Communication Assignment
For the communication assignment, you are asked to find a peer-reviewed article on communication in nursing. But what is peer-reviewed research?
In the Padlet below, double click anywhere and define what you think peer-reviewed research is.
In the Padlet below, double click anywhere and define what you think peer-reviewed research is.
Peer-reviewed articles do not appear in magazines or newspapers. They do not provide opinions on other people's work, but represent an original creation by the author. This means you can typically find Methods, Results, and Conclusions sections as well as a detailed Reference list.
When using Barber Library resources, you have a shortcut to finding these sources. Instead of filtering through your results to determine if articles are peer-reviewed yourself, you can have the computer do it for you!
When using Barber Library resources, you have a shortcut to finding these sources. Instead of filtering through your results to determine if articles are peer-reviewed yourself, you can have the computer do it for you!
Now we know how to determine if an article fits your information need, how do we actually search for them?
Unlike encyclopedias, where we're searching for broad information and therefore use broad keywords, articles are complex and therefore allow us to use complex keywords. This means if you want to know best practices for nurse-patient communications in an emergency room setting, you can search using both "nurse patient communications" and "emergency room" as your keywords.
Protip: You should avoid combining more than four concepts in one search so that you don't get too specific and narrow your results to 0.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
In the Padlet below, double click anywhere and identify some keywords that you would use to search for your Communication Assignment article.
Unlike encyclopedias, where we're searching for broad information and therefore use broad keywords, articles are complex and therefore allow us to use complex keywords. This means if you want to know best practices for nurse-patient communications in an emergency room setting, you can search using both "nurse patient communications" and "emergency room" as your keywords.
Protip: You should avoid combining more than four concepts in one search so that you don't get too specific and narrow your results to 0.
Protip: Avoid using relationship words like pro, con, best practice, negative, positive, etc.
In the Padlet below, double click anywhere and identify some keywords that you would use to search for your Communication Assignment article.
But how do you combine those concepts in a library database? Use advanced search techniques, of course!
Boolean operators: Limit your results using AND, expand your results using OR, eliminate unnecessary results using NOT
Protip: make sure to use all caps when using Boolean operators.
example: (nurse-patient communication OR communication) AND emergency room NOT hospice
Truncation: If you're looking for a word with plurals or various endings, try using the truncation command *
example: nurse-patient relation* will search for results that contain relation, relations, relationship, relationships
Phrase Searching: If you want your keywords to appear in a specific order, like a phrase, try using quotation marks ""
example: "emergency room"
Title Searches: Too many results? Using the drop-down menu next to the search bar, limit your search keywords to only appearing in article titles.
In the Padlet below, double click anywhere and combine your keywords using at least one advanced search technique.
Let's start searching! Here are some subject specific databases to get you started:
Protip: Because Medline and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition are operated by the same company, you can conduct one search in two databases at the same time! Simply click Choose Databases above the search bar, make your selection, and click OK.
Protip: Because Medline and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition are operated by the same company, you can conduct one search in two databases at the same time! Simply click Choose Databases above the search bar, make your selection, and click OK.
Using one of the databases identified above, conduct a search for your keywords. Double click anywhere in the Padlet below and post how many results you got from your search.
Sometimes you find the perfect article, but the full text isn't immediately available. Fear not! All you need to do is request it from another library using Interlibrary Loan.
The first thing you want to do is create an Interlibrary Loan account. I know, I know, not another account! But you won't have to think of a new username or password, it's the same as your network log in!
Let's walk through an example using this article.
The first thing you want to do is create an Interlibrary Loan account. I know, I know, not another account! But you won't have to think of a new username or password, it's the same as your network log in!
Let's walk through an example using this article.
We still need to cite our sources!
The Citation Tools from the Barber Library homepage can still be helpful, but all the databases I recommended have auto-generated citations available.
For all three databases I recommended, the citation is at the top of the page in a menu to the right of your screen. Keep your eye out for the following:
The Citation Tools from the Barber Library homepage can still be helpful, but all the databases I recommended have auto-generated citations available.
For all three databases I recommended, the citation is at the top of the page in a menu to the right of your screen. Keep your eye out for the following:
I know that there's a lot of information here, and you might still have questions, even after this session. That's what librarians are for! You can always contact me, but there are also several other options for you to contact any Barber Library librarian.
Just look for this icon or go directly to the Need Help? page under Quick Links and you'll be connected to someone who can help you come up with keywords, cite your sources, choose databases, and help with your general library needs! |