The document provides guidance on searching for and identifying research articles through the Anglia Ruskin University library. It highlights the importance of using evidence in nursing practice and differentiates between primary and secondary research methods. Tips for effective searching, such as planning key terms and using Boolean operators, are also discussed.

1. Literature Searching and Finding Research
Articles
Anglia Ruskin University Library http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk

2. Why should you use
research articles?
What are research
articles?
How to find
research articles.

3. What we cover in this session will
hopefully save you time and increase
your grades.

4. Why should you find evidence to back up what you
say?
The Nursing and Midwifery Council states that
nurses “must deliver care based on
the best available evidence
or best practice”.

5. So, where are the best places to start
collecting evidence?

6. Books provide a broad discussion and overview of the
established facts and theories and historical context.

7. Websites can be helpful for background information, but
always remember to evaluate.
Ask questions like: Who wrote the website? Is it from a reliable
source?

8. Journals contain journal articles, news and
editorials, commentary, literature reviews
and systematic reviews and much more!

9. Quantitative research
involves numerical data
collection
and statistical evidence.

10. Qualitative data
is “concerned with exploring
meaning and phenomena” and
“words and descriptions”.

11. Primary Research
Secondary Research
Also known as
Original research
Desk research
What‟s the
purpose
To share new
research findings
To evaluate previous
research findings
Examples
Focus groups
Surveys
Questionnaires
Interviews
Observations
Experiments
Trials
Literature reviews
Systematic reviews
Meta-analysis
Meta-synthesis

12. Primary research is also
known as original
research.
It’s purpose is to share
new research findings.
The research methods used
within the research may vary, for
example, quantitative methods or
qualitative methods.

13. Examples of primary research are interviews,
observations, questionnaires, experiments and
focus groups.

14. Secondary research is
also known as desk
research.
It‟s purpose is to
evaluate previous
research findings.

15. Some examples of secondary research articles are literature
reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

16. To identify a research article look for descriptions of
methodology and research methods.

17. They will also include a literature review, but only as part of
the article.

18. There will also be a description of the sample, for example
who were the participants and how were they sourced.

19. You should also be able to spot the method of data collection.

20. You will also find an analysis of the results.

21. Sometimes identifying a
research article isn’t easy!
You may need to play
detective and look for
clues.
Always read the abstract,
and skim read the entire
article as this should help
you identify if it is original
research or not.

22. Before you start your search,
remember to plan.
Think about your topic and the words
you are going to use in your search.

23. Try to refine what it is
you are looking for.
Filter out any
unnecessary
words like „the‟
and „what‟.
Are you looking at
a particular setting
or group of
people?

24. Think of synonyms or alternative
words
to describe your search concepts.

25. Now we have our key words, we need
to think of ways to combine them to
search successfully.

26. We can use something called Boolean
operators our key words.
to combine

27. The main operators
are
AND
OR
NOT

28. OR will
your search.

29. AND will
your search.

30. Where‟s the best place to start your
search?
The library website!
http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk