Searching PubMed

PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) should be your go-to for medical articles. It's the search engine for the National Library of Medicine, with articles on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and preclinical sciences from Medline, life science journals, and online books. It has thousands of free full-text articles and all of them are from trustworthy sources.

 The main page has many useful resources but let's focus on just the search feature for now. At the top is the basic search bar. Using that is likely to get you an overwhelming number of results though. Try the advanced search instead. As usual, it gives you many options to narrow things down.

Click to enlarge. Note all the resources at the bottom of the page.

The advanced search page has one big field at the top where your search will be built piece by piece. What you do is use the smaller box below it to add search terms and limiters. Choose a field from the drop-down menu to the left, like Title/Abstract, put your term in and then click "Add to Search Box." Continue to add terms until you're satisfied that you've specified what you want.

Choose a field, enter your terms, click Add to Search Box. The field you just wrote in will clear and your term will be added to the big box at the top.

I would suggest also using the "Publication Date" field to limit your results to articles from the last 5 years or so. Choose "Language" so you can filter out articles you can't read.

You can see the search terms I've added in the big box at the top.

You can look for things by subject as well. A word (or several) on that. PubMed uses Medical Subject Headings, or MeSH terms. (Library of Congress Subject Headings, LCSH, are most used outside medical libraries. Sometimes these two systems are used together.) These are a controlled vocabulary that lets similar documents be grouped together so they can be found easier. That way if you are looking for an article on "medication errors" and the article you want doesn't have that phrase but instead uses "medication administration errors" you'll still find it. To find out what subject headings there are you can search the MeSH database but I'll talk about that later. Choose "MeSH Terms" to search for a subject.

When you have entered everything in and your search is ready you can click preview and the number of articles that match your search will be displayed. If there are too many you can change your search to narrow things down. If there are too few try taking out one of your search terms or changing your language. This is when it is useful to search by MeSH terms rather than looking for a specific phrase in the article's text. When you are happy with what you've got, click search.

This search when done will give me 44 results.

Your results are now listed but you need articles you can read without paying a ridiculous 30 bucks to buy. Click on the "Free Full Text" link to the right.

With what companies charge to read scholarly articles you'd think academia was only for the rich or something.

Choose an article that catches your fancy. Read the abstract to see if it looks good and then click the "Link Out" button to see where it's available.

I would recommend choosing the PubMed links if you have the option. You can also look and see which MeSH terms the article has been assigned to by clicking on the link located above the Link Out button. You can click on any of the terms to see what else is filed under it.

This is also a good way to find out what terms you can search by.

Remember to write down what steps you've taken when conducting a search so you can duplicate it later if necessary and so you know what you've already tried. If you can't recall what you've already done you might end up going in circles and getting increasingly frustrated. Also, when you've found an article you like, write down the full citation information so you can find it again.

Abstracts

A brief word about abstracts. Articles often have a summary of their contents on the same page where the rest of the metadata is shown. This is called an abstract and it is an important tool for deciding whether an article is worth reading.

Abstracts are written by someone other than the article's author. There are companies that provide this service so the finished product tends to be objective and concise. 99% of the time the abstract is going to be the first piece of information you see. Since it contains the important points from the article, reading it will tell you if this is something you can use.

There are different types of abstracts that summarize in different ways and to a different depth. Most articles just have a brief synopsis of the contents but if the article is reporting the findings of a trial or study then you will get the background, aims, methods, results, and conclusions that they found. Let's take a look at a couple abstracts.

This is an abstract of a study article on PubMed.

This is a brief abstract on PubMed.

Look at the difference between these two. The first gives the essential information about the study that was done, including the methods used. The second gives an outline of what the article is talking about.

Rather than searching the entire text of an article for a word or phrase you can often choose to search only the abstract or title/abstract for your keywords.  Let's say you're looking for an article about the importance of influenza vaccinations. You search for the phrase "influenza vaccinations" and get 50 articles. You look through them and find out that 25 of these articles are about something else entirely and only mention your phrase in passing. The articles that are about influenza vaccinations probably have that phrase in their abstract since it's an important part of the content. That's why you want to look for it there rather than in the text.
So you re-do your search to find the phrase in the abstract and you get 25 results. You can read the abstracts before you look through the entire article to decide which one best fits what you need.

That's not to say you should never do a keyword search in the text. An article may not be about your topic but it might have an important chunk of information about what you need. Also you can combine searching for a keyword in the text with searching for a phrase in the abstract to get even better results. Not all articles have abstracts either.

