Student Services

Citations are used to identify and locate publications (book, journal article, video, etc.). They usually include title, author, publisher and date of publication. SMU instructors often require students to cite their sources using one of three styles. To make the process easier, SMU provides its students with the use of EndNote (opens in new tab), an online research management tool that generates citations and bibliographies in a range of styles.

For writing help, contact the SMU Student Services Writing Center for tutoring services. 

Citation Styles

Distinct citation styles have been developed by professional and scholarly associations including the APA (American Psychological Association), the AMA (American Medical Association), and the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors).

An instructor will commonly ask you to adhere to a specific style when citing sources in a research paper or essay. This can be challenging, as each style contains its own formatting rules for citations, both in the body of the paper (in-text citations) and on the reference page. Your best defense is a good offense—be familiar with the styles most SMU instructors require: APA, AMA, and the ICMJE's URM.

Here are some useful resources on citations:

APA citation style

• APA 7th Edition guide (SMU) (opens in new tab)
• APA 7th Edition Formatting & Style Guide (OWL Purdue) (opens in new tab)
• DOI Locator/Lookup (opens in new tab)

AMA citation style

• AMA manual of style (ebook) (opens in new tab)

Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ICMJE)

• Citing Medicine, 2nd edition (opens in new tab)
• National Library of Medicine’s ICMJE Uniform Requirements: Sample References (opens in new tab)

EndNote

EndNote is a citation management software that allows users to:

• Export citations from various databases to EndNote (e.g. PubMed, CINAHL, OneSearch)
• Format citations in various citation styles (e.g. APA 7th edition, AMA 11^th edition)
• Organize citations in a searchable personal library and share with others.
• Format bibliographies and in-text citations in word processing documents.

Faculty, students and staff can download (opens in new tab) EndNote to manage references and create bibliographies in APA, AMA, or any style of their choosing. SMU librarians. are available to provide training and support for EndNote users.

For more information, refer to the EndNote research guide (opens in new tab).

Academic Writer (formerly APA Style Central)

"Academic Writer is APA's authoritative solution offering you a complete digital environment for teaching, learning, and writing academic papers. 

Create your own Academic Writer account (opens in new tab)

Other Free Bibliographic Tools

• Zotero
• Bibme
• EasyBib
• Mendeley

To help you study and practice for license and certification exams, the libraries have developed a regularly updated collection of resources for each program. This collection includes NCLEX and USMLE review materials, as well as study materials for PT, OT, PA, NP, CRNA, Case Manager, and most specialized medical topics.

Click on your program to see a list of these materials

• Case Management (opens in new tab)
• CRNA (opens in new tab)
• Family Nurse Practitioner (opens in new tab)
• Podiatric Medicine (opens in new tab)
• Nursing (opens in new tab)
• Nurse Practitioner (opens in new tab)
• Occupational Therapy (opens in new tab)
• Physician Assistant (opens in new tab)
• Physical Therapy (opens in new tab)

Would you like an exam book we don't currently have? Is there a new edition? Let us know.

The Library can obtain journal articles and books that are not available in the Library 's catalog.

Request form

• Students may submit a total of 20 requests per semester, with five active requests at a time
• After the first 20 requests, each additional request will incur a $2 fee
• Exceptions will be made for students working on synthesis and thesis assignments

Questions? Call the Oakland Library Circulation Desk 510.879.9290 or email us at library@samuelmerritt.libanswers.com.

• The Graziano Library in Oakland has two printers with color and scanning capabilities. Payment is through the pay-for-print system
• Nine computer work stations
• Three laptops are available to check out for in-library use. Each laptop has a USB port to which you can connect a flash drive, Microsoft Office, SecureExam, Inspiration, and wireless access to the Internet
• The library's computer lab is also equipped with computers for use by SMU students, faculty, and staff. The computer lab is open the same hours as the library. It is equipped with 28 PCs and four Macs. Each computer has printer access and the Microsoft Office suite

• The Oakland library has 10 rooms available for group study sessions; four of them are equipped with video and DVD viewing equipment
• Whiteboard markers are available to check out from the circulation desk
• The library group study rooms and additional seminar rooms in the Health Education Center (220, 225, 225A, and 225B) can be reserved through the SMU Campus Schedule page or by contacting the HEC staff
• Please read additional information about the room reservation system prior to booking

The Library provides access to several collections of eBooks. Off-campus access is gained by entering your SMU login and password when prompted.

Browse all ebooks in the library's catalog (opens in new tab) 

Ebook Collections

Access Medicine (opens in new tab): Full-text of Lange's basic sciences and clinical sciences series.

American Heart Association Ebooks (opens in new tab): Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Provider Manual, Basic Life Support Provider Manual, PALS

ANA Publications (opens in new tab): Scope & Standards 4th edition, Nursing's Social Policy Statement, Code of Ethics and Pain Management

Books @ OVID (opens in new tab): Incredibly Easy Series, Medical Terminology (English & Spanish), Nursing

Ebook Central (opens in new tab): Drug Handbook, Nursing

EBSCOhost (opens in new tab): Anesthesia, SMU Community Reads 2017-2020

R2 Digital Library (opens in new tab): Ferri’s Clinical Advisor, Saunders Physical Therapy Board Exam Review

STAT!Ref (opens in new tab): Davis’s PA Exam Review, Davis’s NCLEX-RN, Davis’s Drug Guide, Lippincott’s Video Series nursing, physical Therapy

Bartleby.com (opens in new tab): Literature, reference, verse

Merck (opens in new tab): Merck manuals

Martindale's Health Science Guide (opens in new tab): Virtual medical center

PubMed Bookshelf (NCBI Bookshelf) (opens in new tab): Biomedical books

Flying Publisher (opens in new tab): Medical books

The library accepts recommendations for books that support University programs as well as the broader mission of the University.

Request a purchase form

With Canopy Learn, "an online medical Spanish course that empowers medical students and professionals with the skills to overcome communication friction and provide better care for increasingly diverse patient populations. The course teaches specialized medical concepts and terminology across a wide spectrum of commonly-encountered clinical scenarios to enable providers to establish a rapport with their Spanish-speaking patients.”

Getting Started

1. Create an account with CanopyLearn: https://canopylearn.io/#/signup/?access_code=SMU2020 (opens in new tab)
2. After creating your profile, verify your email address. If you don't receive the email verification message, please check your SMU spam/junk folder. 
3. You can start learning after you verify your email address.

Sign up with Canopy Learn today! (opens in new tab)