Key subject collections
Most important databases for Physiotherapy = ★
Journal articles and indexing/abstracting collections
- Academic Search Complete
An interdisciplinary collection containing lots of full text articles about various aspects of physiotherapy. - The Cochrane Library
Content covers health and other medicine-related issues and includes systematic reviews, meta-analyses and clinical trials. Some full text access is included, but not for all content. - Emerald Insight
Good for leadership and service improvement content including book chapters, research articles and case studies. Lots of full text content. - Lexis Library
Contains legislation, cases and journal articles. Good for the legal and ethical aspects of physiotherapy and healthcare. Lots of full text content. - PEDro Physiotherapy Evidence Database★
A free database containing over 37,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines. This database is produced by Musculoskeletal Health Sydney, School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, and is hosted by Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA). - PsycINFO
An index of literature primarily on psychology related subjects but containing a surprisingly good amount of physiotherapy related literature. Some full text access is included. - PubMed★
An index of biomedical literature from MEDLINE and life science journals. All aspects of medicine and health are covered, including physiology, physiotherapy, sports and dance-related topics. - Science Direct
An interdisciplinary collection of articles from the publisher Elsevier, with lots of full text access to articles about various aspects of physiotherapy. - Social Care Online
An index of literature from the Social Care Institute for Excellence. Full text only of free articles. - Sociology Source Ultimate
A collection containing lots of full text articles, particularly good for sociological or socio-cultural aspects of physiotherapy and healthcare. - SPORT Discus
Although primarily covering sports related conditions, this database does index some articles on acute, emergency and long-term conditions. Links to freely available articles only. - TRIP
A search engine with an emphasis on evidence-based medicine (EBM) and clinical guidelines and queries, rather than a database, but a key subscribed resource. - Web of Science
A key resource for final year undergraduate dissertations, MSc, MPhil/PhD and staff. It is an international bibliographic (references and summaries) database covering world literature in all areas of science including physiotherapy and health-related topics. - Wiley Online Library
An interdisciplinary collection of articles from the publisher Wiley, with lots of full text access to articles about various aspects of physiotherapy.
E-book and reference collections
- BMJ Best Practice
This is a key subscribed reference resource. It contains information on public health and medical topics and combines the latest research evidence and guidelines. - Human kinetics: health care in sport and exercise
A collection of 33 e-books and over 450 related videos (use the search function in the relevant e-book to find associated videos). Coverage includes physical therapy, athletic training, and sport-related health care content. - Visible Body
This is a key purchased resource. It is a suite of interactive online programs covering anatomy, physiology, muscles, the skeleton, and the circulatory system through interactive 3D models, animations, quizzes, and more. Each program offers a mobile app, though you can use it via the link above on a desktop PC or MAC.