within PubMed. The similar articles tool is especially helpful if you cannot find a sufficient number of relevant references by conducting a regular search in PubMed.

Similar articles to a specific article can be located by scrolling down the record (it’s found directly underneath the abstract and conflict of interest statement), or you jump directly to the section of the page for Similar articles found in Page Navigation on the right-hand column of the record.

Under the Similar articles heading you will see several references listed and you will find the rest of references when clicking See all similar articles beneath. The number of references found this way typically is manageable, not overly large.

As was mentioned above, there is an underlying algorithm that determines what Similar Articles search finds, i.e. determines the criteria for the relevance of these references to the one you’ve used to find them.

It is possible that what the algorithm determined was important to focus on from the initial article to retrieve similar citations is not the part of reason you selected the article as relevant. You may see a mix of references that match the topic of your initial reference very closely and the ones that are less relevant but still related. The default sorting order of this search results is always Best Match, with most relevant (as determined by the search algorithm) on the top but you may find very relevant references down the list of search results as well.

Just as you would in a traditional PubMed search, within the Similar Articles portion you can adjust the results by changing the sorting order or using the filters found on the left-hand pane – with some caution. You can also click on Advanced under the search box and use the Search Builder and History and Search Details to combine your Similar articles search (expressed as Similar articles for PMID number of an original article) with other searches or build on it.


NOTE: it is most important to remember is that in most cases, for best results, Similar Articles search should be complementary to a regular PubMed search and not the main method of searching.

Coming Soon – EndNote 21 @ MSK

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Clarivate has released EndNote 21 and the Research Informationists at the MSK Library are currently testing the latest PC version in preparation for its upcoming push to MSK EndNote user accounts later this summer. An updated EndNote version for Macs will also soon be made available for self-service download.

Unlike the more dramatic redesigns introduced with EndNote 20, users of the EndNote 21 desktop version should hardly notice any difference. The most notable enhancement to the new desktop version is the ability to organize the references/records in a library using colorful, customizable “tags”.

Librarian Tip: Using EndNote 21’s tagging capability is a perfect way to keep track of which references you have ordered via inter-library loan so that you avoid the risk of submitting multiple ILLiad requests for the same items.

Registering for an EndNote 21 online account

To take advantage of the rest of the EndNote 21 enhancements that will be highlighted below, you first need to logon to an existing EndNote online account or register for an EndNote 21 web account that will give you the ability to activate the Sync process between the online and desktop versions. You can do this within the desktop EndNote 21 environment by going to Edit > Preferences > Sync > Choose the Enable Sync button.

Note: You will be prompted to provide an email address as the username and a password (please use something original just for this account – do not use your usual email password) for the EndNote web account that will be created. It is strongly recommended that users de-select the “Sync Automatically” default option if selected.

Alternatively, you can go directly to http://www.myendnoteweb.com to register for a new account. Users of the new version will get to enjoy the redesigned EndNote web interface available only to EndNote 21 customers.

EndNote 21 New Features you can enjoy ONLY if you register for an EndNote 21 online account:

  • Enhanced data recovery and restoration functionality

EndNote 21’s single reference restoration feature introduces the ability for users to compare and restore previous versions of individual references to correct any errors. Entire library files that may have been damaged or deleted can also be restored thanks to EndNote 21’s new data restoration function.

  • Expanded library sharing – up to 1,000 colleagues

EndNote 21 now offers users the option to share a group of references with up to 1000 other EndNote online users, a big change from the 100 allowed with EndNote 20.

  • Cite While You Write in Google Docs™

A new Cite While You Write (CWYW) plug-in is now available via Google Workspace Marketplace – one that makes it possible for EndNote 21 customers to use EndNote 21 with Google Docs™. 

Learn more about EndNote 21 key features by exploring the resources on Clarivate’s EndNote 21 LibGuide or by viewing this short video (3:00 min).

Questions? AskUs at the MSK Library!