Reading abstracts is also a good way to learn how to summarize. That's basically what an abstract is anyway; a summary of the article's contents. Read the abstract, read the article, and then read the abstract again to get an idea about how the person who wrote the abstract summarized the article's contents.

Using Google Documents

I love using Google Docs. I can open, edit, and save my work from anywhere. This is especially useful if you're working from a public terminal at school and you've forgotten to bring your flash drive.

You need a Google account, of course. You can easily sign up for one, all you need is an email address. Next go to Google Documents.

Click to see larger image.

You can upload from there.

You can also upload PowerPoint presentations, images, and videos and then share them with other people.

Once you've clicked upload files you can choose the document you want to save. You have a couple of options. You can save the document as is or you can convert it to the Google Documents format. If you want to work on it while online you have to save it in Google's format but if you just want to save it and download it somewhere else later you can un-check that option.

You can also save it in Google Docs format, work on it online, and then download it as a Word doc later.

You can download it as Word, PDF, or HTML.

Once something is uploaded to Google Docs you can pull up the list of your files anytime. Just click on the name to open it. If you have converted it to Google Docs format you can edit it right there. You can also create new documents and save them in Google Docs and then download them to your computer later. Just click the "Create New" button next to Upload. Then pick what you want to make. You can create a document, a presentation, spreadsheet, etc. You can rename it at the top, type what you need, and it will automatically save it to your Google Docs page. Look at the above picture. Next to Google Docs at the top left of the page is the title of the document I uploaded. If I wanted to rename it I would click on that title and enter something new in the box that pops up. At the top right is the save button. It saves automatically when you make changes but remember to check it before you close the document.

Click Google Docs to go back to your list of files. To delete something, check the box next to it in the list, click "Actions", and then click "Move to Trash". You can also share files. Check the document, click "Actions" and click "Share". You will be given the options of emailing it to someone or adding them as a viewer on Google Docs. This means they can view it on Google Docs.

Play around with it a bit and get used to how it works. This is the best way for learning a new tool. Once you've used the features a few times and gotten a hands on feeling for what it can do you'll feel more comfortable using it.

Searching ebrary

There are a lot of very useful resources in ebrary's Academic Complete collection. They have nearly 70,000 full-text items in 20 subject areas, 288 listed under the subject of nursing. They also have dictionaries, math and science books, history, law, and so on. With so many books it is absolutely necessary to master their search engine. Let's take a look at how it works.

Simple search box with the advanced option top right.

If you use the simple search box on the main page it will search the text of the books. This can get you too many results. Try looking up the word "Pheromones" and you get 829 documents. To find out where the word pops up in each document, go to the Chapter Results tab at the top.

Click to see larger image.

You'll be taken to a page where each book is listed along the chapter that your word appeared most. These results are ranked by how often there was a hit on your search term in the book.

You can click on the chapter you want to look at.

Click on an item and you'll be taken to that chapter in the book. All instances of your word will be highlighted. The little bar next to each chapter shows how many times your term appeared there. Click on the magnifying glass to be taken to the first hit in each chapter.

This is only partially helpful. There 76 references but you can only go to the first one. You have to page through the chapter for the rest.

Let's go to the advanced search for more control over our results.

You start off with one search field box. It's automatically set to "Text and Key Fields". This means it will search every word in both the text and the metadata, like title, subject, etc. Change that first box to something useful, like Subject, and enter your search term. Add another box by clicking the plus (+) sign next to the first.

Choose a second metadata field, like Publication Date. I've chosen Subject: Nursing and Publication Date: 2005-2099, because for some reason it's set to search decades into the future. That would be a lot more impressive if it actually found something. Hit the search button and you'll find far fewer results than with a simple search. Well, not with my search. I would suggest also adding a Text and Key Fields box to look up a particular word or topic you're interested in. Also, there are further subjects suggested over your search results. You can click on one of the radial buttons and hit search and it will narrow your search down by that field.

Creating a new search is a little harder as ebrary doesn't seem to have a  button to let you clear your last search. To start over you have to clear out your old search yourself. Press the little minus (-) buttons next to the search fields to take the extra ones away and then erase whatever you have typed in the remaining one.

