Library Resources for the UVA School of Nursing

Library Resources for the School of Nursing

The Research Process

1. PLANNING
Research begins with developing a research question, which can be the objective of study or a problem to be solved. For a structured, clinical, approach to developing a research question, use the PICOT model (see link below). Otherwise, develop your search by identifying keywords and use Boolean Operators (AND and OR) to create your search strategy. In the planning stage it is also helpful to develop inclusion/exclusion criteria. These criteria will help you filter out citations not related to your research.

The PICOT Question

2. DISCOVERING
Discovery begins by performing your search in the three core databases listed below. Other specialized databases can be used also. (A list of all databases can be found below in the next box.)

PubMed
Provides access to over 28 million citations to primary and secondary biomedical literature in MEDLINE and other sources. I highly recommend that you sign up for a free My NCBI account in PubMed. With a My NCBI account, you can customize your PubMed search experience. In addition, your searches will be saved and you will be able to create alerts for your searches. Smooth citation export to Zotero using the browser connector.
CINAHL
Provides access to nursing and allied health literature from peer reviewed journals, periodicals, dissertations, and CEUs. Sign up for a free EBSCOHost account in CINAHL. With an EBSCOHost account, you will be able to save searches and folders, and you will be able to create search alerts. Exporting via Zotero browser connector can be problematic, so either limit the number of citations per page to 10 or export to Zotero using the RIS format.
Web of Science (WoS)
Multidisciplinary database with over 12,000 journal titles. Use truncation (*) to find singular and plural terms. It's your best database for citation analysis. Search using keywords. Re-sort results to Relevancy or Most Cited. Analyze results to see what authors published the most on the topic. Smooth citation export to Zotero using browser connector.

3. ANALYZING
Analyze search results using Zotero, a free, open source, citation manager.

Zotero: Zotero is a citation manager that provides space to file your citations and other content for analysis.

Recommended Zotero Preferences
These preferences are recommended for all SON Zotero users. Using these preferences will reduce your need for Zotero cloud storage and will link Zotero to all subscription-based electronic content.

4. DOCUMENTING
Document your article selection process by using the PRISMA Article Flow Chart (linked below).

PRISMA Article Flow Diagram
After downloading the document, edit boxes to reflect your specific article flow.

5. REPORTING
The library provides assistance with designing posters, but not with writing. Writing assistance can be found at the UVA Writing Center.

Databases

CINAHL
Provides citations and selected full text for the top nursing and allied health literature available and covers a wide range of topics including nursing, biomedicine, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and 17 allied health disciplines.
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry of clinical studies of human participants conducted around the world. Smooth export of individual studies using Zotero's web connector.
Cochrane Library
A collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to support healthcare decision making. Includes full-text access to the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, as well as the full-records from DARE, Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA), and NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED).
Dissertations & Theses
Full text (PDF) of most US dissertations from 1997 on, many earlier works and some from outside the US plus some master's theses. Also lists all dissertations and theses from 1861 on from US universities and some works from Europe and Asia from 1637 on. Abstracts included after July, 1980.

EBSCO Databases
Over 40 databases of journal articles, books, and other documents in many subject areas.
ERIC
Online library of education research and information, sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education

Google Scholar
Find articles from most online scholarly journals plus some books and Web sites.

Historical Databases

JBI (Joanna Briggs)
This comprehensive range of resources includes over 3,000 records across seven publication types: Evidence Based Recommended Practices, Evidence Summaries, Best Practice Information Sheets, Systematic Reviews, Consumer Information Sheets, Systematic Review Protocols, and Technical Reports.
JSTOR Journal Storage Project
Older issues of scholarly journals, from the start to 3-5 years ago. Use Subject Guides to find newer articles.

Newspaper Databases

OVID Medline
Provides access to over 28 million citations for the biomedical literature, covering biomedical research, clinical medicine, nursing, allied health, and health policy. Includes In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations.

PILOTS
The Published International Literature on Traumatic Stress (PILOTS) Database is an electronic index to the worldwide literature on PTSD and other mental health consequences of exposure to traumatic events. Unlike other databases, the PILOTS Database does not restrict its coverage to articles appearing in selected journals. It attempts to include all publications relevant to PTSD and other forms of traumatic stress, whatever their origin without disciplinary, linguistic, or geographic limitations.

PsycINFO
Database covers the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, and linguistics. Updated monthly.
PubMed
Provides access to over 28 million citations for the biomedical literature from MEDLINE, online books, selected publishers, and the PubMed Central repository.
ScienceDirect
Covers over 2,500 scientific, technical, and medical journals and 20,000 books published by Elsevier Science.

Social Sciences
Journal articles in many social science areas including world and US politics, sociology, economics, education, government and social policy, law enforcement.

SPORTDiscus
Definitive research tool for all areas of sports medicine literature. This international bibliographic database also covers nutrition, OT/PT, kinesiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, coaching, recreation, and more. Includes journal and magazine articles, books/chapters, book reviews, conference proceedings, dissertations and theses.

USA.gov
Official web portal of the United States government.

Web of Science (WoS)
Find how many times a journal article has been cited and by whom. It can also be used as an inter-disciplinary search for journal literature and conference proceedings.

Books and EBooks

Access Medicine
Over 85 leading medical textbooks, including among others, Harrison's Online, Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment, Hurst's the Heart, Williams Obstetrics, Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery. Drug Monographs. Multimedia examination & procedural videos. Study Tools including Flash Cards and Review Questions
Unlimited simultaneous users.
Books@Ovid
Includes over 110 medical and nursing book titles, including textbooks, drug guides, and more. Unlimited simultaneous users.
ClinicalKey
This medical search engine works a little like Google. It includes medical and surgical reference books, access to journals/articles, procedural content and videos, point-of-care summaries, drug info, and access to MEDLINE. Includes images and videos too.