Information literacy class for NUSC 3P70

1. Information Sources for
Nursing Research
LYDIA THORNE, MLIS CO-OP STUDENT
~ JANUARY 11, 2016~

2. Getting to the
good stuff
What works
for you?

3. Today’s agenda
1. Search Strategies
2. CINAHL
3. In-Class Activity
4. Writing and Citing
5. Questions

4. Today’s outcomes
You will recall:
• Steps in building a search strategy:
• Research questions
• Literature search (Background/foreground info)
• Keywords & synonyms
• Tips for finding articles in CINAHL
• Tips for how to save your search

5. And why you should care …
Research Problem, Question, Hypothesis, & Abstracts
– 20% of your grade (due Jan. 29th):
• Need 5 abstracts from primary research study reports
•Describe search strategy and # of references generated
from each search step

6. Follow the
research path
1. Think before you start your
search:
a) Craft a research question
b) Generate good keywords
2. Work from background to
foreground
BACKGROUND INFO:
-overview
-key concepts & vocabulary
BOOKS
FOREGROUND:
-very specific, timely aspects of topic
JOURNAL ARTICLES

7. Research question
• Shapes what you will study and how
• Should be of personal interest
• Should be clear, concise, focused
• May need tweaking once you start exploring the literature
Hint: ask yourself, “What would be the title of the perfect
article to answer my question?”

8. Research question
Does hand washing among healthcare
workers reduce hospital acquired infections?
Image: http://news.unchealthcare.org/images/empnews/2013/august/hands/image_preview

9. But wait…Is this a good research
question?
Does hand washing among healthcare workers reduce
hospital acquired infections?
Example
P (Patient population) Hospitalized patients
I (Intervention or indicator) Hand washing amongst healthcare workers
C (Comparison) No hand washing
O (Outcome of interest) Reduced infection

10. What are
keywords?
• The most important,
relevant words for your
topic
• Usually nouns
• Usually 1-3 words
• Think about broader,
narrower, and related
terms

11. Keyword activity
1) Spend 1 minute picking out the keywords in the
following research question
2) Spend 2 minutes generating a few related words
for each keyword
Does hand washing among healthcare
workers reduce hospital acquired infections?

12. Keywords Related Terms
Hand washing Related terms: Hand disinfection; Hand sanitizing
Broader terms: Infection control
Narrower terms: Surgical scrubbing
Healthcare workers Related terms: Medical staff; Health personnel
Narrower terms: Nurses; physicians;
physiotherapists, etc.
Hospital acquired infections Related terms: Cross infection
Broader terms: Infection
Narrower terms: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Does hand washing among healthcare
workers reduce hospital acquired infections?

13. Getting started: Background info
researchguides.library.brocku.ca/NUSC
Image: 'untitled'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11797
720@N00/8559607109
Found on flickrcc.net
1. Look It Up! tab
- Find background info on your topic
- Print & e-resources
2. Find Books tab
- SuperSearch
TIP: Start broad -- add more keywords as
needed

14. Look it up!
Try:
Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice - e-book -- classic
reference manual for patient care.
Books@Ovid --broad e-book collection including many useful
Nursing titles such as: 2014 Lippincott's Nursing Drug
Guide; All Things Nursing; Assessment: a 2-in-1 Reference for
Nurses; and Pharmacology: a 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses.

15. Succeed with SuperSearch: Books
1. Refine your results: Select “Books & media @ Brock” Slide
the Publication Date to adjust time period
2. Select “Subject” to find results focused on a specific aspect of
your topic
3. Add another keyword to find results focused on a specific
aspect of your topic
4. To get a book: note location in library (print books) OR click
“read this online” (e-books)

16. Tips & tricks
1. Use “quotes” to search for an exact phrase
2. Use * to search for variations of a word ending e.g.
child*(child, children)
3. Use search operators: AND, OR
• Distinct topics: use AND
• Similar topics (synonyms): use OR

17. Finding foreground info
Search engines Databases/Indexes
e.g. Google:
- broad scope
- may not know where you are
searching
- few options for focused
searching
e.g. CINAHL, Ovid Medline
- defined/subject-specific scope
- you can discover what journals
are being searched
- many options for focused
searching e.g. by subject, age
group, methodology, article type
Both tools are great – choose the one that’s best for
your search

18. Questions so far?
GIF: http://giphy.com/gifs/ellen-degeneres-ask-ama-BBxHcL8SudpXq

19. CINAHL
>>Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health
Literature
1. Always use Suggest Subject Terms > best strategy for
relevant results
2. Search for 1 concept at a time
3. Combine concepts in Search History with AND
4. Use Show more to focus your search results even more
e.g. date, publication type, age group

20. CINAHL subject headings
• Click on the hyperlink to see your term in the subject
heading hierarchy: you’ll see it in context of broader and
narrower terms
• Click on the scope note to ensure the subject heading
matches what you’re looking for
McMaster Libraries has a great CINAHL tutorial  CLICK HERE

21. CINAHL In-Class Activity
> Use the Nursing Research Guide:
http://researchguides.library.brocku.ca/NUSC
> Find Articles
> CINAHL

22. So you’ve got a couple of articles …
Now what?
1. Pull out additional keywords and use them to search
2. Check the list of references for other relevant articles

23. Putting it together: Writing & citing
Research Guide for Nursing
• Library website > left nav menu
“Research Guides by Program”
• Writing and Citing tab
• APA style
Image: http://memegenerator.net/instance/58248516

24. Getting help
• Visit our AskUs desk or call 905-688-5550 x4583
• Chat with us via Ask-a-Librarian
• Watch a short video on our Help page --
www.brocku.ca/library/help-lib
• Contact us!
• Lydia Thorne, MLIS Co-op Student
lthorne@brocku.ca
• Elizabeth Yates, Nursing Librarian
eyates@brocku.ca
Image: http://blog.indiantrailslibrary.org/keep-calm-and-carry-on/