You can also browse the books by subject. The "All Subjects" link is next to "Advanced Search". This will take you to a page with links for 20 subjects.  Once you've clicked on a subject you can see all the books listed under it. You will also be given further choices under that subject to narrow your focus. Again, your search won't clear automatically and if you click on "All Subjects" again you will be taken to whatever subject you were last looking at rather than the page listing all of them. Above the subject headings but below the "Title Results" tab are listed the categories you are currently looking at. To get to the main list of subjects again, click "Top".

APA format

Main points to remember about APA format.

1. There are three parts: Cover page, Paper, and Bibliography.

2. The cover page includes the title of the paper, your name, and the name of your college. This should be centered in the middle of the page.

3. Your paper should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.

4. You should have a running header that includes the title of the paper and the page number.

5. Your bibliography should be labeled "References" and the citations should be in alphabetical order.

6. When you quote a source or include an idea from a source in the written body of your paper you should use an In-Text Citation. The full citation then goes in the bibliography.

Citation Examples (for bibliography).

Journal Article (with one author)

Reference Citation

Miller, C. (2011). Creating intelligent libraries. Information Outlook, 15(4), 27-29.

In-Text Citation

(Miller, 2011)

Journal Article (with multiple authors)

Reference Citation

Mueller-Hanson, R.A., Ferro, M., & Nelson, J. (2011). Preparing to be 'future ready'. Information Outlook, 15(4), 15-17.

In-Text Citation

(Mueller-Hanson, Ferro, & Nelson, 2011)

Online Journal Article (with multiple authors)

Reference Citation

Ginsberg, S.M., & Bernstein, J.L. (2011). Growing the scholarship of teaching and learning through institutional culture change. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11(1), Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ915920.pdf

In-Text Citation

(Ginsberg, & Bernstein, 2011)

Book

Reference Citation

Simenon, G. (2006). Red lights. New York, NY: New York Review Books.

In-Text Citation

(Simenon, 2006)

Web Page Article

Reference Citation

Linthurst, H.A. (2006). Designing better media through social networking. Retrieved from http://www.PRR.com/socialnetworking

In-Text Citation

(Linthurst, 2006)

Web Page Article (with no author)

Reference Citation

New child vaccine gets funding boost. (2001). Retrieved March 21, 2001, from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/story_13178.asp

In-Text Citation

("New child vaccine," 2001)

Web Page Article (with no author or date)

Reference Citation

Heuristic. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th ed.). Retrieved from     http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/heuristic

In-Text Citation

("Heuristic," n.d., para. 1)

Web Site

Reference Citation

www.cdc.gov

In-Text Citation

(www.cdc.gov)

A further note on the bibliography and several helpful links.

The reference list or bibliography in APA format should be a separate double-spaced page listing the citations alphabetically by the author’s last name. The first line should have no indents. The other lines should be indented.

How do you format a bibliography in APA Style? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/format-bibliography.aspx

This is the APA website.

http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspx

This is a citation maker. This is good for helping check citations but you should do them yourself initially to make sure they’re correct.

http://citationmachine.net/

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Look here for help with your title page.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

New books

The library has acquired four new books.
First up, The Portable LPN: The all-in-one reference for practical nurses, 2nd edition. This is "a one-stop source of relevant facts and clear-cut guidelines." As this is a reference book, it cannot be checked out but you are welcome to use it in the library.

The next is Chart Smart: The A-to-Z guide to better nursing documentation, 3rd edition. This book will show you "how to chart safely and responsibly in all clinical settings."  It has "hundreds of practical examples" to help you "learn how to document routine nursing care as well as essential details."

Next we have two books from Lippincott's Incredibly Easy series. I.V. Therapy and Medical-Surgical Made Incredibly Easy! Good for any sticky points you've been having difficulties with.

Resume and Job hunting resources

*Resume writing tips from Purdue online writing lab.- This is an excellent resource not only for resume writing but for writing in general.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/564/01/

Career Center at NursingCenter.com.

http://www.nursingcenter.com/CareerCenter/articles.asp

Links to the article on resume writing at NursingCenter.com.

http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/JournalArticle.asp?Article_ID=636564

http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/JournalArticle.asp?Article_ID=636564

 NursingWorld career center.

http://www.nursingworld.org/careercenter/resources/

Resume tips at NursingWorld.

http://www.nursingworld.org/careercenter/resources/ResumeTips.pdf

"Tell me about yourself." An article at Nurses.com.
http://news.nurse.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008109080151

Articles on resume writing and job hunting from American Journal of Nursing.

