Covidence Access for Mizzou Faculty Conducting Research

Mizzou Libraries is pleased to provide access to Covidence for Mizzou faculty conducting research through our Covidence pilot. Covidence is a nonprofit, cloud-based platform that streamlines the systematic review process by helping researchers collect, screen and synthesize scientific evidence more efficiently. 

The benefits of Covidence include: 

  • Faster reviews
  • Easy to use
  • Seamless collaboration for teams

The pilot has a limited number of projects available.  To get access to Covidence, you must meet with a librarian for a consultation. Fill out the evidence synthesis request form, and your librarian will schedule a meeting with you.  

For information about the library’s evidence synthesis service, see our Evidence Synthesis Guide.  

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

BYOBook Club at Mizzou Libraries

Do you want to join a book club but prefer to choose your own book?

Join us at BYOBook Club! Read any book for the month’s (optional) prompt and chat with other readers about what you chose. This is a great way to discover new books and authors—or rant about pesky plot holes.

  • November 4th – New perspectives (book from a language/culture/POV different from you)
  • December 2nd – Resistance! (fiction or nonfiction)

You can find book recommendations and more on our BYOBook Club guide: libraryguides.missouri.edu/byobook-club

This club is sponsored by Mizzou Libraries Outreach and Engagement Committee.

Registration is encouraged but not required.

Watch Out for Fake Citations from ChatGPT

ChatGPT, one of the most popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, uses a language model to respond to questions and compose various written content. Many college students use ChatGPT to help them complete assignments. While there are times when this can be helpful, it has limitations as a reliable research assistant. One thing you need to watch out for is that ChatGPT will sometimes “hallucinate” (fabricate) citations. The citations may sound legitimate and scholarly, but they are not real. If you try to find these sources through Google or the library, you will search in vain.

If you need help finding resources on a topic, just Ask a Librarian to help you find real resources so you can be successful on your next assignment!

Build Your Research Identity with ORCID

Your research is important and we want to help you ensure it is making an impact. ORCID is a great way to start increasing your research impact with minimal effort.

What is ORCID?

An ORCID is a permanent unique identifier for researchers. Using your ORCID is more accurate and secure than a name: many people can have the same name but each ORCID is unique. They protect your unique scholarly identity and help you keep your publication record up-to-date with very little effort.

Why should you get an ORCID?

ORCID’s are permanent and will follow you throughout your entire career.

ORCID is increasingly used by individuals (e.g. as a signature in emails) and systems (e.g. in Scopus, PubMed), enabling recognition and discoverability.

ORCID automatically updates your profile from other systems – saving you time.

ORCID is unique to you.

How to get an ORCID ID?

Here is a detailed explanation of how to get your ORCID started. Reach out to the library for help!

home Gateway Carousel, J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library, Resources and Services Increase Your Scholarly Impact: Use the SPARC Author Addendum

Increase Your Scholarly Impact: Use the SPARC Author Addendum

Your article was recently accepted for publication and you want to make sure your research has the widest reach and impact. One way to make sure this happens is retaining your author rights.

Traditional publishing agreements sign your copyright away to the publisher, lessening your impact as an author. When you don’t hold your copyright, you might not be allowed to give copies to your class or distribute it among colleagues. And depending on what you sign, you aren’t allowed to put your article on your webpage or in an online depository, further limiting your exposure.

So how do you make sure you retain your copyright? Publishing agreements are negotiable. Know your rights and consider using the SPARC author addendum* to modify your agreement. The SPARC author addendum is a free and legal resource that helps you easily modify your publishing agreement.

Need help or have questions? Visit our know your rights guide or contact your subject librarian.

*The Author Addendum is a free resource developed by SPARC in partnership with Creative Commons, established non-profit organizations that offer a range of copyright options for many different creative endeavors.

Make Your Research Open

At Mizzou Libraries, we’re committed to making access to research more sustainable, affordable and open. And we need your help!

In traditional publishing models, scholars surrender their copyright to commercial publishers in order to disseminate their research findings in scholarly journals. Publishers then sell or rent that same content back to the institution through journal subscriptions—at ever increasing prices. This unsustainable practice costs institutions millions of dollars every year and creates barriers to access for many. Open access publishing encourages scholars to retain their rights and make their work freely available online, increasing the availability and impact of research.  

What You Can Do:  

Retain Your Rights: No matter where you publish, the single most important thing you can do to make scholarly publishing more sustainable and equitable is Retain Your Rights. It’s your copyright – don’t just sign it away! Contracts are often negotiable. And read those agreements: you may have more rights to share your research than you realize.  

Know Your Options: Choose the right venue for your research and know your open access options. If you’re an editor or manuscript reviewer, ask about the journal’s OA options. 

Share Your Work: Deposit your research in MOspace, MU’s Digital Institutional Repository. Submitting your work to MOspace is easy. Just log in with your SSO and complete the Creative Commons license.

Learn More: Talk with your Subject Specialist about open access in your area or request a Zoom workshop for your department, team or lab. 

home Gateway Carousel, J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library, Resources and Services Publish Open Access for Free With Read & Publish Agreements

Publish Open Access for Free With Read & Publish Agreements

Publishing open access is a great way to keep research open and retain your copyright. We do understand that publishing open access comes with a financial commitment that you wouldn’t necessarily have with traditional publishing.

