Standalone Course: MEDLINE and Beyond: Medical Research Databases

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Search PubMed, Google, and key healthcare websites more effectively.
• Identify reliable, credible, and authoritative information sources.

Course Overview

This course is important in developing the research literacy and critical evaluation skills essential for medical writers and editors. It provides the tools needed to produce accurate, credible, and high-impact medical communication. This competency is considered foundational to the profession.

Some highlights include:

• Evidence-based writing requires expert database searching: Medical communication must be grounded in accurate, current, and credible evidence. Medline, PubMed, as well as other databases are the primary tools for finding and evaluating this research.
• Proper literature searching as a core professional competency: Employers expect writers to know how to use medical databases to support manuscripts, white papers, abstracts, clinical summaries, regulatory submissions, literature reviews, marketing materials, and fact-checking.
• Medical editors must verify accuracy: Editors rely on strong research skills to ensure claims are evidence-based, citations are correct, and outdated or incorrect information is not included. This protects scientific integrity.
• Different databases serve different needs: Each database has unique strengths and limitations (coverage, indexing, filters, etc.). Knowing which one to use and when is essential for comprehensive research.
• MEDLINE helps reduce common research mistakes: Students learn systematic approaches that prevent issues such as missing key studies, relying on weak sources, using poor search terms, and overlooking publication bias.
• Improves efficiency and saves time: Effective searching greatly reduces work time and frustration, improves the quality of deliverables, and increases competitiveness, especially for freelancers.
• Strengthens credibility and professional confidence: Strong research skills help writers and editors collaborate confidently with clinicians and researchers, justify editorial decisions, and establish themselves as professionals who truly understand evidence-based medicine.

Please note that AI tools are also incorporated in this standalone course.

Meet Course Instructor:

Skill Development in a Changing Job Market

Standalone courses include:

Do you have questions about this online course or our Medical Writing and Editing Training Certificate? Our team is ready to discuss the program and answer your questions regarding our registration process. Connect with our admissions team via email or by filling out our online request form to receive more information and have someone reach out to you.

Our goal is to provide students with a variety of tuition payment options that will suit their financial circumstances when they register for non-credit UChicago Professional courses.