Types
of Information- Definitions
Research articles:
Usually published in peer-reviewed journals. Although a research article
will include a bibliography of other literature reviewed, and may lead
you to similar articles, its primary purpose is to present original
findings. Look for the following elements
- Introduction
- Research design
- Discussion of data & methods
- Results
In CINAHL, limit to subset "peer-reviewed"
& document type "research"
In PsycINFO, limit to publication type
"peer-reviewed journal." There are a number of different
types of research selections in this database- some applicable selections
under form/content type are "quantitative study" and "clinical
trial."
Review articles:
Summarizes and synthesizes the results of many different original studies.
Its purpose is to define the state of the literature on a particular
topic, and discuss different methodologies for conducting research.
Review articles are excellent sources for locating research articles,
and contain helpful bibliographies.
In CINAHL, limit to document types:
"review" or "systematic review"
In PsycINFO, limit to form/content types:
"literature review"
In MEDLINE, limit to Article type phrase
"review"
Clinical articles:
Written for practitioners. Clinical articles might present a particular
case study or define a new technique.
In CINAHL, limit to document type "case
study"
In PsycINFO, limit form/content type
to "Clinical case report"
(source: Clemens, Rachel, "Library
Research Guide for Nursing," Dept. of Nursing, Cal State University
, http://guides.library.fullerton.edu/nursing/articletypes.htm)
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Finding
Professional/Scholarly Nursing Literature
-
CINAHL~ The Cumulative
Index to Nursing & Allied Health database provides coverage of
the literature related to nursing and allied health. Mainly indexes
articles, but some full text available (although there is no way
to limit your search to full text only in this database).
-
PsycINFO
~Covers professional and academic literature in psychology and
related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology,
education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas.
Linked full text is available.
-
Medline
~International index to all areas of medicine.
Other Useful Databases
Can't find anything on your
topic? Try searching all our databases at once with this link:
Type your keywords in the search
box(es), check "All Resources" and click "Go."
|
So you found an article
in one of our databases, but it's not full-text. Now what?
Don't fret. Look for these buttons:  ,
or  ,
or this line of text: (Find this resource
with SFX) next to the article citation on the search
screen. Clicking on this will take you to a list of our full-text
sources that carry the journal. If we don't have the journal in
our databases, you'll be given an option to check the catalog
to see if we have the print version, or you'll be able to order
it via Interlibrary
Loan. |
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Using the Library Catalog (Illinet)
Illinet
Online is the library's book catalog.One of the quickest
ways to search is to browse by subject. Enter a subject term
(such as "interpersonal communication") in the search box,
and in the "Search by" box, choose "Browse subject."
If you can't find books writtten
specifically about your subject, you can always try an "Any Word
Anywhere" search. Use quotation marks to restrict your search to
a specific phrase.
If you can't find what you're
looking for at our library, click
here to see how you can search other local libraries
and order books.
Note: If you find books that you
need to interlibrary loan, order them as soon as possible! They
7-10 days to arrive.
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Helpful
Websites
Evaluating Articles and Websites
-
Publication manual of
the American Psychological Association, call number R808.06615
P976 2001
~ The official manual on the
APA format. Ask for this item at the reference desk. We also have
a limited number of copies for checkout.
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