Library News

Both Zotero and Covidence can store, manage, and deduplicate citations. However, they differ significantly in their application and scope.

What is Zotero?

Zotero is a free citation management software that includes a desktop application and a browser extension.

What you can do with Zotero:

• Save bibliographic information from any page on the internet.
• Import citations through various file types (e.g. BibTeX, RIS, Zotero RDF).
• Sort your citations into folders and sub-folders.
• Create a single citation or an entire reference bibliography in any citation style.

Learn more about accessing and using Zotero:

• Visit our Citation Management subject guide for more information about accessing and using Zotero.
• Visit the Zotero website for tutorials and information on how to make the most out of Zotero.
• Visit the Zotero blog and forums to troubleshoot very specific issues that you may encounter.

TIP: You can use Google to search within the Zotero blog and forum by adding site: forums.zotero.org/discussions or site: zotero.org/blog/ after your Google search query. This limits your search to only those sites. For example, to learn how to add full-text PDFs to your saved citations, search full text pdf site:zotero.org/blog/.

What is Covidence?

Covidence is a web-based software that lets members of a research team collaborate through the various stages of a knowledge synthesis project (such as a systematic review). Nova Scotia Health has an institutional license to Covidence, which means Covidence is now free to use for Nova Scotia Health staff!

What you can do with Covidence:

• Upload citations
• Screen titles and abstracts
• Screen full-text articles and resources
• Complete data extraction

Learn more about accessing and using Covidence:

• To create an account or join your existing account to our license, follow the steps outlined on our Institutional Subscriber page or our Knowledge Synthesis and Covidence subject guide.
• For articles, books, and training webinars, visit Covidence Academy
• For troubleshooting and detailed walkthroughs, visit Covidence Knowledge Base
• For both shorter and longer video content (including recorded webinars) that are accessible to the public, visit Covidence’s YouTube Channel

What’s the difference?

Zotero is great for organizing literature sources, creating reference lists, and assisting with in-text citation. You will likely find Zotero more useful for everyday research needs.

Covidence is best for conducting knowledge synthesis projects with a team that will lead to a published review article. Outside of scholarly publications, Covidence could also be used by a team to screen through a large amount of potentially relevant literature to find those that are most relevant to your specific needs.

Both tools have distinct features that make them suitable for different purposes. The table below lists the different strengths of each tool, depending on your project needs:

Interested in learning more about knowledge synthesis? Check out our Knowledge Synthesis and Covidence subject guide!

Reach out to LitSearch@nshealth.ca with your questions.

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Halifax Infirmary, Central Zone

Vinson Li

Librarian Educator
Yarmouth Regional Hospital, Western Zone

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy digest posts summarize updates over the past month about:

• Clinical Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules
  • Get the latest on clinically relevant, local guidance published through policies, care directives, guidelines and/or learning modules.
  • Identify competencies relevant to your/your team’s practice.
• Dynamic Health (DH)
  • Stay informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, including recent updates to Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills.
• Clinical Practice Support (CPS) Subject Guides
  • Learn about recently published and updated CPS subject guides, where you/your team can find relevant resources across DH, policies, care directives, guidelines and learning modules. CPS subject guides also include Key Practice Points and additional educational and guidance resources to support implementation and competency maintenance.

Original posts on the above topics can be accessed by Nova Scotia Health Employees through The Compass > Clinical Resources News.

NOTE CPP Digest posts will take a break over the summer and resume in September.

Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules

• NEW CARE DIRECTIVE: Management of Anaphylaxis (Outside Emergency Departments)
  • CD-CL-030 is supported by and includes several Dynamic Health (DH) skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new care directive, DH links and more support resources in the Management of Anaphylaxis Clinical Practice Support subject guide.
• NEW POLICY and PROCEDURES: Assess, Treat, and Release
  • CD-EC-090 has been updated and includes several DH skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new policy, related procedures, DH links and more support resources in the Assess, Treat, and Release Clinical Practice Support subject guide.

Dynamic Health Updates

• New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills
  • New notes have been created for a range of skills, including but not limited to: Caring for tracheostomy, Educating about pregnancy hypertension, Performing closed bladder irrigation, and Treating head lice and nits.
  • View the list of New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills for June 2025.
• Revised Workplace Notes
  • Workplace Notes about a range of skills have been revised, including but not limited to: Administering medication to obstetric patients, Inserting indwelling urinary catheters, Performing postpartum fundal assessment, and Monitoring sepsis transfusion reaction.
  • View the list of Revised Workplace Notes for June 2025.
• Custom Workplace Skills
  • NEW
    • Corking or Capping a Tracheostomy
  • UPDATED
    • Dialysis: Blood Sample Collection from a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter
    • Dialysis: Changing a Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) Catheter Dressing
    • Dialysis: Infusion of Alteplase in a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC) during Hemodialysis
    • Dialysis: Performing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) / Twin Bag Exchange in Adults
    • Dialysis: Performing the Modified Shower Technique for Peritoneal Dialysis Dressing Change
    • Dialysis: Post-Dialysis Lock and Dwell Using Alteplase in Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC)
    • Dialysis: Short Dwell Method of Alteplase in a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC)

Clinical Practice Support Subject Guides

• NEW
  • Assess, Treat, and Release
  • Management of Anaphylaxis
  • Respiratory Therapy Skills and Procedures
• UPDATED
  • Blood Product Administration - Transfusion Medicine
  • Occupational Health and Safety: Continuing Care
  • Renal Dialysis - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures

Site Visits and Dynamic Health Scavenger Hunt Winners

Thank you to all staff who spoke with Clinical Practice and Policy during our recent site visits in Eastern and Northern Zones and at each Zone’s Quality Summit! We received a lot of positive feedback, and suggestions or questions that will lead to positive improvements.

A special thank you to all the practice leads, clinical nurse educators and site managers who met with us in person to help navigate throughout specific locations and visit frontline staff on their units.

