TNURS 350 Critical Analysis and Writing to Improve Decision Making
Selecting a Topic
Resources to browse current issues- CQ Researcher - overview and opposing viewpoints on current issues
- Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health - place to browse for ideas
- Cochrane database of systematic reviews - A collection of regularly updated, systematic reviews of the effects of health care. Reviews mainly of randomised controlled trials. Data are often combined statistically, with meta-analysis, to increase the power of the findings of numerous studies each too small to produce reliable results individually.
- Primary Research: reviews are Secondary Sources. Find Primary Research listed in the References. To find the full article, follow the steps in the How to locate the full-text of articles guide.
General Pro/Con search tips
- Avoid using the terms pro and con in your search, unless the issue frequently uses pro- or con- to identify supporters of the position (i.e. pro-life or pro-choice). You will need to use your own knowledge of the topic to determine if the article is pro or con.
- Read the abstracts, when available, as these will provide you with a brief summary of the writer's viewpoint.
- Finding resources that support a given position might require a familiarity with the discourse surrounding the issue.
- As you become more familiar with the arguments for both sides, reconsider your search terms and keywords.
- An article that supports one side of an issue might contain valuable information about the other; don't rule out an article simply because it's not written from "your side".
Literature Types for Nursing & Social Work
- Literature Types for Science & Technology
- What is a Primary Source? (Nursing) (WCSU Libraries)
- What is a Secondary Source? (Nursing) (WCSU Libraries)
- What's a Primary Source? Information in the Various Disciplines (UArk Libraries)
Finding Journal Articles
Accessing
UW restricted resourcesTo access databases from home, click on the "Off Campus Access" button in the upper right of this page and log in with your NetID BEFORE clicking on the database name.
Some databases include the full text of articles. If not, you can click on the "Check UW Holdings" button next to the article entry. If neither of these options are available, follow the instructions for How to locate the full-text of articles.
- CINAHL Plus UW restricted
coverage of nursing literature and 17 allied health fields
- Primary Research: On the Search page under Limit your results, next to Publication Type, select "Clinical Trial"
- Primary Research: On the Search page under Limit your results, next to Publication Type, select "Clinical Trial"
- PubMed UW restricted
U.S. National Library of Medicine biomedical journal literature database- Primary Research: On the Search page under the search box, click on the limits tab.
Next to Type of Article, select "Clinical Trial" and "Randomized Controlled Trial"
- Primary Research: On the Search page under the search box, click on the limits tab.
Finding Books
- UW Libraries Catalog - Books, journals, videos, and other materials
- Summit - Joint catalog of Washington and Oregon academic libraries
Additional Research Assistance
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You can ask questions of or set up individual appointments with the librarian for Nursing, Erica Coe.
Phone: 253-692-4651 Email: elcoe@u.washington.edu
You can also contact the UWT Library Reference Desk for assistance.
Phone: 253-692-4442 Email: tacref@u.washington.edu
Helpful Research Resources
