Suggested Library Resources - BSN Program (Nursing - Undergraduate) Research Guide

Background Information

Gathering background information, or "presearch" is a crucial part of information gathering. Reference books are a great source of background information. Suggested resources for background information include:

Books:

Search for print and e-books, as well as other library materials

STAT!Ref (Teton Data Systems)
This database cross-searches numerous medical reference books.
eBook Collection (EBSCO)
You'll find your Scope & Standards books in this ebook database, as well as other books relevant to nursing.
Ebook Central (ProQuest)
Cross-search numerous ebooks, including ones relevant to nursing.
Health and Wellness (Gale)
By default, if available, results come from Books (primarily medical encyclopedias) and Fact Sheets (also excellent sources of background information).

Articles - Top Pick Databases

CINAHL: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCO)
The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature draws information from more than 3000 journals. This tends to become a favorite of health professions students because of its awesome content and APA citing help. Learn to love it!
PubMed
This is the largest biomedical database, that is cross-searching over 5000 journals. For hints on using PubMed, please see the PubMed Quick Start Guide or take the PubMed Tutorial, both made available by the National Library of Medicine . This database is free, so please make it your friend!!!! No matter where you end up working, you can still use PubMed. While you're a Ferris student, please use a library link to get to PubMed so you have access to our link out to take advantage of our over 100,000 online journals.

PubMed Quick Start Guide
PubMed Tutorial
A step-by-step guide on using PubMed from the National Library of Medicine.

Gale PowerSearch
This HUGE database is actually cross-searching the very large databases Academic Onefile and General Onefile, as well as other Gale databases, so it is a great place to look when you have a challenging topic to research.
Cochrane Library

High-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making.

More Suggested Databases

Anatomy.TV

3D interactive models of human anatomy as well as quizzes, x-rays, MRI scans, animations, and clinical case studies. Video clips can be downloaded for use in presentations.
UpToDate Lexidrug

Drug and disease information including drug identification, drug dosing calculation, AHFS content, and patient education materials. Also includes Trissel’s IV compatibility, drug reports searchable by adverse reaction, indication, and contraindication, as well as MSDS and toxicology information.

Formerly named Lexicomp.
Nursing and Allied Health (Gale OneFile)

Over 10 million full text articles from over 1,100 journals on topics such as nursing, patient care, and healthcare administration. Updated daily.

Explore More Databases

Full Text Reminder

Remember, to link out to the full text of articles in databases such as PubMed and CINAHL, you'll need to use the Find It link. If you need a reminder on using the Find It link, please see the Full Text Linking tab.

Building Your Search Strategy

Before you begin searching in large article databases such as CINAHL or PubMed, be sure to create an effective search strategy to obtain optimal results. Please download the document below.

Building an Effective Search Strategy