During our visits, we hosted a digital scavenger hunt for each site. Everyone who completed the scavenger hunt form entered a draw to win a $50 Amazon gift card provided by EBSCO. Remember to check your inbox (and spam/junk folder) or The Compass > Clinical Resources News to see if your name was picked!

Get in Touch!

Connect with Clinical Policy and Practice about this content update and opportunities to collaborate by emailing AskIPPL@nshealth.ca.

Find guidance about using Dynamic Health, setting up a personal account, exporting CE (Continuing Education) Credits, and more in the Dynamic Health Support guide.

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

AskIPPL@nshealth.ca

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy digest posts summarize updates over the past month about:

• Clinical Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules
  • Get the latest on clinically relevant, local guidance published through policies, care directives, guidelines and/or learning modules.
  • Identify competencies relevant to you/your team’s practice.
• Dynamic Health (DH)
  • Stay informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, including recent updates to Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills.
• Clinical Practice Support (CPS) Subject Guides
  • Learn about recently published and updated CPS subject guides, where you/your team can find relevant resources across DH, policies, care directives, guidelines and learning modules. CPS subject guides also include Key Practice Points and additional educational and guidance resources to support implementation and competency maintenance.

Original posts on the above topics can be accessed by NS Health Employees through The Compass > Clinical Resources News.

Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules

• NEW GUIDELINE: Management of Extravasation Events
  • CL-SR-060 is supported by and includes several Dynamic Health (DH) skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new guideline, DH links and an educational poster for front line staff in the Vascular Access Clinical Practice Support subject guide.
  • Please note: Extravasations of Systemic Therapy for Cancer medications are outside the scope of this guideline.
• LEARNING MODULES: Pathways for Electrocardiography (ECG), Archived and Revised Modules
  • Resulting from the addition of the new Electrocardiography (ECG) page on the Nursing Skills and Procedures Clinical Practice Support subject guide, please note the following changes:
    • Archiving of LMS modules around lead placement and adoption of Dynamic Health skills
    • Creation of two learning pathways: Introductory and Interpretation
  • As of May 20th, 2025, modules listed below have been developed, revised or archived, through the NS Health eLearning system (LMS – Medworxx).

    • New or Revised eLearning (LMS)

      Course Title	LMS Code	Status
      Diabetes 1: Diabetes 101	0137	Revised
      Diabetes 2: Starting Insulin in Hospital	0138	Revised
      Insertion and Care of i-Gel Supraglottic Advanced Airway Device	1065	Revised
      Medication Independent Double Check	0203	Revised
      National Early Warning Score Series: Acute Care	1079	Revised
      Protections for Persons in Care	1285	News
      Transfusion Therapy: Administration and Adverse Events	0543	Revised to align with policy changes
      Transfusion Therapy: Transfusion 1 Blood Basics	0542	Revised to align with policy changes

    • Archived eLearning and Replacement Resources  

      Archived Course Title	LMS Code	Replaced With
      Administration of Epinephrine in the Treatment of Anaphylaxis	0040	Coming soon: Policy: Management of Anaphylaxis Clinical Practice Supports Subject Guide: Management of Anaphylaxis
      Delirium in the Elderly - Acute Care	0136	Delirium: Assessing Adults for Delirium Using 4AT Assessing Neurological Status in Adults
      Enteral Feeds	0166	Enteral - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures
      Infusion Pump Training - Kangaroo e-Pump	0206	Enteral - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures

• NEW POLICY: Allergy Skin Testing
  • CL-AS-010 is supported by and includes several Dynamic Health (DH) skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new policy and DH links in the Allergy Testing Clinical Practice Support subject guide.

Dynamic Health Updates

• New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills
  • New notes have been created for a range of skills, including but not limited to: Implanted Ports, Bolus Injections, PICC lines, Central Venous Catheters, Procedural Sedation, Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy and Post-operative Care.
  • View the full list of New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills as of May 2025.
• Revised Workplace Notes
  • Workplace Notes about a range of skills have been revised, including but not limited to: Medication Administration, Changing and Flushing/Locking PICC or CVAD, Removing Sutures, PPE, Blood and Fluid Warmers.
  • View the list of Revised Workplace Notes as of May 2025.
• Custom Workplace Skills
  • Dialysis: Administering Intra-Peritoneal (IP) Medication
  • Dialysis: Blood Culture Collection from a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter
  • Dialysis: Performing the Modified Shower Technique for Peritoneal Dialysis Dressing Change
  • Dialysis: Sampling Peritoneal Effluent (Fluid) for Suspected Peritonitis
  • Dialysis: Termination of a Hemodialysis Session in the Event of an Evacuation Procedure
  • Dialysis: Warming Dialysate for Peritoneal Dialysis (Twin Bag or Cycler)
  • Performing In-Vehicle Specimen Collection

Clinical Practice Support Subject Guides

• NEW
  • Electrocardiography (ECG) - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures
  • Medication Administration
• UPDATED
  • Renal Dialysis - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures
  • Vascular Access (CVAD, Peripheral) - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures

Connect with Clinical Policy and Practice about this content update and opportunities to collaborate by emailing AskIPPL@nshealth.ca.

Find guidance about using Dynamic Health, setting up a personal account, exporting CE (Continuing Education) Credits, and more in the Dynamic Health Support guide.

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

AskIPPL@nshealth.ca

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, highlight any new priority projects and events, as well as updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills. We’ll also highlight new publications we’re supporting and maintaining including policies, clinical practice support guides, clinical resources on the intranet and clinical learning modules.

