Strategy for Researching

Nursing Literature


Step 1.

Do preliminary research for a basic understanding of your topic. Use encyclopedias, the PubMed Plus Health Topics page, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html and other reference sources.  See Nursing Information Library Resources.

Step 2.

In one sentence write your research topic.

For example: When to restrain patients?

Step 3.

Pick out key terms/concepts/phrases from the sentence.

1. restrain   2. patients

Step 4.

Combine terms/concepts/phrases with the Boolean operator “and”.

For Example:           restrain and patients

Step 5

Apply search to one of the nursing literature databases and indexes listed on the Nursing/Health Sciences Reources page, http://www.csuchico.edu/lref/guides/rbs/hsn.htm, found under the category "Periodicals/Journals: Indexes & Articles"

Step 6.

Expand your search with truncation and the Boolean operator  “or”. 

·          When truncation is used you will find all words beginning with the word/letters in front of the truncation symbol.  Many databases use an asterisk.  For example:   restrain*    finds   restrain, restraints, restraining, restrained, etc.   For a list of databases and truncation symbols see the Database Guide.       

·          Use “or” between synonymous and related terms or phrases. You can find such terms in dictionaries & thesauri, or from your teacher.  Try www.dictionary.com or www.thesaurus.com   Use atlases for synonymous and related geographic terms.

Always enclose “or” statements with parentheses.         

For Example:   (restrain* or immobiliz* or protective device*)     

 

Our new expanded search may now look like this:

                       

(restrain* or immobiliz* or protective device*) and patient*

Step 7.

Apply revised search to nursing literature indexes.

 

note: If the library does not have the item(s) found in your literature search, you can acquire the item(s) through interlibrary loan (ILL), http://www.csuchico.edu/library/ill. This same link is at the top of the right column of the library’s home page, www.csuchico.edu/library

IMPORTANT: If you are a distance student, use the ILL option provided on the Distance & Online Services page, http://www.csuchico.edu/lcmt/newer.

 

If you still do not have enough information to write your paper, contact the nursing librarian, Rich Soares, 214 Meriam Library, 898-6882, rsoares@csuchico.edu

 

Or catch him at the Reference Desk, 2nd Floor of the library: 898-5833.
rs 05/04