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 How to Connect.
  • 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.
• On the Orono campus your MaineCard permits $16 worth of "free" printing ($0.04/page) each semester. Pay for excess printouts using campus funds. Free printing funds don't carry over between semesters (but campus funds do). Photocopies cost $0.08/page (campus funds).

Nursing Databases

Use Indexes and Databases (on the Fogler Library page) to find citations or references to journal articles.

Searching Databases for Scholarly References

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

Search steps

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" or "thesaurus" feature
• Each database uses its own thesaurus, which is updated annually. Example: MEDLINE's "MeSH" (Medical Subject Headings).
• Use "Explode" to select a subject heading plus more specific related terms
  • In CINAHL and MEDLINE, exploding retrieves all more specific related terms
  • 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 MEDLINE subheading attached. Example: Immunization/AE (adverse effects of immunization).
• You can attach multiple subheadings to a subject heading. Example: Otitis Media/DT/SU (drug therapy or surgery for otitis media).
• For CINAHL and MEDLINE, use "Major Concept" 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

Combine subject headings, sets, or search ID #s using ANDs Socialization and Students, Nursing s1 and s2
and ORs. Students, Nursing or Education, Nursing s1 or s2

Applying limits

• Apply limits as needed
• Common limits:
  • year of publication
  • language (or "English-only")
  • age groups
  • gender
  • human (in MEDLINE and PsycINFO)
• CINAHL also enables special publication type limits, such as "peer reviewed" journals

Evidence Based Literature Searching in Fogler Library Databases--Quick Tips and Simple Strategies

• Selected from comprehensive strategies listed at Search Strategies to Identify Reviews and Meta-analyses in MEDLINE and CINAHL, Evidence-based Filters for Ovid CINAHL (PDF file), and Evidence-based Filters for Ovid Medline (PDF file).
• Truly comprehensive strategies for the PsycINFO database have not yet been developed. For suggestions, see Evidence-based Practice in Social Work and PsycInfo Evidence-Based Filters.
• Use each approach separately--for example:
  Immunization and Meta Analysis
  Immunization and Literature Review+
• Combine the results of the separate searches:
  s4 or s5 [(Immunization and Meta Analysis) or (Immunization and Literature Review+)].
• For more complex strategies, consult with a librarian.

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.
• Some of the links on the Ejournals list 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?

Created by: Nancy Curtis | Revised: 01/25/2008

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