"Building your resume."

http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2009/01001/Building_Your_Resume.7.aspx

 "Landing a job in a tough economy."

http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2010/01001/Landing_a_job_in_a_tough_economy.6.aspx

 "Go get your dream job."

http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2011/01001/Go_get_your_dream_job.3.aspx

"How new graduates can gain a competitive edge." - This article has several useful links.

http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2011/01001/How_new_graduates_can_gain_a_competitive_edge.4.aspx

"The winning job interview."

http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2005/01001/The_Winning_Job_Interview__Do_your_homework.5.aspx

"Prepare for a behavioral interview, then ace it."

http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2010/01001/Prepare_for_a_behavioral_interview,_then_ace_it_.3.aspx

*"Finding the job that's right for you." - This article has a list of helpful websites.

http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Fulltext/2008/01001/Finding_the_Job_That_s_Right_for_You.3.aspx

A general guide to searching effectively

In order to get the most out of your searches it's necessary to have a good strategy. Generally it's a good idea to look for two-three really good articles rather than trying to find a whole bunch. You don't want to overwhelm yourself. Too much information can be as difficult as too little.

First, write one sentence that lays out what exactly it is you are going to be looking for. What specifically do you want to know? Do you need a basic overview of the subject or something in depth? Are you interested in a sub-area of your topic? How much information do you want?
Next, make a list of what you know about the topic; key words and phrases, dates, people, places. Look at this and see if any obvious questions pop up. What don't you know? This will be the information you're looking for.

Next do your pre-research. Get a better grasp of the topic, pick out more pertinent words to use in your search. Wikipedia, The Merck Manual, and MedlinePlus are good places to start. Now, write down the words you are going to be searching with and in what combination. Remember the different fields on the Google Scholar advanced search page? What words would you put in the AND, OR, NOT, and proximity boxes? What limiters might you use? Maybe you only need one field but it's important to know which one you need.
If you think about all of this and write down what you're going to do before hand it makes the actual search less chaotic and frustrating.

Next it's time for the search. Go to a reliable database that's likely to have information on your subject. PubMed, Medscape, American Journal of Nursing, or any of the other journals listed on the catalog links page are useful resources for articles. Google Scholar is also a good place to go for any subject.

Start with a simple search just to see how many results you get and what sorts of articles you're getting. If you find what you want right away then congratulations! If not, and you don't feel like paging through 5,000 results then move on to the advanced search page.
Were there any subjects in your results that you aren't interested in? Write those words down and use them in the NOT field. (I know it might feel a little silly to write all this stuff down but it gives you a clearer idea of what you're doing and lets you keep track of what you've already tried. Plus, if you need to repeat a successful search you'll already have all the steps written down.) Make your search using the fields and limiters and see what you get.

If you're still getting a lot of irrelevant results, look through the hits that look useful and use the words in them to create a new search. Certain areas of study use buzz words for particular topics. These will appear in more than a few articles and are good search terms. Keep narrowing things down by using the new words you find with the words you were using. Keep note of which ones got you the best results and in what combination.

When you find something you want to use write down the citation information, where it's located, and what search you used to find it. The most frustrating thing is to find something and then lose it and be unable to remember how you found it to begin with.

After conducting a few successful searches you'll get the hang of spotting the terms best used and the whole process will be a lot quicker.

Resources on the Benefits of Breastfeeding

Does breastfeeding reduce the risk of pediatric overweight?

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/pdf/breastfeeding_r2p.pdf

Women's Health.gov

http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/index.cfm?page=519

The 25th Anniversary of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Breastfeeding and Human Lactation: The Status of Breastfeeding Today

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/publichealthreports/sgp124-3.pdf

Mothers and Children Benefit from Breastfeeding

http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/SG_081508.pdf 

The Impact of Breastfeeding

http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/201010/201010smithers.pdf

Quantifying the Benefits of Breastfeeding: A Summary of the Evidence

http://www.linkagesproject.org/media/publications/Technical%20Reports/BOB.pdf

Breastfeeding and Later Cognitive and Academic Outcomes

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/101/1/e9.full.pdf+html

Contaminants in Human Milk: Weighing the Risks against the Benefits of Breastfeeding

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2569122/

The Benefits of Breastfeeding Across the Early Years of Childhood

http://www.nber.org/papers/w16496.pdf
Effects of Breastfeeding on Health Outcomes in Childhood: beyond dose-response relations
http://www.ajcn.org/content/87/6/1964.full