Advanced Searching and RefWorks for NUR3112 Research Guide

Ready to sharpen your search skills?

After completing these activities you will be able to 

• search CINAHL more efficiently  (save time!)
  

• do a focused search in PubMed 
  

• select citations and export them from library databases to your RefWorks account = NEVER COPY CITATIONS AGAIN!
  

• use the "Bibliography" feature in RefWorks to create a bibliography in APA 6th style = NEVER TYPE A BIBLIOGRAPHY AGAIN!

**Work at your own pace. Submit your bibliography by November 19.

***All the resources you need for success are right here: a PowerPoint presentation, videos, and downloadable/printable notes.

 Follow these steps:

Step 1: Choose a topic

• Pick a topic to search that is related to a care plan or teaching plan for your course.
• Download this brief guide to APA 6th Style.(pdf file)

Step 2: Create an individual RefWorks account (if you do not have one already)

• View PowerPoint presentation about 

  • Click for viewable PowerPoint show.
  • Click for downloadable PowerPoint file.
• Download RefWorks handout. (pdf file)
• Click to access RefWorks.
• If you do not already have an individual RefWorks account, follow the instructions in the PowerPoint presentation to create one.
• Make a folder in your RefWorks account and name it for your search topic.

Step 3:  Search CINAHL with Full Text for recent articles from the nursing literature focusing on evidence-based practice

• Watch the short video (with optional sound) on CINAHL searching.

• Download CINAHL search guide. (pdf file)

• Do a CINAHL search on your topic as follows:

  • Choose keywords that describe your topic and type them into the search boxes.

  • REMEMBER THAT EACH SEARCH BOX CONNECTED WITH 'AND' NARROWS YOUR SEARCH MORE AND REDUCES THE NUMBER OF HITS.

  • Limit your search to 1) articles published in nursing journals, 2) evidence-based practice, 3) articles published in the last 5 years, 4) English language (unless you wish to use articles in other languages).

  • TRY TO FOCUS YOUR SEARCH SO THAT YOU RETRIEVE 100 HITS OR FEWER.
  • Read the abstracts to determine which articles are most relevant to your care plan.
  • Choose at least 5 citations and export them to RefWorks. (Instructions for exporting are included in the CINAHL search guide.)
  • File the citations in the folder that you created in your RefWorks account.
  • Watch video (no sound) on how to file exported citations into a folder in RefWorks.

Step 4: Search PubMed for additional articles from the nursing literature focusing on evidence-based practice.

• Watch the short video (optional sound).
• Download the PubMed search guide.(pdf file)
• Do a PubMed search on your topic as follows:
  • Limit your search to 1) English language, 2) the nursing subset, and 3) the last 5 years.
  • Enter your search terms connected by AND (IN CAPITALS).
  • Add AND evidence based practice TO YOUR SEARCH QUERY
    example:

    cancer AND depression AND evidence based practice

  • Read the abstracts to determine which articles are most relevant to your care plan.
  • Check to see if the full text is available. See if you can find at least 3 of the citations for which full text is available.If not, choose 3 citations even if full text is not available for all of them.
  • Export the citations to your RefWorks account. (Just the citations will be exported, not the full text.)


To export to RefWorks from PubMed, click article title, then click      then click                   

Assignment: Create a bibliography in APA style. - DUE November 19.

• Watch the video (no sound) on how to create a bibliography in APA 6th style using RefWorks.
• Create a bibliography in APA 6th Style with the citations in your RefWorks folder by using the Bibliography feature of RefWorks.
• Your bibliography should consist of at least 8 citations: 5 from CINAHL and 3 from PubMed.  If searching with the limits did not yield enough hits, then repeat your searches and broaden them by taking some of the limits off.  Choose some citations that will at least add to your knowledge of the subject.
• Submit your bibliography by using the SurveyMonkey submission form:
  • Click here to access the submission form.
  • Type your name into the first box and your email address into the second box.
  • Answer questions #3-9.
  • Cut and paste your bibliography into the last box.
  • Click "Done."

Questions? Need assistance?

Contact Barbara Quintiliano at barbara.quintiliano@villanova.edu

tel: x95207 (from off-campus: 610-519-5207)