Dynamic Health Updates

We receive feedback submissions about Dynamic Health skills on an ongoing basis through the Suggest an Edit form and through partnerships with departments and teams. This month, the following customizations have been added:

New Workplace Note

• Administering an Intradermal Injection
• Administering Subcutaneous Insulin to Adults
• Assessing Adults Receiving Mechanical Ventilation
• Assessing and Caring for Patients With Delirium
• Assisting With Gown Changing in Patients With Peripheral IVs
• Managing and Dispensing Medications on the Sterile Field in the OR
• Preventing Medication Errors: General Principles
• Providing Emergency Care to Patients With Sepsis
• Providing Epidural Catheter Care
• Removing an Epidural Catheter

Revised Workplace Note

• Adding Medications to IV Solutions
• Administering a Subcutaneous Injection to Adults
• Administering a Subcutaneous Injection to Pediatric Patients
• Administering Aerosol Therapy
• Administering Alteplase for Acute Ischemic Stroke
• Administering an Enema
• Administering an IM Injection in Infants to Adolescents
• Administering an IM Injection to Adults
• Administering an IM Injection to Newborns
• Administering Buccal Medication
• Administering Eye Drops
• Administering Intranasal Medication to Pediatric Patients
• Administering IV Bolus or IV Push Medication to Adults
• Administering IV Heparin to Adults
• Administering IV Solution
• Administering Medication Through a Gastric Tube to Children and Adolescents
• Administering Medication Through a Nasogastric Tube
• Administering Medication Through a PICC
• Administering Medication Through an Enteral Tube
• Administering Medication Through Saline Lock
• Administering Medication to Adults Through an Endotracheal Tube
• Administering Medication to Older Adults
• Administering Medication to Pediatric Patients Through an Endotracheal Tube
• Administering Oral Medication to Adults
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition Through Central Venous Access
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition Through Peripheral Venous Access
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition to Pediatric Patients
• Administering Syringe Pump for Medication
• Administering Topical Medication
• Applying Eye Ointment to Adults
• Applying Rectal Ointment
• Calculating Drip Rate for Gravity Flow IV Administration Sets
• Changing Peripheral IV Catheter Dressings in Adults
• Changing Peripheral IV Tubing in Adults
• Implementing Special Observation for Patients With Depression and Risk of Harmful Behaviors
• Inserting a Peripheral IV in Adults
• Inserting a Peripheral IV in Children and Adolescents
• Inserting a Rectal Suppository
• Instilling Medication in the Nose
• Instilling Medication Into the Vagina
• Managing Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
• Managing Extravasation in Adults
• Managing Extravasation in Pediatric Patients
• Performing Medication Reconciliation
• Preparing IV Solution
• Preventing IV Infiltration
• Preventing IV Therapy Complications
• Preventing IV-Associated Medication or Infusion Errors
• Removing a Peripheral IV Catheter in Adults
• Setting up IV Piggybacks
• Taking a Medication History
• Treating IV Infiltration
• Using a Metered-Dose Inhaler in Adults
• Using a Metered-Dose Inhaler in Pediatric Patients
• Using an Electronic Infusion Pump

No Workplace Note

• Administering Oral Medication to Infants and Children
• Administering Sublingual and Buccal Medications to Pediatric Patients
• Administering Sublingual Medication to Adults
• Using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
• Withdrawing Medication From an Ampule

Custom Skills

• Administering Allergy Epicutaneous / Skin Prick Testing in Adults
• Collecting a Parotid Gland Duct/Buccal Specimen

Clinical Practice Supports – New and Updated

Clinical Practice Supports for Health Care Providers is a group of subject guides bringing together clinical skills and procedures in one place for health care provider-focused guidance across Dynamic Health, Policy Office, Learning Modules, established guidelines and current evidence. You can view available guides through our high-level tiled landing page or alphabetically.

• Harm Reduction
  • Implementation supports and resources for authorized Harm Reduction Interventions.
• NEWS2 Early Warning Score
  • A systematic approach to measure six key physiological parameters in patients aged 16 and older. It provides a standardized method for identifying and responding to acute deterioration in a patient's clinical condition while they are hospitalized.
• Skin and Wound Care
  • NS Health Employees can check our latest memo outlining recently updated former DHA policy documents.

Claiming CE for Custom Workplace Skills in Dynamic Health

Custom Workplace Skills that are created by Nova Scotia Health (e.g., Administering Allergy Epicutaneous / Skin Prick Testing in Adults) do not get tracked automatically as CE credits in Dynamic Health. You can still use Custom Workplace Skills for CE credit (.1 per skill) by printing or saving the time stamped checklist and including it in your Practice Points submission each year you submit. For more info visit the Dynamic Health Support guide.

Health Promotion in March and Dynamic Health Topics

March 2025 marks promotion of:

• Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
• National Poison Prevention Week March 16 to 22

In recognition of these health promotion events, we encourage you to engage with the curated list of Dynamic Health content below.

If you spot any Skills below that you feel need a Workplace Note, consider being a reviewer! Fill out our Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

• Skills/Procedures
  • Assessing the Rectum in Adults
  • Assisting with Colonoscopy
  • Removing and Applying an Ileostomy or Colostomy Appliance
• Disease Overviews
  • Colorectal Cancer
  • Lynch Syndrome
  • Large Bowel Obstruction, Adult
• Care Interventions
  • Colonoscopy Interventions, Adult
  • Colostomy Interventions
  • Large Bowel Resection (Colectomy) Interventions, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Rectal Pain
  • Hematochezia, Adult
  • Excessive Weight Loss, Adult

National Poison Prevention Week

The Atlantic Canada Poison Centre provides our local guidance on poisoning information. Dynamic Health content may be used in combination with their recommendations.

• Skills/Procedures
  • Responding to Accidental Poisoning
  • Educating About Preventing Accidental Poisoning
  • Managing Patients After Chemical Exposure
• Disease Overviews
  • Acetaminophen Poisoning, Adult
  • Acetaminophen Poisoning, Pediatric
  • Lead Poisoning, Adult
  • Mushroom Poisoning
• Care Interventions
  • Drug Overdose Interventions, Adult
  • Drug Overdose Interventions, Pediatric
  • Chemical Inhalation Injury Interventions, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Cyanosis, Adult
  • Pruritus, Adult
  • Acute Blood Pressure Decrease, Pediatric

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

DynamicHealth@nshealth.ca

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, highlight any new priority projects and events, as well as updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills. We’ll also highlight new publications we’re supporting and maintaining including policies, clinical practice support guides, clinical resources on the intranet and clinical learning modules.

