Searching for specific types of articles
Empirical 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 (participants)
- 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)
Finding Professional/Scholarly Nursing Literature
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CINAHL Plus with Full Text ~ 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).
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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.
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Medline ~International index to all areas of medicine.
Other Useful Databases
- ProQuest Nursing Journals~ More than 250 leading full-text journals in nursing and allied health.
- Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition~ Selected full text includes nearly 480 scholarly full text journals, focusing on many medical disciplines.
Can't find anything on your topic/author? 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 have it.
Using the Library Catalog (I-Share)
I-Share 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.
Helpful Websites
Evaluating Articles and Websites
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Looking for Articles in Journals and Magazines: Scholarly or Popular?
Citation Help
- Purdue's OWL (Online Writing Lab) for the APA style- very useful!
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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.