Could someone please advise me where a non-academic can find some research?

[WhoAteMyToast]

As the title says, I am not an academic, but am interested in finding some research on carbohydrates and their influence on serotonin, as my doctor does not know the answer to this question.

Could anyone point me in the right direction please?

Many thanks

PubMed is the major database for medical research. Usually you can see the abstract but have to pay (a hefty amount) per article accessed.

If you are anywhere near the British Library in London or the Yorkshire branch they would have hard copies of most books and journals. They do provide an electronic mailing service, but again at a cost.

Some researchers put their work on Academia.edu or Research Gate but you have to subscribe to access it (usually you have to be some kind of academic or researcher for your subscription to be accepted).

Alternatively do you have a University near you? If you identify what you need from PubMed you may be able to get a day pass or a resident's library card and find things there.

Google scholar?

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

PubMed site, as Booboostwo had suggested above, is where I'd start. You may not be able to get the full articles, as they're not all free to access, but you'd know what you want and can then look at getting into a library to find them (or pay for them online, if that's what suits best).

You could also email the authors. Although they may not bother with non-colleagues

Some authors may also be happy to discuss their results with you

Also interested. I saw some research in a newspaper about vegetables and propensity to be overweight depending which veg you ate... I'd like to read the paper, how would I find it?

Google scholar will I think also list papers you'd find on PubMed. Many are free, and even if they're not you will be able to read the abstract.

Don't know if it has been done, but you could look for systematic reviews in the Cochrane Library.
The whole literature could be difficult to digest if you are not familiar with the jargon. So, if you go to Pubmed, start with the reviews.

Many thanks - will try those suggestions

And if you're plunging into original research articles as a non-academic, you may want to take a look at some info about how to read and understand the articles. I've been told blog post [[http://violentmetaphors.com/2013/08/25/how-to-read-and-understand-a-scientific-paper-2/]] is a good one.

Opps, that link didn't work very well! Try again:

blog post

Thanks murmration.