The BookShelf URL is:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Books

• There are links to the BookShelf homepage from the NCBI homepage and from all Entrez databases.
• Books are also linked via concept phrases from PubMed abstracts:
  • When viewing the results from a PubMed search (either a document summary page or an abstract view), select"Links", which appears to the right of each item.
  • Select "Books" from the menu that pops up. It will display the abstract of the selected document and should have several hyperlinked phrases: clicking on any highlighted term displays a list of books in which your term appears.

• The complete BookShelf can be searched by typing a query into the search box on the BookShelf Homepage .
• You can also search a single selected book from its Table of Contents. For example, if you want to search "The NCBI Handbook"
  • Go to the the BookShelf Homepage.
  • Find "The NCBI Handbook" in the list.
  • Click the title to view the Table of Contents.
  • Type your search into the Search box on the right. (Make sure that "This book" is selected.)

• For books previously published elsewhere, use the standard National Library of Medicine method of citing a book. For example:

Varki A, Cummings R, Esko J, Freeze H, Hart G, Marth J, editors. Essentials of glycobiology. 1st ed. Cold Spring Harbor (NY): Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; 1999.

• To cite "The NCBI Handbook" in its entirety:

• To cite a particular chapter of the Handbook (for example, Chapter 3):

The NCBI handbook [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2002 Oct. Chapter 3, Macromolecular structure databases. Available from http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Books

• To cite books available only on the Bookshelf:

{{author names, in the form: Lastname II, Lastname II}}. {{title}}. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; {{year}} {{month}}. Available from: http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Books

 

4.   Which books are available at NCBI?

The Book List is updated on a regular basis and can be viewed here.

 

5.   Can I browse the whole book?

We have designed the system so that the user is delivered to the most relevant book sections for a particular search term or concept (linked from PubMed). Although navigation is possible in the immediate vicinity of the page to which you are delivered, it may not be possible to browse the complete book For example, if you are delivered to a book section, you may be able to navigate to other parts of the same chapter, but not to other chapters within the book. The range of navigation for each book is determined on a case-by-case basis, in agreement with the publisher. Because of these agreements, some books may have navigation from the Table of Contents disabled.

 

6.   I am the publisher/author/editor of a book. How can I participate?

Please email books@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov to discuss potential projects further.

 

7.   How do I obtain a hard copy of a book?

• Published books can be ordered directly from the publisher. The header bar for each book is linked to the publisher's Web site.
• Books and monographs that appear first on the BookShelf can be downloaded in PDF format for printing as follows:
• A book or chapter that can be printed directly from the BookShelf Web site can be identified by the presence of a PDF icon (a red trifoliate motif) next to a chapter title.
• Clicking on this icon will download the complete chapter to your computer in PDF format.*
• The PDF icon appears next to each chapter in the Table of Contents and on all pages showing chapter contents. Clicking on the icon when viewing a chapter section will download the whole chapter, regardless of the quantity of content on the page currently being viewed.