NUR 505: Nursing Research Course Guide

Introduction

This page presents an overview of the resources and services currently available to students. Services, resources, and locations are all subject to change, particularly during academic year breaks. What's new at Fogler library.

General Tips on Library Use

• Not sure where to start?
  • The Fogler Library and Off Campus Library Services Web pages link to online library resources as well as information about the libraries.
  • See Introduction to Library Research for a brief introduction to Fogler Library.
  • The Floor Plan shows where materials are located in Fogler Library.
  • Check the Fogler Library Nursing portal and Nursing guide for resources selected for your program.
  • Computer problems? See Remote Access Troubleshooting and Remote Access help for the URSUS catalog.
  • Questions?
• Activate your library card at the Fogler Library circulation desk so you can use library resources off campus. (Distance education students: use the Library Card Application page.) Wait a day or two for complete activation.
• Plan on using a mix of online resources (accessible off campus) and print resources that must be copied or used inside the library. Give yourself enough time to find and copy library materials.

Nursing Databases

Search the databases listed below from Indexes and Databases (Fogler Library) or the Systemwide list of indexes and databases to find citations or references to journal articles. For additional databases available from Fogler Library, see the list available from the nursing portal. Databases are designed for use worldwide, so they refer to items the UMS libraries don't own.

Selected databases for nursing available from Fogler Library

Database	Subjects covered	Materials covered	Notes
CINAHL CINAHL database guide	Nursing, allied health	Journal articles, dissertations, software, etc. 1981+	Includes non-English publications
Cochrane Collection Plus	Diseases, conditions, treatments, interventions	Full text systematic reviews, clinical trials, technology assessments
MEDLINE MEDLINE database guide	Medicine, related health sciences	Journal articles. 1946+	Includes non-English publications. Includes references on animal research.
PubMed	Medicine, related health sciences	Journal articles. 1946+	More current and comprehensive than MEDLINE. Includes non-English publications. Includes references on animal research.
PsycINFO PsycINFO database guide	Psychology, psychiatry, educational psychology	Journal articles, book chapters. 1800s+	Includes non-English publications. Includes references on animal research.

Searching Databases

See the database guides for CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO for detailed instructions.

Search steps

Note: Use "Advanced Search" to get the best results from the databases.

1. Document your research process--list the databases you used, the search terms you tried, etc.
2. Define your topic and parameters.
3. Identify individual concepts within your topic.
4. Search for each concept separately. Use subject headings or terms from the thesaurus whenever possible.
5. Combine the concepts.
6. Apply limits to the results.

Use subject headings or terms from the thesaurus

• Use the "suggest subject terms", "thesaurus", or "MeSH" option.
• Each database uses its own thesaurus, which is updated annually. Example: MEDLINE and PubMed's "MeSH [Medical Subject Headings] trees.
• Use "Explode" to select a subject heading plus more specific related terms
  • In CINAHL and MEDLINE, exploding retrieves all more specific related terms
  • In PubMed subject headings are automatically exploded unless you specify otherwise
  • In PsycINFO only partial explodes are possible. (Example: exploding Pain retrieves Neuralgia but not the even more specific Trigeminal Neuralgia.)
• Some topics are best searched by using a subject heading with a CINAHL subheading or MeSH subheading attached. Example: Otitis Media/ET (etiology of otitis media).
• You can attach multiple subheadings to a subject heading. Example: Otitis Media/DT/SU (drug therapy or surgery for otitis media).
• For CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PubMed, use the "Major" option within the thesaurus to focus your search--but only if needed.

No thesaurus or subject headings?

• Try alternative terminology: vaccination as well as immunization
• Try alternative spelling: immunisation as well as immunization
• Truncate (use a wildcard) to get variations on a word: vaccinat* to find vaccinating, vaccination, vaccinations... Truncate carefully!

Combining concepts

Applying limits

• Apply limits as needed
• Common limits:
  • year of publication
  • language (or "English-only")
  • age groups
  • gender
  • human (primarily in MEDLINE, PubMed and PsycINFO)
• CINAHL and PsycINFO include a "peer reviewed" limit

Evidence Based Literature Searching

• Search for your topic, perhaps using relevant subheadings (see below) and then apply suggested limits. Use only one limit at a time.
• PubMed strategies are similar to those for MEDLINE (see below).
• Strategies below were selected in part from strategies listed on the EBSCO support pages for CINAHL clinical queries and MEDLINE clinical queries, and PubMed notes on clinical query filters and the systematic review filter.
• CINAHL includes a "Research Article" limit. MEDLINE and PubMed do not offer this option.
• Little research has been published on effective search strategies for PsycINFO. For suggestions, see the Methodology section of Health Evidence Bulletins - Wales, and PsycInfo Evidence-Based Filters. Additional suggestions below were extrapolated from CINAHL and MEDLINE/PubMed strategies.
• Also check the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) and guidelines or best practice documents on specific nursing organization Websites.
• For more complex strategies, consult with a librarian.

