ARMCHAIR RESEARCHER SERIES CINAHL and MEDLINE Introduction to Literature Searching

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ARMCHAIR RESEARCHER SERIESCINAHL and MEDLINE
Introduction to Literature Searching

• Heather Ganshorn, MLIS
• Liaison Librarian for Nursing
• University of Calgary

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Topics to be Covered

• Database Basics
• Starting Your Research
• Electronic Resources at the UofC
• Overview of CINAHL
• Overview of MEDLINE
• Overview of Online Catalogue

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Database BasicsWhat is an Electronic Database?

• Databases consist of citations to articles,
  chapters, essays
• Databases provide a quick and efficient means of
  finding materials on a given topic
• Most databases have similar features and
  functions, although the method of performing
  these functions varies

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Electronic Database BasicsFields Records

• Databases consist of records
• Each record includes fields
• Fields include author, title, journal title,
  abstract, subject headings

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Searching Electronic Databases

• A good search strategy is key to successful
  searching
• Think about your topic
• Is it broad or unfocused
• What are the key terms
• What do you want to find out about the topic

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Searching Electronic Databases What is a Search
Strategy?

• A Search Strategy is your search plan
• helps to identify key words or ideas to use when
  you are searching for information on a specific
  topic
• assists in identifying synonyms for each term
• outlines which terms are major concepts to be
  combined

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when? current historical
TOPIC lived experience of women with breast
cancer
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Identify Your Research Topic Clearly

• Put your research topic into a concise statement
  or questionWhat is the lived experience of women
  with breast cancer?
• Identify key concepts / termsWhat is the lived
  experience of women with breast cancer?
• Brainstorm synonyms
• Combine terms with Boolean logic (OR, AND)

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What is Boolean Logic

• With the advent of electronic databases and the
  Web, understanding and applying Boolean logic
  correctly is fundamental to all online searching
• Boolean search statements are used to narrow or
  expand a search by linking search terms with the
  connectors AND, OR, NOT
• Boolean operators define how the searches are
  performed

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Boolean Logic - OR

• Brainstorm synonyms for your search terms
• Use the connector OR to link synonyms/ related
  terms
• The OR operator is used to broaden a search or
  increase results
• The more terms you OR the more records you
  retrieve

• lived experience
• OR
• personal experience
• OR
• social environment

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Boolean Logic - AND

• Use AND to combine search concepts A B
• The AND operator is used to narrow a search or
  decrease results
• The more search concepts you AND the fewer
  records you retrieve

lived experience OR personal experience OR social
environment
breast cancer
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Keyword vs Subject Searching

• Two basic ways of searching for information in a
  database
• keyword searching what you saywords that you
  use to describe your topic
• subject searching what they saywords used by
  professional indexers where all like topics are
  indexed under the same subject phraseexample
  Yellow Pages

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Keyword vs Subject Searching

• life experiences
• breast neoplasms
• fasciitis, necrotizing

• lived experience
• breast cancer
• flesh eating disease

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Electronic Resources at the UofC

• To access, connect to
• www.ucalgary.ca/library
• Choose Article Indexes
• Nursing - Databases specifically related to
  nursing
• Complete List - alphabetical listing of all
  indexes and abstracts (i.e. databases)
• Full-text - databases which include the entire
  article which you can print out

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Accessing Electronic Resources

• Access from Information Commons, Nursing Learning
  Commons, elsewhere on campus
• Access from home
• Student ID card (Campus Card)
• User ID - first nine digits of the barcode number
  on back of campus card (i.e. delete last digit)
• PIN number on the front of your campus card,
  minus any zeroes at beginning

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CINAHL Database

• Primary database for Nursing
• Indexes books, articles, dissertations
• Coverage from 1982 - present
• Includes all aspects of Nursing and Allied Health
• Includes abstracts and subject heading descriptors

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CINAHL Subject Headings

• Hierarchy
• broader and narrower terms
• Canada
• Alberta
• Edmonton
• Calgary
• Montgomery
• Scenic Acres
• British Columbia
• Use Explode to include narrower, related terms