Dynamic Health Updates

We receive feedback submissions about Dynamic Health skills on an ongoing basis through the Suggest an Edit form and through partnerships with departments and teams. This month, the following customizations have been added:

New Workplace Note

• Inserting a Peripheral IV in Adults
• Managing Extravasation in Adults
• Managing Extravasation in Pediatric Patients
• Obtaining a Nasopharyngeal Specimen From Pediatric Patients
• Obtaining a Nasopharyngeal Specimen in Adults
• Obtaining an Oropharyngeal Throat Specimen
• Performing a Head-to-Toe Physical Assessment With Adults
• Using Warming Blanket Therapy for Adults in the Hospital

Revised Workplace Note

• Administering IV Solution
• Assessing Neurological Status in Adults
• Obtaining a Blood Sample for Culture From a Central Venous Catheter in Adults
• Testing for COVID-19

Custom Skills

• Dialysis: Suture Replacement for Hemodialysis Catheter (Registered Nurse Delegated Medical Function)
• Dialysis: Instillation, Withdrawal, Dwell of Alteplase in Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC)
• Dialysis: Infusion of Alteplase in a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC) during Hemodialysis
• Dialysis: Post-Dialysis Lock and Dwell Using Alteplase in Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC)
• Dialysis: Sampling Peritoneal Effluent (Fluid) for Suspected Peritonitis
• Delirium: Assessing Adults for Delirium Using 4AT

2024 Highlights

February marks two years since we launched Dynamic Health with Nova Scotia Health customizations (Workplace Notes, Custom Skills, etc.). Thank you to all our collaborators, users and supporters. We include analytics below, including data from a system report run on January 29, 2025 that reflects our collective success this past year. The change from January 2024 is noted after the metric in brackets.

Dynamic Health

• 188,691 unique Topic Section views (+118,082)
• 1,797 Skills assigned and/or reviewed (+540)
• 638 Workplace Notes published (+151)
• 32 Custom Workplace Skills published (+24)
• 27 policy documents referencing Dynamic Health, Clinical Practice Support guides (New, +27)
• 2,974 Personal user accounts created (+1,709)
• 920.3 Continuing Education Hours Claimed (+762.8)

Clinical Practice Support Guides

In 2024 we established a group of subject guides to bring together skills and procedures in one place – Clinical Practice Supports for Health Care Providers. This group includes pre-existing subject guides from the Library Services collection and adds health care provider-focused guidance across Dynamic Health, Policy Office, Learning Modules, established guidelines and current evidence. We currently host 64 Clinical Practice Support subject guides. You can view available guides through our high-level tiled landing page or alphabetically.

Engagement

We also kicked off promoting our services with our first zone visit to locations in Western Zone. We visited 8 hospitals over 3 days to chat about our support services. Over 150 staff members engaged with us during our visits, participating in a Scavenger Hunt aimed at helping to search for best practice guidance and set up a Dynamic Health account to track and export continuing education credits. We are looking forward to visiting the rest of the organization in 2025!

Collaborator Feedback

If you’ve collaborated with IPPL's Clinical Practice and Policy Team (adoption of Dynamic Health content, publication of a custom skill, package of skills in a Clinical Practice Support guide, etc.), then we want your input on our supports! Please use this form to provide feedback on your experience working with us.

Health Promotion in February and Dynamic Health Topics

February 2025 marks the promotion of:

• World Cancer Day, February 4
• Wear Red Day, February 13
• Mental Health Nurses Day, February 21

In recognition of these health promotion events, we encourage you to engage with the curated list of Dynamic Health content below.  If you spot any Skills below that you feel need a Workplace Note, consider being a reviewer! Fill out our Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

World Cancer Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Adult
  • Colorectal Cancer
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Excessive Weight Loss, Adult
  • Fever of Unknown Origin, Adult
  • Fatigue, Adult
• Skills
  • Managing Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome
  • Providing Emotional Support for Newly-Diagnosed Patients With Cancer
  • Assessing for Depression in Patients With Cancer
  • Providing Support to Patients and Families in Grief
  • Managing Constipation in Patients With Cancer
• Patient Handouts
  • Palliative Care for Cancer
  • Cancer Fatigue
  • Skin Cancer - Overview
  • Cancer Pain Syndromes

Wear Red Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Acute Myocardial Infarction, Female
  • ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)
  • Heart Failure, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Cardiac Palpitations
  • Arm Pain
  • Chest Pain, Adult
  • Nausea, Adult
  • Fatigue, Adult
  • Shortness of Breath, Adult
  • Anxiety, Adult
• Skills
  • Emergency Department - Interpreting a Cardiac Rhythm Strip in Adults
  • Auscultating Heart Sounds in Adults
  • Performing a 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Adults
  • Analyzing and Interpreting a 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Adults
  • Performing 15-Lead Electrocardiogram in Adults
  • Performing Telemetry Monitoring
• Patient Handouts
  • Getting to the Heart of a Healthful Diet
  • Cardiac Arrest
  • Heart Healthy Physical Activity
  • Tips to Help You Stop Smoking

Mental Health Nurses Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Major Depressive Disorder, Adult
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Adult
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Anxiety, Adult
  • Depression, Adult
  • Insomnia, Adult
• Skills
  • Assessing Mental Health Status in Adults
  • Collecting a Mental Health History in Adults
  • Mental Health and Addictions: Self Care Education in the Emergency Department
• Patient Handouts
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Depression and Chronic Illness
• Leadership
  • Self-Awareness in Nursing Practice

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

DynamicHealth@nshealth.ca

National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) starts every year on the last Sunday in May. It promotes ways we can make Canada more accessible and inclusive and celebrates people with disabilities in our communities.

"Nova Scotia was the first province in Canada to champion Access Awareness Week as an extension of Rick Hansen’s 1987 Man in Motion World Tour." (NSLEO, n.d.)

In 2017, the government of Nova Scotia passed the Accessibility Act. To support this legislation, as well as of Nova Scotia Health’s Accessibility Plan, our Library Services team is promoting accessibility in our physical and online spaces by:

• Educating our team about accessibility features and considerations for:
  • patient education pamphlets,
  • subject guides,
  • Microsoft Teams,
  • and PowerPoint.
• Evaluating the accessibility of our physical library spaces.
• Maintaining plain-language standards for patient education materials.
• Making digital patient education pamphlets compatible with assistive technology, such as screen readers.

Want to take part in National Accessibility Week? Accessibility webinars, events and further educational resources can be found through the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities (NSLEO).

Interested in learning more about the importance of access within health care? Attend the online session, ‘Health Literacy in Health Care.’ This session outlines the impact of low literacy in health care settings, and the ways staff can help patients and their support persons overcome literacy barriers. You can find more information about this session at our Learning Opportunities calendar.

You can also learn more about accessibility through our Library News Blog. Check out the posts below for helpful information, tips, and resources:

• Part 1: Create accessible and readable text documents with these tips
• Part 2: Create accessible and readable text documents with these tips
• Easy ways to build health literacy into your daily routines

References

1. Bill 59: Accessibility Act. (2017). 3rd Session, 62nd General Assembly. Retrieved from Nova Scotia Legislature website: https://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/62nd_3rd/3rd_read/b059.htm

2. Nova Scotia Health Authority. (2023). 2023-2026 Accessibility Plan: Working together for barrier-free care. Retrieved from: https://www.nshealth.ca/sites/default/files/documents/Universal%20Access%20NSH%20IWK%20Accessibility%20Plan.pdf

3. Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities. (n.d.). About Access Awareness Week Nova Scotia. https://nsleo.com/access-awareness-week-nova-scotia/

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been a hot topic of both news and conversation since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in March 2023. In addition to the possibilities these tools present, there has been much discussion about their limitations and risks. Let’s take a look at some things you should be aware of from a copyright and citation perspective.

Copyright

The big question is who owns the copyright for AI-generated materials?

As yet, there are no clear answers.

OpenAI, for example, claims to own the copyright for content produced by ChatGPT and its image generator, Dall-E. OpenAI assigns its users the right to use the content for any purpose, including commercial use (OpenAI, 2023a), but do they really have the authority to do so?

ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are ‘trained’ on huge amounts of data “scraped from the internet” (CBA National, 2022). Although this content is freely accessible, much of it is likely copyright protected, and that’s where things get murky. According to the Canadian Bar Association, clarity will likely have to be provided by court decisions—in Canada and worldwide—to address questions such as:

• Do AI tools use enough of an original work to infringe on copyright?
• Does the use fall under Fair Dealing?
• Is AI output a purely “mechanical exercise” (CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada, 2004) and not copyright protected at all?

(CBA National, 2022)

There are already several high profile court cases involving generative AI. For example, Getty Images is suing Stability AI for allegedly using its content without permission to ‘train’ the image generator, Stable Diffusion (Brittain, 2023).

Citations

OpenAI (2023b) acknowledges that ChatGPT “sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers.” This is sometimes referred to as hallucination and fake citations are one example.

University of Waterloo Library and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Library, among others, have tested the reliability of citations produced by ChatGPT. I thought I’d try it myself.

I asked ChatGPT to write a paragraph on the use of carbamazepine in benzodiazepine withdrawal and to include a reference list.

This was the response:

Carbamazepine is a medication commonly used in the management of benzodiazepine withdrawal, particularly in cases of long-term benzodiazepine dependence. It belongs to the class of anticonvulsant drugs and acts by stabilizing neuronal membranes and reducing excessive neuronal firing. Carbamazepine helps alleviate withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, and irritability, making it a valuable adjunct in the detoxification process. The drug's mechanism of action involves modulating the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission system, which is disrupted during benzodiazepine withdrawal. While carbamazepine has demonstrated efficacy in managing benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms, it should be used under close medical supervision due to its potential for side effects and interactions with other medications. Further research is needed to optimize dosing and duration of carbamazepine therapy in benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Reference List:

1. Sood A, Armon C. Carbamazepine for benzodiazepine withdrawal. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;(3):CD001905. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001905.pub2
2. Nardi AE, Lopes FL, Valença AM, Freire RC, Veras AB, de-Melo-Neto VL. Withdrawal from long-term benzodiazepine use: randomised trial in family practice. Br J Gen Pract. 2006;56(533):958-963. doi: 10.3399/096016406775101759
3. LoVecchio F, Pizon A, Riley B, et al. Use of phenobarbital and carbamazepine in patients with alcohol withdrawal. Am J Emerg Med. 2007;25(3):299-302. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2006.08.004
4. Koster ES, Maes J, Janssen HE, et al. Use of benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-related drugs in older adults with intellectual disability: A register-based study. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2020;33(2):312-321. doi: 10.1111/jar.12658

I am not a subject matter expert, so I won’t speak to the accuracy of the paragraph (though I would welcome input from readers). As for the citations, at first glance they looked promising—formatted correctly, reputable journal titles—but looks, as the saying goes, can be deceiving.

Of the four citations, only one is even partially correct. The others are complete fabrication!

A search of PubMed® and Google Scholar indicates that references 1, 3, and 4 do not exist. The DOIs provided by ChatGPT are for different and unrelated articles. Reference 2 IS a real article from the British Journal of General Practice, but the authors and the DOI are incorrect.

What does this mean for you?

If you use generative AI tools for any purpose:

• Always confirm that the content is accurate. Check everything (including citations) against reputable sources, such as those provided by Nova Scotia Health Library Services. Consider using a plagiarism detector or Google’s reverse image search to determine if text or images have been copied from a copyrighted resource.
• Pay attention to developing legislation and policy. The federal government has proposed an Artificial Intelligence and Data Act and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada recently announced an investigation into ChatGPT for possible misuse of personal information.
• Exercise caution. Open AI CEO, Sam Altman, described ChatGPT as “incredibly limited” and warned that it should not be relied on for anything important (O’Brien, 2023). Generative AI tools are rapidly improving, but it will always be up to the user to ensure that the content they produce is accurate and copyright compliant.