Selected strategies for finding evidence based literature in CINAHL, MEDLINE/PubMed, and PsycINFO, Fogler Library

Search Target	CINAHL	MEDLINE/PubMed	PsycINFO
Meta-Analysis or Systematic Review These approaches can be used to find literature on diagnosis, therapy, etc. as well.	Limits: Clinical Queries: Review Evidence-Based Practice Publication Type: Care Plan Critical Path Nursing Interventions Practice Guidelines Protocol Standards Systematic Review	MEDLINE Limits: Clinical Queries: Reviews EBM Reviews MEDLINE/PubMed Limits: Publication Type: Consensus Development Conference [both types] Guideline Meta-Analysis Practice Guideline Review [Subject] Subset: Systematic Reviews PubMed Clinical Queries: Systematic Reviews	Limits: Methodology: Literature Review Meta Analysis Systematic Review
Diagnosis	Limits: Publication Type: Nursing Diagnoses Practice Guidelines Subheadings: Diagnosis Diagnostic Use Pathology Radiography Ultrasonography	Limits: Clinical Queries: Diagnosis Publication Type: Evaluation Studies Multicenter Study Practice Guideline Validation Studies Subheadings: Diagnosis Diagnostic Use Pathology Radiography Radionuclide Imaging Ultrasonography	Search for 22* in the CC Classification field (general category covering tests and testing). Combine the results with your topic using AND.
Etiology or Causation	Limits: Clinical Queries: Causation (Etiology) Subheadings: Chemically Induced Complications Embryology Epidemiology Etiology Familial And Genetic Immunology Microbiology Risk Factors Transmission	Limits Clinical Queries: Causation (Etiology) Publication Type: Multicenter Study Subheadings: Chemically Induced Complications Congenital Embryology Epidemiology Etiology Genetics Immunology Microbiology Parasitology Transmission Virology	Limits: Methodology: Longitudinal Study Prospective Study Retrospective Study Twin Study
Prognosis	Limits: Clinical Queries: Prognosis Subheadings: Mortality Prognosis	Limits: Clinical Queries: Prognosis Publication Type: Multicenter Study Subheading: Mortality	Limits: Methodology: Followup Study Longitudinal Study Prospective Study
Therapy	Limits: Clinical Queries: Therapy Publication Type: Care Plan Clinical Trial Critical Path Nursing Interventions Practice Guidelines Protocol Subheadings: Administration And Dosage Diet Therapy Drug Therapy Nursing Prevention And Control Radiotherapy Rehabilitation Surgery Therapeutic Use Therapy Transplantation	Limits: Clinical Queries: Therapy Publication Type: Clinical Trial [consider all phases] Comparative Study Controlled Clinical Trial Evaluation Studies Guideline Multicenter Study Practice Guideline Randomized Controlled Trial Subheadings: Administration & Dosage Diet Therapy Drug Therapy Nursing Prevention & Control Radiotherapy Rehabilitation Surgery Therapeutic Use Therapy Transplantation	Limits: Methodology: Followup Study Treatment Outcome/Clinical Trial Consider using Classification Codes limits from the 3300 series (PDF file) to find specific types of therapeutic interventions.

From Citations to Articles

See Finding Items at Fogler Library and Getting Articles From Other Libraries.

More information about interlibrary loan:

• Most article copies are free, but sometimes other libraries charge delivery and copying fees. On the request form, indicate the maximum cost you are willing to pay in case there is a charge.
• Paper copies are sent to Fogler Library.
• If you are going to visit another library, call before you travel. Check hours, policies, copying fees, and whether the issue you need is available.

Notes for distance education students:

• In the URSUS catalog, click the link(s) appropriate to your primary campus affiliation and where you are located.
• If you are not registered as an Orono student, some Ejournal and full text links may not work for you.
• Use the Off-Campus Library Services Document Delivery System to get copies of articles sent directly to your preferred address (which may add to the delivery time).

Questions?

Nancy Curtis, 581-1679 UMaine Science & Engineering Center, 581-1691 UMaine Reference Desk, 581-1673

Ask A Librarian at UMaine Off-Campus Library Services, 1-800-339-7323 Ask A Librarian at Off-Campus Library Services

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Created by: Nancy Curtis | Revised: 01/11/2013