Library Guides: Speech Pathology Guide: Open Access Resources

Tips & Tricks

Don't forget basic search techniques:

“phrase searching” – to search for specific phrases
(brackets OR parentheses) – to group like terms
AND, OR, NOT - to connect keywords together

You can search specific websites or domains straight from Google search.

To search any Australian government website to see references to speech pathology simply type:

Site:.gov.au "speech pathology"

To search a specific website for information on a topic, simply type:

Site:www.jcu.edu.au "speech pathology"

Google Search Tips
You can use symbols or words in your search to make your search results more precise.

As a professional it is important to stay on-top of current and emerging trends in the field. See the below list for ideas of how to stay up-to-date while you're out in practice.

Subscribe to newsletters from journals and organisations e.g. speechBITE newsletter
Create alerts/RSS feeds for databases or new journal articles on your area of interest
Be active on social media e.g. Twitter: @Wespeechies #WeSpeechies #SLPeeps #slp2be
Podcasts e.g. The Speak Up podcast
Attend and participate in conference
Make a ResearchGate profile, you can connect with authors/researchers on here.

Speak Up: A Speech Pathology Australia Podcast
The Speak Up podcast by Speech Pathology Australia highlights conversations with esteemed contributors in the speech pathology space.
#WeSpeechies - on Twitter
The hashtag used by professionals on social media.
JournalTOCS
JournalTOCs is the largest, free collection of scholarly journal Tables of Contents (TOCs)

When you leave JCU you will no longer have access to updates for Endnote. You might like to consider the free options available to you via Zotero and Mendeley.

Basic software is free
2GB cloud storage (Mendeley)
300MB cloud storage (Zotero)
Desktop and online versions
Creates in-text citations and bibliographies
Imports PDS and metadata
One-click imports from web browser add-ons.

Zotero
Zotero is a free and open-source reference management software to manage bibliographic data and related research materials.
Mendeley
Mendeley is a free reference manager that can help you store, organize, note, share and cite references and research data.

As JCU Alumni you are entitled to borrow books from JCU Library.

No charge for JCU alumni
Borrow up to 20 items for three weeks at a time
Cannot use eResources which are behind a paywall (databases etc)

You may like to investigate joining your local or state library.

The State Library of Queensland and The National Library of Australia have subscriptions to some electronic resources

JCU Alumni
You can continue to make good use of your JCU Library after leaving the University to support your career, your professional development, and life-long learning.
State Library of Queensland
Access more benefits online and onsite when you become a State Library member. Membership is free. Access is immediate.
National Library of Australia
Applying for a free Library card allows you to request collection items to use in the Library, and provides access to a wide range of eResources from home.

Become a professional member:
- Speech Pathology Australia
- Australian Aphasia Association
- Allied Health Professions Australia
- Services for Australian Rural & Remote Allied Health
- Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment

Free Medical Journals

DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals
DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.
Free Medical Journals
Journals that provide free access to some or all of their articles. In some cases an embargo applies.
BioMed Central
Examples of available titles: BMC Health Services Research, BMC International Health, Conflict & Health, Malaria Journal, Reproductive Health
Geneva Foundation for medical Education and Research (GFMER)
A list of free journals in medicine and related topics.
Annals of Family Medicine
The Annals of Family Medicine is an open access, peer-reviewed research journal serving the needs of scientists, practitioners, policymakers, and the patients and communities they serve.
BMJ Archives

Free Health Databases

SpeechBITE
speechBITE is a database of abstracts of intervention studies across the scope of speech pathology practice
Google Scholar
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature.
PubMed
PubMed has been available since 1996 and contains more than 25 million references. It includes MEDLINE and PMC (PubMed Central).
Cochrane
The Cochrane Library is a collection of six databases that contain different types of high-quality, independent evidence to help people make well-informed decisions about healthcare and health policy, and a seventh database that provides information about Cochrane groups.
TRIP Database
A clinical search tool designed to allow health professionals to rapidly identify the highest quality clinical evidence for clinical practice. Registered users (registration is free) benefit from extra features such as CPD, search history, and collaborative tools.
Popline: Population database
A database on reproductive health with a strong focus on developing countries
OTseeker
OTseeker is a database that contains abstracts of systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and other resources relevant to occupational therapy interventions.
PEDro
A free database of over 35,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.
MedRxiv - Preprint Server
medRxiv is a pre-print server distributing unpublished works about the health sciences. Note: These articles have not yet been through the peer-review process.
NeuroBITE
NeuroBITE (previously PsycBITE) is a database that catalogues studies of cognitive, behavioural and other treatments for psychological problems and issues occurring as a consequence of acquired brain impairment (ABI).
lens.org
Search, Analyze and Manage Patent and Scholarly Data
Dimensions.ai
All publications and citations are freely available for personal, non-commercial use, together with rich contextual information. Millions of users turn to Dimensions to discover key research, find out who has funded it, and understand its academic and societal impact.

Useful Websites

Speech and Communication Disorders (MedlinePlus)
MedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends.
Speech Pathology Australia
Speech Pathology Australia is the national peak body for the speech pathology profession in Australia. Speech pathologists are university trained allied health professionals with expertise in the assessment and treatment of communication and/or swallowing difficulties.
Evidence Maps (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
Evidence maps are intended to provide clinicians, researchers, clients, and caregivers with tools and guidance to engage in evidence-based decision making.