WCSU Libraries

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN NURSING

Evidence-based practice is a process and involves:

1. assessing and defining a problem and formulating a specific question.
2. searching for, finding, and evaluating appropriate evidence.
3. planning and implementing an intervention by integrating the evidence into practice.
4. evaluating the process and the results.

Source: Sackett D.L., et al. (1996). Evidence based Medicine: What It Is and What It Isn't. British Medical Journal 312(7023): 71-2.

The resources in this guide can be used to accomplish the first two steps.

LIBRARY RESEARCH IN NURSING

For those new to library research, it is useful to complete the Libraries' TIP Information Literacy tutorial before accessing this research guide.

If you have experience in library research, check out the Information Literacy for Evidence-based Nursing Practice tutorial.

BOOKS & VIDEOS

For broad and comprehensive overviews of nursing and medical topics, theories, modalities, systems, treatments, etc. Use date limiters to access most recent publications.

• CONSULS (CSU Libraries' combined catalog)

Books at CCSU, ECSU, SCSU can be delivered to WCSU using the CONSULS "Request Book" feature (accessible from book record display screen, using your library PIN code).

• Other Library Catalogs

Books from any other library can be delivered to WCSU using Interlibrary Loan.

JOURNALS

Also referred to as scholarly periodicals, peer-reviewed periodicals, refereed publications and professional literature.

Access a current complete listing of databases in nursing, medicine, and health, including virtual medical encyclopedias & streaming video.

For QUICK ACCESS to full text nursing journals

Note: To increase your search power, any of the following Ebsco databases can be searched at the same time using the Ebsco Combined Search feature.

• Health Source Nursing/Academic Edition
  
  • FULL TEXT access to over 500 nursing, medical, and allied health journals.
  • Indexing and abstracting for over 615 journals.
  • Searchable full text of medical reference publications.
  • NOTE that this database is a subset of Academic Search Premier.

• Academic Search Premier
  
  • Contains FULL TEXT of articles in many nursing, medical, and allied health disciplines.
  • Health Source Nursing/Academic Edition is a subset of this database
  • Limit to Peer Reviewed articles

• CINAHL
  
  • citations and abstracts for articles and position papers in nursing and allied health disciplines.
  • Provides direct link to full text if available.

• Pre-CINAHL
  
  • A companion database to CINAHL, Pre-CINAHL is intended to provide current awareness of new journal articles.

To search for literature in medicine, consumer health and allied health disciplines

• Health and Wellness Resource Center
  
  • Online, searchable access to key medical reference titles.
  • Access to scholarly literature in nursing, medicine, allied health.
  • Journals include Nursing Diagnosis, Pediatric Nursing and JAMA.

• Health Reference Center Academic
  
  • FULL TEXT access to periodicals, reference books, and pamphlets.
  • Useful source for definitions, clinical data, drug information, consumer health information.

• MEDLINE
  • Premier source for bibliographic and abstract coverage of biomedical literature.
  • Includes information from Index Medicus and International Nursing.

• PubMed
  • Open access database which provides bibliographic information in MEDLINE, OLDMEDLINE, as well as selected allied health, life science, chemistry and general science journal literature. Includes citations back to the 1950s and current literature not yet indexed in MEDLINE; some full text available. Managed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

• Expanded Academic ASAP
  • Contains FULL TEXT of articles in health disciplines.
  • Limit to refereed publications
• PsycINFO
  
  • Citations and abstracts to journal articles in psychology and psychiatry.
  • Provides links if full text available from another database.

WEB RESOURCES FOR NURSING RESEARCH

• WCSU Libraries' Internet Resources Guide for Nursing

• Nursing Research Resources (Health Science Library, SUNY-Buffalo)

• Nursing Central

• Medscape Nursing

• National Institute of Nursing Research

• Infomine: Scholarly Internet Research Collections

DOCUMENTATION

Guides to citation formats and paper presentation. Not substitutes for the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), which can be found in Haas at the Reserve desk (call number BF76.7 .P83 2001).

APA Style FAQ - from American Psychological Association website

Quick Guide to APA Style Citations - WCSU Libraries

APA Style Resources - from Psych Web

APA Formatting and Style Guide - from the Owl at Purdue University

Format a Paper using APA Guidelines - from the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

• APA Writing Links (http://www.psych-central.com)

• Electronic Reference Formats (from the APA - http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html)

REMOTE ACCESS

You can access any of the above resources from home, by pointing your browser to http://library.wcsu.edu/. However, to access the journal databases, you will need to be an authenticated WCSU user with:

• Internet Service Provider
• Browser (MS Internet Explorer, Netscape or Mozilla Firefox)
• Library PIN
  • http://library.wcsu.edu/web/help/pin_codes/

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Jenny Innes
Public Services Librarian
innesg@wcsu.edu
203-837-9141
9/07