This document provides research strategies and tips for speech-language pathology students. It discusses developing effective search strategies using keywords, Boolean operators, and subject headings. Several databases relevant to speech-language pathology are described, including ComDisDome, PubMed, CINAHL, and ERIC. Tips are provided for searching databases, evaluating results, and obtaining full-text articles. Assistance resources available through the library are highlighted.

1. Resources & Research
Strategies for Speech-
Language Pathology 696
Susan Luévano, Librarian

2. Today’s Objectives:
 Learn research search strategies
 Examine useful electronic resources
for Speech-Language Pathology
 Learn how to get research assistance
 Two activities:
 Search ComDisDome, MEDLINE, PubMed &
CINAHL
 Dissecting databases

3. Tips for your search strategy
 Develop a thesis statement
 Describe your topic with keywords
 Find out if the database has specific
headings that might better define your
topic. Most databases have a subject
thesaurus or controlled vocabulary (like
MeSH for MEDLINE).

4. Search Tips (Continued)
 Formulate your search by breaking
your topic into variables
Example: Auditory perceptual disorders in children
born prematurely vs. full term.
Tip: You do not have to search every word.
premature
Full term
Auditory
perceptual
disorders

5. Search Tips (Continued)
Create search statements using Boolean operators
AND narrows a search
Example: auditory perceptual disorders and child*
OR broadens a search
Example: auditory perceptual disorders or central auditory dysfunction or
word deafness
NOT excludes terms from a search
Example: children not adults

6. Search Tips (Continued)
Combining terms using Boolean Operators
Auditory perceptual disorders
and infant premature
and full term
52
1,797
5,472
8,413

7. Search Tips (Continued)
Truncation
Truncation symbols or wildcards or
plural searching
(examples: *, #, !, ?, +)
 Allows you to search for terms with multiple endings
e.g. diabet* searches for diabetes, diabetic
e.g. student* searches for student, students

8. Search Tips (Continued)
 What to do if you get too much?
Limit options, e.g. age, geography, ethnicity,
gender
Field searching, e.g. subject headings, date,
language
Combine searches or add more concepts
 What to do if you get too few?
Eliminate concepts/use broader topic
Related articles (PubMed, Get it @CSULB)
Cited references

9. Search Tips (Continued)
Once you figure out what type of Information you
need, you have to choose the best place to find it.
Books Articles
Scholarly or
popular
Internet

10. Finding Articles
 Use a research database
 Library pays for your access
 Search databases to find citations &
or full-text

11. START HERE
 Speech/Language Pathology
LibGuide
 Portal to your information needs
 ComDiscDome
 CINAHL – Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature
 MEDLINE
 PubMed – boolean operators in caps, related articles link
 ERIC
 Academic Search Elite
 PsycInfo
 Cochrane Library – evidence based medicine
 ScienceDirect
 Wiley InterScience

12. Finding Articles
Search database and evaluate results
• Scholarly v. popular
• Too much or too little or not appropriate
Find full text using the citation
• Check Get it @ CSULB
• Check COAST
Get from BeachReach,if needed
• Online form in COAST
• Free
• Usually receive in hours

13. Click on the Get it @ CSULB icon

14. BeachReach

15. BeachReach

17. ComDisDome
 Primary discipline database
 Covers the communication disorders
literature, with focus on speech-
language pathology and audiology
 Updated monthly

18. PubMed@CSULB
 Includes MEDLINE
 Free version
 Boolean operators in caps
AND, OR, NOT
 Lists similar & related articles
 Basic & Advanced search

19. Journal Article Citation: A Review
Author (s)
Article Title
Journal Title
Volume #
(Issue #)
Page #
Date
= Citation

20. PubMed@CSULB

21. MEDLINE
 Uses MeSH (Medical Subject Headings
 Has Get it@CSULB feature
 Indexes medical journals 1951-
 Updated monthly

22. CINAHL Plus with Full-Text
Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature
Contains citations and sometimes abstracts &
full-text from scholarly nursing & allied health
journals, book chapters, government
documents, dissertations, etc.
Some records include the cited references

23. Dissertation & Theses
 1997 – full-text
 Search by discipline, keyword or institutional
affiliation
 Contains the full text of CSULB thesis from
1996–
 More Search Options
 Universities/Institutions

24. Dissecting & comparing databases
 Answer the following for ComDisDome &
PubMed:
• Can you search by fields - keywords, subject,
author, article title, journal title - and how do
you switch to other fields?
 Are there any limit options?
 What is the truncation symbol?
 Does it have Get It @CSULB?
 Is there a Help link?

25. COAST CSULB Library catalog
 Search for books, e-books, journals,
government documents, reserves
 Get materials from other libraries
 Use Link+ to get books from 30+ libraries
 Get Library PIN number to connect
from home
 Click on “View My Library Record” and follow the directions
 If you have problems with your PIN – visit the Circulation Desk

26. Finding a SLP thesis in Coast
 Advanced Keyword Search
 Long Beach thesis
 Department: Communicative Disorders
 Your topic

27. Tests & Measures: LibGuide
http://csulb.libguides.com/edlead?p=249286

28. SAGE Research Methods Online
(SRM)
 Excellent source for research methodology “how to”
 Provides links to SAGE’s renowned books (e.g. entire Little Green
Book and entire Little Blue Book, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and
handbooks), journal and reference content.
 Green books focus on quantitative methods
 Blue books focus on qualitative methods

29. Useful Citing Sites
 Internal citation generators
 RefWorks
 What is it?
 Powerful online research management, writing and
collaboration tool designed to help researchers at
all levels easily gather, organize, store and share
all types of information and to instantly generate
citations and bibliographies.
 Why should you use it?
 Saves you mega time and energy
 Allow easy manipulation of data
 Long term preservation of your research
 Free!!!

30. Thing you need to do to get
access from your home

31. This box will pop up when you click on a research
database from home:

32. Need Research Help?
Speech-Language Pathology LibGuide
http://csulb.libguides.com/cd
Susan Luévano until HS Librarian is hired
Susan.luevano@csulb.edu
Office hours: Wed. 2:30-4:30 PM
Library 4th
floor, room 416
Research & Information Desk
Chat with a Librarian 24/7
http://www.csulb.edu/library/247ref.html
Online Library video clips/coming soon!
Health Science Librarian starts in October