If you have questions about copyright:

• visit our Copyright subject guide
• book an appointment with a library staff member, or
• reach out to us at Copyright@nshealth.ca.

Further Reading:

Alkaissi H, McFarlane S I (February 19, 2023) Artificial Hallucinations in ChatGPT: Implications in Scientific Writing. Cureus 15(2): e35179. doi:10.7759/cureus.35179

Flanagin, S., Bibbins-Domingo, K, Berkwits, M. & Christiansen, M.A.. (2023, Jan. 31). Nonhuman “authors” and implications for the integrity of scientific publication and medical knowledge. JAMA 329(8), 637-639. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.1344

References (not AI generated)

1. Brittain, B. (2023, Feb. 6). Getty Images lawsuit says Stability AI misused phots to train AI. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/getty-images-lawsuit-says-stability-ai-misused-photos-train-ai-2023-02-06/

2. CBA National/ABC National. (2022, Dec 7). The legal status of generative AI. The Canadian Bar Association. https://nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articles/law/hot-topics-in-law/2022/the-legal-status-of-generative-ai

3. CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada. [2004] 1 S.C.R. 339, 2004 SCC 13. https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/2125/index.do

4. O’Brien, M. (2023, Jan. 6). What is ChatGPT and why are schools blocking it? The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-explainer-what-is-chatgpt-and-why-are-schools-blocking-it-2/

5. OpenAI. (2023a). Terms of use. https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use

6. OpenAI. (2023b). IntroducingChatGPT. https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt

Roxanne MacMillan

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

In our previous Copyright Corner post, we discussed the importance of citation and promised to address copyright attribution. This post might have left you wondering....

Aren't citation and attribution the same thing?

Citation and attribution are closely related terms, often used interchangeably. In fact, academic citation is a form of attribution, used to acknowledge the author(s) of a work from which you have quoted or paraphrased a small amount of content.

But you may have to provide attribution to an author or copyright owner in a different (or additional) way if:

• it is legally required by the terms of an open license,
• the terms of use (website or other) specify how attribution should be given, or
• you are asked to do so when you receive permission to use or adapt a copyright-protected resource.

Open licenses

Copyright owners can apply open licenses to their work to give permission to use or adapt as the license specifies. Open licenses may be used for any type of resource, including:

• Artistic works, such as photographs
• Clinical tools and informational materials
• Open educational resources, such as online courses and textbooks
• Databases/datasets

The best-known open licensing system is Creative Commons, which we have discussed in a previous blog post. The minimum requirement of each of the six types of licenses is attribution.

Attribution statements for open-licensed resources should include the title of the work, the name of the author/creator, and the license type, with hyperlinks to each where applicable (Aesoph, n.d.).

Note that although there is no legal requirement to give attribution to the author(s) of a Public Domain or CC0-dedicated resource, it is good practice to do so. Not only does this acknowledge someone else's work, it also tells your readers where to find the original (Kat, 2015).

You can find examples of Creative Commons attribution styles on their Best practices for attribution page. Also useful is Open Washington’s Open Attribution Builder, which allows you to enter information about a resource to generate an attribution statement.

Terms of use

Sometimes, the creators of a website or other resource will explicitly tell you how to attribute their content. Look for language such as:

• Terms of use
• Terms and conditions, or
• Copyright

in the fine print at the bottom/footer of webpages.

These terms should be interpreted as a legal agreement between you and the copyright owner (ContractsCounsel, nd.). Failure to comply could lead to a take-down request or even legal action against you or your employer.

For example, the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN) (n.d.) specifies:

Permission

When you request permission to use a copyright-protected resource, the copyright owner may say yes on the condition that you provide attribution in a specific way. Sometimes, they will just ask you to provide a citation, but quite often they will require you to use attribution terminology such as:

• Adapted with permission from ...., or
• Used with permission from ....

We will discuss the permissions process in depth in the next Copyright Corner post. For now, when you request permission, it is always a good idea to ask the copyright owner if they have any conditions for how the work can be used, including how it should be attributed.

A few things to note

The differences between citation and attribution are subtle. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Attribution is generally a condition of permission to use all or part of a resource (Aesoph, n.d.)
• Attribution statements, particularly for images and figures, are usually placed on the same page as the resource, rather than in a reference list (Aesoph, n.d.)
• If you are quoting from or paraphrasing part of a resource and want to direct your readers to your reference list with in-text citations, you may choose to provide both an attribution statement AND a reference.

You can read more about this and other copyright topics in our Copyright subject guide. If you have questions, you can book a consultation with a library team member or email us at copyright@nshealth.ca.

Attribution

Some information is adapted from Self-Publishing Guide by L.M. Aesoph, published by BCcampus Open Education and used under the conditions of a CC BY 4.0 International License.

References

1. Aesoph, L.M. (n.d.). Self-Publishing Guide. BCcampus Open Education. https://opentextbc.ca/selfpublishguide/

2. Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN). (2022, July 1). Copyright and attribution. https://aurin.org.au/legal/copyright-and-attribution/

3. ContractsCounsel (n.d.). Website terms and conditions. https://www.contractscounsel.com/t/us/website-terms-and-conditions

4. Kat (2015, February 25). Why Creative Commons uses CC0 [blog post]. Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/2015/02/25/why-creative-commons-uses-cc0/

Roxanne MacMillan

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

Nova Scotia Health is a large organization with a diverse range of professionals working together around the clock to deliver health care to Nova Scotians.

Some of the projects we take on to support improvement in health care delivery involve trying new ways of doing things in terms of workflow and triage, or trialing new medications and exercise regimes. Whether your project is at the broader organizational level or a trial in an individual clinic area, publishing what you have tried and what you learned from it (including what didn’t work) can start or add to an existing body of evidence that helps push new practices forward, in Nova Scotia and beyond.

While getting published has many benefits, it can seem like a huge undertaking, especially when you’ve never done it before. Don’t let lack of experience stop you!