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CINAHL SAMPLE SEARCH

• Research TopicWhat is the lived experience of
  women with breast cancer?
• Identify key concepts and brainstorm synonyms

Lived experience
Breast cancer
Social environment
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Todays Passwords CINAHL/MEDLINE

• User IDs
• train11
• train12
• train13
• train14
• train15

• Password
• hkn.abc

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CINAHL SAMPLE SEARCH
lived experience OR personal experience OR social
environment
breast cancer
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MEDLINE Database

• Primary database for Medicine
• Indexes books and articles
• Coverage from 1966 - present
• Includes abstracts and subject headings
• Requires access through Health Knowledge Network

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Medical Subject Headings MeSH

• Controlled vocabulary
• Represents a single concept appearing in the
  biomedical literature
• MeSH is indexed to the most specific term
  possible
• Most comprehensive way to search

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MeSH Continued

• MeSH hierarchy
• broader and narrower terms
• Use Explode to include narrower, related terms
• Use Focus to make your term the main topic of an
  article

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MeSH Continued

• Subheadings are used to qualify MeSH terms
• Limit search to a particular aspect of a
  biomedical concept
• When in doubt, choose ALL Subheadings

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MEDLINE Limits

• Limit search to Major MeSH headings
• Limit search to English articles only
• Limit search to Review articles that provide an
  overview and synopsis of the topic
• Limit search to articles with abstracts
• Limit search to year

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MEDLINE Sample Search

• What is the physiopathology of pulmonary edema in
  high altitude sickness
• Key Concepts and Synonyms
• high altitude sicknessacute mountain sickness
• pulmonary edema
• physiopathology

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Online Catalogue

• Includes books, journal titles (NOT individual
  article titles), government documents
• Check user status -- how many items borrowed, due
  dates, bills
• Renew books online

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Connect to Catalogue

• Library homepagewww.ucalgary.ca/library
• Click catalogue from top right black menu bar
• Click user status to renew books, find out about
  fines and holds

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Online Catalogue Sample Search

• Find journal titles
• International Journal of Nursing Studies
• Applied Nursing Research
• Find book title
• Advocacy a nurses guide

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Online Catalogue Keyword Search

• Find books on a topic using keyword search
• nursing and ethics
• patient advocacy
• nursing and canada

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Online Catalogue Subject Search

• Find books on a topic using subject search
• You must know the correct subject headings
• Best to use keyword search in online catalogue

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Getting Your Hands on the Books and Journals for
Nursing

• Health Sciences Library, attached to the
  Foothills Hospital
• Go in person or order inter-campus ordering where
  item is sent to MacKimmie for you
• for instructions, go to library homepage
• click on Services?Order Documents ?inter-campus
  ordering
• follow instructions To Obtain Health Sciences
  Library Materials

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Article Not in U of C Library? Try CISTI Source

• CISTI the national science library
• We pay them to get articles for us fast usually
  in 48 hours
• Go to library homepage, click Services?Order
  Documents?CISTI Source
• Enter your library ID and PIN, then select
  journal search
• Only good for journal articles, NOT books

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No Luck with CISTI, or You Need a Book? Try
Document Delivery

• When an item is not held by the University of
  Calgary, you can obtain it through Document
  Delivery Services at no cost to you
• In person 2LT
• Via web DDS Formhttp//www.ucalgary.ca/library/d
  ocdel/
• Items may take 2 weeks or more to arrive

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COMING ATTRACTIONS!!!!

• Next Wednesday, Oct. 2, 400-530
• Document Delivery
• Find out how to get the documents we dont have
• Tips on getting documents ASAP
• Location Nursing Learning Lab

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Additional Information

• Library Homepagewww.ucalgary.ca/library
• Library Information for Nursingwww.ucalgary.ca/l
  ibrary/subjects/NURS
• For Help, ContactHeather Ganshornhganshor_at_ucalg
  ary.ca220-3752