Training session on information resources in French language available on Research4life Platform

Sixth year students and teaching staff from the Francophone university branch, Medicine program of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova, participated in the information and training session entitled "Ressources informationnelles électroniques en français accessibles sur la plateforme Research4Life" ("Electronic information resources in French accessible through the Research4Life platform"), organized on 11 November 2024.

The workshop was held by Silvia Ciubrei, coordinator of the "Research4Life Country Connectors Moldova" project (launched and managed by the World Health Organization), deputy director of the Health Sciences Library of the University.

Participants were familiarized with the search strategies for books and electronic journals in French in the 5 collections: Hinari, AGORA, OARE, ARDI and GOALI, with the electronic library HAL – science ouverte, the LiSSa database, Littérature Scientifique en Santé. At the same time, several databases (Embase, CINAHL, ProQuest, Lens: Scholarly Works, Lens: Patents, Lens: Patseq), including scientometric ones (SCOPUS, Dimensions), electronic libraries, reference materials (Web of Science Researcher Profiles, Author Academy, Author Mapper, Springer Journal Selector) and resources focused on scientific evidence (EBM: Cochrane Library, DUODECIM: Evidence Based Medicine Guidelines, Essential Evidence Plus) and open access collections. 

"Our goal is for you to use qualitative and valuable information products, and for us to benefit from original studies and research. Later, they will be uploaded to the Institutional Repository, which has an important role for the image of our university by promoting open access to information, and contributes to increasing the institutional visibility, including Webometrics international ranking", Silvia Ciubrei underlined.

The trainer mentioned the importance of informational resources available through the Research4Life platform for teachers, researchers and students, especially for international ones studying in English. Starting from the second year, along with the participation in annual scientific conferences, students already must know general notions about the research methodology and the stages of carrying out a study, the sources of information and information search strategies. And from the third year of studies, when training is carried out in clinical disciplines, the student must demonstrate a more advanced information culture, apply skills of analysis, synthesis and critical thinking, know and explore resources focused on scientific evidence (evidence-based medicine: systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical studies and guidelines).

Corina Iliadi-Tulbure, vice-dean of Faculty of Medicine No. 1, suggested that these trainings were necessary for students from the first years of studies and should be expanded, as the university has been implementing the education through research concept. "The information is so broad and valuable, and the approach is quite comprehensive. We always talk about evidence-based medicine, important and current databases, and avoiding publication in predatory journals, and Research4Life really is a relevant source. First, it is a safe platform that teaches you how to educate the younger generations", the vice-dean noted.

Participants were impressed by the wide range of information resources accessible through the Research4Life platform. Marina Scobioala, 6th year student of Medicine, has stated that the Research4Life products are very useful for carrying out research, especially, now at the end, for the graduation thesis.

The event was organized by the Francophone Employability Center (Centre d'Employabilité Francophone) in collaboration with the Health Sciences Library and the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Medicine No. 1.

Research4Life offers institutions from countries with lower incomes, including those from the Republic of Moldova, online access to over 200 thousand evaluated academic and professional resources (Hinari, AGORA, OARE, ARDI and GOALI collections) at a reduced price. Eligible institutions are universities, research institutions, government ministries and agencies, public hospitals and other health institutions, vocational training centers, public libraries, etc. Research4Life is dedicated to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and aims to reduce the knowledge gap between the Global North and the Global South, facilitating access to scientific information and publishing the results of researchers from the Global South as well as to contribute to a more equitable world of research, to improve education, research and policy-making in health, agriculture, the environment and other life, physical and social sciences.

To receive the access data (username and password), call the Health Sciences Library.

More details on registering with Research4Life can be found on https://www.research4life.org or send a message to research4lifeccmoldova@gmail.com