Use our 5 key considerations to take the first steps towards getting published and sharing your knowledge.

The key considerations highlighted in the slide deck above are not exhaustive, but hopefully they have provided you with new things to consider when sharing your work.

Library Services is here to help you throughout the information cycle—whether you are looking for relevant information to guide care or viable ways to publish as a first-time author. We can help you narrow down your publishing options, scope out the submission guidelines for a few titles, draft an abstract, narrow down promotional hashtags, or collaborate with you as an author. Get the ball rolling by booking a consultation with a librarian or reaching out to us at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca. We’re looking forward to learning about your project!

Katie McLean

Librarian Educator, Outreach Lead
Dickson Building, Central Zone

In the 2022 federal budget, the Government of Canada (2022, Annex 3) announced that the length of copyright protection—currently life of the author plus 50 years—will be extended to life plus 70 years.

This extension was a condition of the 2018 Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement. It will bring Canada’s copyright term in line with that of many of its major trading partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

This means that, for the next 20 years, no new works will enter the public domain in Canada because their copyright has expired.

What is public domain?

Works that are in the public domain are not protected by copyright and can be reused, shared, copied, or adapted without permission. They belong to the public.

Public domain is determined by the laws of the country where the resource is used, not where it was published. A work may be in the public domain in one country but not in another. For example, A. A. Milne’s 1926 Winnie the Pooh stories entered the public domain in the United States in January 2022. These stories have been in the public domain in Canada since 2007 (Vermes, 2022).

It is important to understand that new editions or adaptations of works in the public domain may be protected by copyright if they have been changed enough to be considered a separate work (University of British Columbia, n.d.).

In Canada, works can enter the public domain if:

• Copyright has expired. The rule of 50 (soon to be 70) calendar years after the death of the last surviving author applies to most works, but there are some differences depending on the format of a work, who created it, and the date of publication. You can read more on the University of British Columbia’s guide to Public Domain.
• The author has waived their copyright. Authors can choose to place their work in the public domain, allowing the work to be used freely and without permission. One way they can do this is to assign a CC0 dedication through Creative Commons.

Some materials do not qualify for copyright protection. These include materials lacking in originality or creativity such as data or facts. Ideas are not covered by copyright until they are expressed in a tangible format. For example, an idea for a research project is not covered by copyright, but a written research proposal is.

Public domain does not mean:

• Publicly accessible. Just because you are able to copy and paste an image found on the Internet or photocopy a large portion of a textbook you borrowed from a library doesn’t mean that you are permitted to do so. Always assume that works are copyright protected! Look for terms of use for materials found online and be prepared to ask for permission.
• Royalty-free. This type of copyright license means that a user makes a one-time payment to use a resource, such as a stock photo, multiple times, without paying royalties each time the resource is used. It doesn't mean that materials are free to use.

Why is public domain important?

In a response to the proposed copyright term extension, the Canadian Federation of Library Associations and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (2021) stated that “[a] broad and deep public domain enriches Canadians’ social, political, intellectual, cultural, and artistic lives” (p.3).

Public domain can support:

• Education, opening up opportunities for digitization of older works and making them freely available online for classroom (and other) use (Center for the Study of the Public Domain, 2021).
• Creativity, allowing public domain works to be remixed, reimagined, or performed (Center for the Study of the Public Domain, 2021).
• Preservation, allowing Canadian libraries and archives to digitize and provide access to orphan works (where the copyright owner can’t be located) or works that are no longer commercially viable but are of significance to Canadian heritage and culture (Canadian Federation of Library Association & Canadian Association of Research Libraries, 2021).

Where can I find public domain resources?

For more suggestions, see Wikipedia’s list of public domain resources, including some specific to medicine. Visit our Copyright subject guide for information on finding copyright-free images.

If you have questions about public domain or other copyright topics, get in touch at copyright@nshealth.ca or book a one-on-one consultation. Select Copyright from the list of options.

References

1. Canadian Federation of Library Associations & Canadian Association of Research Libraries. (2021). Joint response to consultation on copyright term extension. https://www.carl-abrc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CFLA-CARL_Joint_Response_to_Consultation_on_Copyright_Term_Extension.pdf.

2. Center for the Study of the Public Domain. (2021). Why the public domain matters. Duke University. https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2021/why/.

3. Copyrightlaws.com. (2021) Duration of copyright in Canada. https://www.copyrightlaws.com/duration-of-copyright-in-canada/.

4. Government of Canada. (2022). Budget 2022. https://budget.gc.ca/2022/report-rapport/toc-tdm-en.html.

5. Vermes, J. (2022, January 10). How Winnie-the-Pooh highlights flaws in U.S. copyright law – and what that could mean for Canada. CBC Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/trump-supporters-prep-for-2024-bye-bye-blackberry-don-t-look-up-why-we-procrastinate-joygerm-day-and-more-1.6307339/how-winnie-the-pooh-highlights-flaws-in-u-s-copyright-law-and-what-that-could-mean-for-canada-1.6309960

Roxanne MacMillan

Librarian Educator
Library Services, Central Zone

“Research is something that everyone can do, and everyone ought to do. It is simply collecting information and thinking systematically about it.” (Raewyn Connell, 2021)

The research process is made up of several steps, all of which are important to effectively answer a question. Whether you are carrying out a literature search or a systematic review, the research process can seem overwhelming, even confusing. You may feel confident about your search, but then wonder how to properly evaluate what you have found. This post will help you decide on important factors for screening result sets for inclusion or exclusion.

Screening your search results is the process of weeding out any inadequate articles that you obtain after running your searches (Dalhousie Libraries, 2021). Screening is an evaluation tool that can be applied not only to literature searches and formal reviews, but also when quickly looking for best evidence on a topic. Screening can help evaluate “in the moment” search results, such as those required for patient care.

The screening process can be performed by one reviewer or a team of reviewers, depending on the information need or type of study being conducted. For example, “in the moment” research results may only have one reviewer, while a scoping or systematic review may have a team of reviewers. It is important that all reviewers on a team adhere to the same screening criteria.

