Epidemiology

After consulting with a practicum advisor regarding preferences for topical and geographical areas in which to do a practicum, students should begin familiarizing themselves with their preferred practicum specialty area. They can do this by speaking with individuals familiar with the area and through literature reviews, web-sites, and other reference materials. Employing a bibliographic software at this point can be quite useful for organizing practicum-related research and for potential future use in the thesis. Endnote software, user manuals, tutorials, and classes are provided free of charge to students.

Acquiring and Using Endnote

EndNote is a bibliographic software that can be especially useful for collecting, cataloguing, and retrieving references and resource materials for research projects, such as a related practicum and thesis, that overlap in content and span several semesters. Students who select a thesis topic related to their practicum can use EndNote to facilitate a smooth transitioning from the practicum to the thesis and students who do not use EndNote for their practicum will find it an invaluable tool with which to begin their thesis work.

EndNote allows users to download references and resources directly into a database that links to word processing programs, such as Word and Wordperfect. The program can be used to download citations and abstracts and to format citations into a variety of bibliographical formats - all without typing a bibliography.

This software can be installed on any Columbia student or faculty office or personal computer free of charge and is also available on campus lab and workstation computers. The following links provide access to the free downloadable software and information on the self-guided tour, instruction manuals, tip sheets, classes, and personal assistance to answer EndNote questions.

Acquiring EndNote Software
EndNote is available for downloading from the AcIS software server. Students who have difficulty with the download phase can call 854-7547 for assistance.

EndNote Instruction Manuals
Students can get started with the EndNote 9 manual. Students can quickly become familiar with the basics through Chapter 3: The EndNote Guided Tour.

EndNote Tip Sheets
Tip sheets with instructions for building an Endnote library are available. These include helpful step-by-step directions on most of the features students will need as they build and expand their EndNote resource libraries.

Classes in EndNote
Free training classes are available, but require registration. Training classes lasting approximately 1 hour are offered by the Health Science Library (HSL).

Personal Assistance
EndNote is a library-supported resource. If you have availed yourself of the online resources and still have questions or problems using EndNote, reference librarians located in the Health Sciences Library can answer your questions in person, by e-mail, or phone.

General Information
An EndNote information page is available on Columbia’s Libraries website.