Step 1: Identify the major concepts of your PICO question.
Step 2: Find synonyms, acronyms, plurals
Step 3: Identify resources to search. For most nursing PICO questions, the minimum should be CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane.
Step 4: Run and refine your search. In the beginning, start with just your population/problem (P) and (I).
Step 5: Use the information the database provides to refine your search strategy (Like adding in subject headings).
Use the research plan document (linked below) to guide you through the search process.
Choosing the right keywords is essential to getting the best search result which leads to the high-quality, on-topic sources you need. Learn how to generate useful keywords and search in library databases with the video below.
Use Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine your search terms. Watch this video below on Boolean operators
Take your searching to the next level by incorporating subject headings. Subject headings are the controlled vocabulary that describes a concept. It is the tag or the label given to an article to describe what it is about. It is "controlled" because the term used to describe the topic has to be on the approved list of subject headings. It is similar to using hashtags on social media. When you use a hashtag that other people are using, the post is more easily found by other like-minded users.
The two main subject headings you will work with are MeSH and CINAHL Subject Headings. MeSH, or Medical Subject Headings, is used by PubMed and other databases. CINAHL Subject Headings are for CINAHL.
For example: in practice you may use the terms "pressure wound," "pressure injury," and "pressure ulcer." These three terms all refer to the same topic. When you search for literature you can use all 3 phrases as keywords, but you can also look up the subject term which covers all 3 phrases which is "pressure ulcer" and is searched like this "Pressure Ulcer"[Mesh] in PubMed and (MH "Pressure Ulcer") in CINAHL
Below are tutorials on how to use the subject headings in PubMed and CINAHL
Scholarly article reading is very different from leisure reading. Follow these steps to take the mystery out of article reading.
Before/during reading ask yourself about:
After reading ask yourself:
Adapted from: Purugganan, Mary, and Jan Hewitt. "How to read a scientific article." Rice University (2004).
Again, do not read the article like a book. Begin by looking the article over and identifying the sections.
Most scholarly journals articles follow a pattern. You can expect this patten in almost every scholarly article you read.
Follow this tutorial from Purdue University on why and how to read scientific articles
Parts adapted from: Purugganan, Mary, and Jan Hewitt. "How to read a scientific article." Rice University (2004).
Note-taking improves recall and comprehension. Develop a way to take notes and organize your thoughts.
Take notes on:
Adapted from: Purugganan, Mary, and Jan Hewitt. "How to read a scientific article." Rice University (2004).
Look at the headings and sub-headings as they help you determine what are the main points (headings) and subordinate points (sub-headings) in the paper.
Look for keywords and phrases. Words like "we propose," "I intend," "the data suggests," etc. Phrases like these indicate that something important is about to follow.
Adapted from: Purugganan, Mary, and Jan Hewitt. "How to read a scientific article." Rice University (2004).
Rely on what you already know and have experienced to draw inferences from the material. Make observations as you read. Use: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? to guide your observations. Connect your observations to make an inference.
Adapted from: Purugganan, Mary, and Jan Hewitt. "How to read a scientific article." Rice University (2004).
If you are having trouble understanding an article, ask for help from your instructor, your classmate, a tutor, or a librarian.