When screening your results, whether for a formal research project or to gather evidence "in the moment" to inform patient care, keep these tips in mind:

1. Establish inclusion and exclusion criteria – If you are working with a team of reviewers, all members must be clear on which criteria are going to be included and which are going to be excluded. For example, inclusion criteria could be all participants in a study must be 50 years old and over. This means that any study that discusses participants under the age of 50 will automatically be excluded from the search results.

If you are the only person screening search results to inform a patient care decision, it is useful to know the type of study that will provide evidence-based results to support a therapeutic choice, such as an adult woman deciding what blood thinners will best manage her atrial fibrillation.

2. Review results using established inclusion and exclusion criteria – Remove items that clearly do not fit inclusion criteria and those not from a trustworthy or credible source. In the informal, patient care example above, you can screen in systematic reviews and/or randomized controlled trials. 

3. Read the full-text – After determining which articles will be included, access and read the full-text. Read the articles using critical appraisal tools, screening for credible evidence, bias, and peer reviews. In more formal reviews, full-text screening is often categorized as the “second level of screening,” as it follows a more in-depth, rigorous process (Dalhousie Libraries, 2021).

4. Check for and remove any duplicates – If you are searching multiple sources, make sure you haven’t included the same item more than once. Many citation managers, such as Zotero, have a feature that will check your search results for duplicates. Be sure to check out Library Services’ Citation Management guide for further instruction.

Tools that will guide your screening work

The PRISMA Flow Diagram (Moher et al., 2009) is a great tool to help more formal research projects record and summarize the screening process. There are also several other tools to help you manage evidence synthesis and aid in the screening process. The University of Toronto Libraries provide excellent step-by-step instruction on screening search results for those researchers looking to dive deeper into the process. 

Screening your results is a vital step in the research process—whether you are gathering evidence for a formal publication or using it to inform a local project or patient care. Our tips and tools will make it easier for you to put the knowledge you find into action.

Reach out to us at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca with any questions you have about screening search results, or the research process in general. You can also book a one-on-one consultation with a Library Services team member. We are always here to help!

References

1. Dalhousie Libraries. (2021). Knowledge Syntheses: A How-To Guide. https://dal.ca.libguides.com/systematicreviews/selectionscreening

2. Fisher, S. (2021). 17 research quotes to inspire and amuse you. Qualtrics. https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/research-quotes/ 

3. Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Med. 6(6): e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097

Amanda Andrews

Librarian Educator, Education & Training Lead
Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Eastern Zone

In today’s digital world, finding and using images for presentations, education, and publication is easy…

Or is it?

People often assume that online images are free to use, perhaps because they are so easily available: Right click and save, then copy and paste into your work.

In reality, using online images is complicated because some images:

• are free to use
• can be used with permission, or under specific terms or licences
• must be purchased
• cannot be reproduced under any condition

You should always assume that an image is protected by copyright, and it is always your responsibility to find out if and how you are permitted to reproduce it legally and ethically.

We’ve created an infographic to help you with reusing and/or adapting images in your work.

Key considerations

• Fair dealing

What uses are considered ‘fair’ under Canadian copyright law? Can you use any image in any educational presentation if you cite the source?

• Creative Commons licences

A Creative Commons licence does not mean that content can be used without restrictions. There are six different licences, each with their own terms of use.

• Public domain

What does it mean when something is in the ‘public domain’?

• Getting permission

The permissions process can seem overwhelming, but it must be followed. What are the best practices for requesting permission? What do you do if you can’t find a copyright owner? What do you do if the owner says “no”?

Look for future blog posts, where we will explore each section of the infographic in more detail.

Visit our Copyright subject guide for more information about finding and legally using images, or book a consultation with a library team member (choose “Copyright” from the list of options). If you find you still have questions about using images, email us at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca.

Roxanne MacMillan

Librarian Educator
Library Services, Central Zone

UPDATED: October 3, 2018. Original Post: January16, 2017.

A “predatory publisher” is an opportunistic publishing venue that exploits an author’s need or desire to publish. The main motivation of the “predatory publisher” is monetary gain; they do not care about the quality of the work and often engage in unethical business practices (e.g. spamming researchers and authors). Peer review, indexing in major research databases and other standard services of established scholarly publishers are often not provided by the “predatory publisher”.

Adapted from What are predatory academic journals? (The Economist), Understanding Predatory Publishers (Iowa State University Library). Accessed October 3, 2018.

According to Denver-based academic librarian Jeff Beall, an authority on this topic and author of Beall’s List of Potential, Possible, or Probable Predatory Scholarly Open-Access Publishers, there are currently more than one thousand predatory open access publishers. The number of predatory publishers identified by Beall’s list increased by 232 in 2016 alone. [EDIT: As of January 15, 2017, Beall's site was shut down for unknown reasons.]

Researching the integrity of the journal you are looking to publish in before you submit is very important. Many researchers and authors often receive unsolicited emails from publishers offering deals on fast, open access publishing. Ownership of journal titles and publishing houses shifts, and what was once a reputable journal may be sold to a disreputable company. For example, Ottawa Citizen journalist Tom Spears reports that predatory publisher OMICS International purchased three previously trusted Canadian Science publishers last year (including Pulsus Group).

As the saying goes, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Increased pressure to publish, open access publishing options, and the high cost to publish and get access to subscription journals have all contributed to the rise of the predatory publisher. 

How to Avoid Predatory Publishers

• Connect with library staff to help you investigate potential journals to submit your work to and/or any unsolicited offers to publish in a journal or join an editorial board for an unknown publisher
• Look for trusted third party metrics (Journal Citation Reports, Scimago Journal & Country Rank) used to measure the impact of a specific journal title
• Use this checklist to evaluate if the journal you are publishing in or working with is trusted
• Ask your colleagues what they know about specific publishers and journal titles in your field and share any new knowledge you gain about possible predatory publishers with your peers

Katie McLean

Librarian Educator, Education & Outreach
Dickson Building, Central Zone