To help offset costs, Mizzou Libraries has agreements with several publishers that offer discounts and support of article processing charges (APCs) for the following journals.

Want to learn more? Talk with your subject librarian about open access in your area.

Peer Navigator Corner: Health Sciences Library

Written by: Emilee Dillon 

The J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library is one of many specialized libraries on campus here at Mizzou. If you’re looking for a new study spot, a group project space, or somewhere to cozy up with a good book, the Health Sciences Library may be a place for you to check out.

One thing I have heard a lot is the struggle to find flexible, comfortable seating in libraries. The good news is the Health Sciences library has you covered! Provided are individual podded chairs that offer comfortable seating and include a footrest, lights, and even an outlet. These pods offer more secluded, comfortable seating, with all the necessities provided, so you can stay comfortable while working on your studies. Walking through the student center, I have also noticed that the booths downstairs and upstairs are very popular. While Ellis does have a few booths on the 1st floor, the Health Sciences Library has a whole wall of booths and a few other sections as well. Also, if after sitting in classes all day you feel the need to take a break from sitting, but you also know you need to study, the Health Sciences Library has standing desks!

Although the Health Sciences Library has plenty of research material that is not the only thing it is used for, nursing and medical students can check out some course-specific textbooks right from the library! If you need a break from studying, you can also find a wide variety of books to read for leisure near the front of the library.

I have realized that students here at Mizzou love whiteboards, and this library delivers. There are double-sided mobile whiteboards for students to use, as well as large whiteboards near tall tables, perfect for group work or mind-mapping. If you’re like me, near finals, TikTok is a popular place to go for study motivation. The health sciences library has the popular floor-to-ceiling whiteboards featured in these study-hack videos in their study rooms, which are perfect for memorization or just organizing your ideas.

The health sciences library also has excellent lighting, warm, cozy yellow, rather than the harsh white lights that can make it difficult to focus. There is also a part of the library that, during daylight hours, has excellent natural light and a beautiful view of Stankowski field.

As mentioned before, the Health Sciences library has private and group study rooms that can be reserved here at the Missouri Libraries website!  It is also important to mention that the Health Sciences Library is open to all majors. While medical and nursing students have longer hours, they may access the facility; all students are welcome and encouraged to use the library.

You can find more information on the Health Sciences library, including their hours and location, on their website, J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library.

home Gateway Carousel, J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library, Resources and Services Discover LeapSpace: An AI-Powered Research Workspace

Discover LeapSpace: An AI-Powered Research Workspace

Researchers today face an overwhelming volume of scholarly literature, making it increasingly difficult to stay current, identify relevant sources and synthesize information efficiently. To help address these challenges, Mizzou Libraries now offers access to LeapSpace, Elsevier’s research-grade AI workspace designed to accelerate discovery, deepen understanding and support every stage of the research process.

LeapSpace combines publisher-neutral scholarly content, responsible AI technology and enterprise-grade security in a single workspace. Whether you’re exploring a new research topic, conducting a literature review, identifying funding opportunities or developing a manuscript, LeapSpace can help you work smarter and more efficiently.

Ask Research Questions in Natural Language

Using LeapSpace is as simple as asking a question. Researchers can enter inquiries in a natural, conversational style and receive synthesized responses drawn from scholarly literature. The platform is designed to support complex, interdisciplinary research topics, helping users quickly navigate unfamiliar concepts and cross-field connections.

Key Features

Topic Overview

Get up to speed quickly with concise overviews that highlight key concepts, themes, and findings related to your research topic.

AI-Powered Summaries

LeapSpace synthesizes information from relevant scholarly documents, helping researchers understand large bodies of literature without reading every article in full.

Trust Cards

Evaluate AI-generated insights with confidence. Trust Cards provide supporting references and include a “Link to Statement” feature that shows how closely an AI-generated claim aligns with the original source material.

Follow-Up Conversations

Refine your research by asking follow-up questions, allowing you to dig deeper into specific concepts, methodologies, or findings.

Claim Radar

Explore how a particular claim is supported across the broader research landscape, making it easier to identify consensus, differing perspectives, and evidence strength.

Funding Insights

Discover funding opportunities and investigate funding sources connected to specific research areas.

Deep Research

Generate detailed research plans and conduct extensive literature searches across curated scholarly content. Deep Research continuously refines its approach as new insights emerge, helping researchers uncover connections and opportunities they might otherwise miss.

Writing Coach

Support your scholarly writing process with a dedicated workspace designed to help strengthen arguments, contextualize evidence and identify gaps in reasoning.

Supporting Research at Every Stage

From exploring a new topic to preparing grant proposals and drafting manuscripts, LeapSpace offers tools that can save time while promoting responsible use of AI in research. By combining trusted scholarly content with transparent AI assistance, the platform empowers researchers to focus on analysis, creativity and discovery.

Whether you’re a faculty member launching a new project, a graduate student conducting a literature review, or an interdisciplinary research team exploring emerging questions, LeapSpace can help streamline your workflow and enhance your research process.

Ready to get started? Visit the Mizzou Libraries LeapSpace guide to learn more and begin exploring this powerful new research workspace.

Click here for faculty-focused workshops and demos.

Click here for graduate student workshops and demos.