The document provides information about finding journal articles, including that journals are academic publications containing articles by academics and practitioners that provide current perspectives and information not available elsewhere. It describes databases for finding relevant nursing and health-related journal articles, such as CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane Library. Tips are given for constructing effective search strategies using keywords, Boolean operators, and field searching to find full-text journal articles.

1. CASH: Library Skills
Falmer Library

3. Journal articles: What and Why?
• Academic publications published regularly containing articles
by academics and practitioners.
• Journals can be academic or practitioner focused.
• Why use them?-
• They provide current perspective
• Contain information that might not be available elsewhere
• Academically credible. Many undergo Peer Review process.

4. Finding a journal article on your reading list
For example:
Coles, M. S., Makino, K. K. & Stanwood, N. L. (2011)
Contraceptive experiences among adolescents who experience
unintended birth. Contraception, 84 (6), 578-584.
How?
Online Library http://library.brighton.ac.uk
Electronic Journals Type the title of journal (not article)
Click on the link (Make sure your article falls within the dates)

5. Finding a journal article from a database
To find relevant journal articles search in the
health related databases. These are available
from the
Online Library http://library.brighton.ac.uk
Click on : Resources by Subject Health
Professions Nursing and Midwifery.

6. Database Details
Databases...(2)
Comprises of 220 elected nursing journals from
British Nursing Index 1982. No full text.
Nursing & allied health: 3,000 journals, 1 mil
CINAHL with full text records, inc articles, health care books, nursing
dissertations, selected conf proceedings,
standards of practice, book chapters...
5,000 journal titles, 17 mil records, going back to
PubMed / Medline 1950. Medicine, nursing & allied health. Some
full text where available.
Database containing reliable evidence about the
The Cochrane Library effects of healthcare, including systematic
reviews, clinical trials, controlled trials
An Information
19/03/2012
Services Presentation

7. Database Details
Databases...(2)
Provides easy access to a comprehensive
NHS Evidence evidence base for clinicians, public health
professionals, commissioners and service
managers making decisions on treatments or
use of resources – to improve health and patient
care. Provides a portal to a variety of online
resources.
2500 journals, from 1800 onwards. Covers
PsycInfo psychological aspects of many disciplines.
Science Direct provides access to over 2000
Science Direct journals published by Elsevier covering mainly
science, technology and medicine, with some
management and social sciences. Full-text
access to subscribed titles from 1995 or later.
An Information
19/03/2012
Services Presentation

8. Firstly think about…
• What question are you trying to answer?
– Break the question down into keywords
• What do you already know?
– Is there anything you’ve already read you could use?
• What do you want to exclude?
– Do you have a date range?

9. Example search…

10. Constructing a search strategy…
• Think about your keywords
– Are there any other words you could use to describe them?
• Are you searching for an exact expression?
– Putting an expression in (brackets) or “speech marks” will help
find these
• Use AND, OR, NOT
– children AND teenagers – articles must have both these words
– children OR teenagers – articles can have either word
– children NOT teenagers – will only find the first word

11. Constructing a search strategy…
• Use truncation
– By using * you can extend your results e.g. child* will find
child, children, childhood
• Use field searching
– Databases let you search within the author, title, abstract,
journal name etc. This may help narrow your results
• Be flexible
– If at first you don’t succeed re-examine your keywords!

12. Finding full-text…
Databases will often only give you an abstract or
short description of an article. If there is no full-
text link on the page then look for
By clicking on this you can check whether we
hold an article electronically.

13. Other things to think about…
• Currency
– databases let you limit your search by date, some lecturers
will only want you to include current materials
• Peer-reviewed
– some databases let you search for peer-reviewed articles,
these have been reviewed by experts on that subject
• Types of articles
– you may want to find case studies, qualitative or quantitative
research, literature reviews etc. you can add these as
keywords to your search
– primary or secondary sources – databases find both, so be
aware of this when searching

14. http://nursingvids.weebly.com/