Pre-Physical Therapy Research Guide

1. Open Educational Resources (OER)

• OER Commons: A digital library offering a variety of open educational resources, including textbooks and course materials for physical therapy and health sciences.
• Open Textbook Library: Provides free access to a variety of textbooks on health sciences and related fields, including physical therapy.

2. Online Courses and Lectures

• Coursera: Offers free courses on health sciences, anatomy, physiology, and other related topics from top universities. Auditing courses is usually free.
• edX: Provides free courses on various health science topics from institutions like Harvard, MIT, and others.
• FutureLearn: Offers free courses on health sciences and related fields.
• Khan Academy: Provides free video tutorials and exercises on biology, anatomy, and other pre-med topics.

3. Textbooks and Reference Materials

• Project Gutenberg: Offers free access to many classic texts on science and health topics.
• Google Books: Provides previews and free access to a range of books on health sciences and physical therapy.

4. Research and Journals

• Google Scholar: A freely accessible web search engine that indexes scholarly articles across various disciplines, including physical therapy.
• PubMed Central (PMC): A free archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature, including research in physical therapy.
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): Contains free, full-text, quality-controlled scientific and scholarly journals, including those focused on physical therapy and health sciences.

5. Professional Organizations and Resources

• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA): Offers a range of free resources, articles, and research updates for physical therapy students and professionals.
• World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT): Provides resources and publications related to various fields of physical therapy.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): Offers extensive resources, research updates, and publications on health and medical topics, including physical therapy.

6. Podcasts and Webinars

• PT Pintcast: A podcast discussing various topics in physical therapy and health sciences.
• The PT Podcast: Offers insights and discussions on physical therapy topics.
• APTA Webinars: Provides webinars on various physical therapy topics.

7. Interactive Learning Tools and Videos

• YouTube - Physical Therapy: Offers a variety of videos and tutorials on physical therapy topics.
• Khan Academy Health & Medicine: Provides engaging video tutorials on various health science topics.
• TED Talks: Offers numerous talks on health, medicine, and science topics.

8. Online Communities and Forums

• Reddit - r/physicaltherapy: A community for discussing physical therapy topics and sharing resources.
• Student Doctor Network: An online community for pre-health and health science students to connect and share resources.

9. Additional Educational Websites

• MedlinePlus: Offers comprehensive health information from the National Library of Medicine, including physical therapy.
• Mayo Clinic: Provides detailed information on diseases, conditions, and health management, including topics relevant to physical therapy.
• Verywell Health: Provides articles and resources on various health topics, including physical therapy.

10. Libraries and Archives

• Internet Archive: Provides access to a vast collection of free books, including many on health sciences and physical therapy.
• Library of Congress: Offers access to a vast collection of documents and resources, including many relevant to health sciences and physical therapy.