Health Sciences Research: Self-test

Explanation
To find background information on a health topic, you can use any of these resources, but be careful to choose one that is applicable and reliable. Google can help you find authoritative websites such as MedlinePlus or the Cleveland Clinic's resources. (Tip: add site:.gov or site:.org to your Google searches to retrieve only government sites or organizations' sites, respectively.) To find health encyclopedias, search the library catalog or use one of the subject-specific LibGuides. In addition, DynaMed is a great, easy-to-use resource for learning about a disease or condition, but keep in mind it is geared towards a professional audience.

Explanation
Use databases when you are looking for articles. All of the above resources are databases (or combinations of databases) except Google.

Explanation
CINAHL is the premier nursing database. (CINAHL stands for "Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature.")

AGRICOLA is for agricultural and nutrition research. Health Sciences & Nursing Databases, Combined Search includes CINAHL, but mixed in with several other health databases that may not be as applicable. MEDLINE and PubMed are excellent resources as well, but are the premier biomedical databases (though they include nursing research too).

Explanation
ANDs and NOTs will limit the number of results you obtain. ORs will increase the number of results you obtain.

Explanation
You can use Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) to search for articles, though the health sciences databases, such as MEDLINE and CINAHL, are a better choice for in-depth research since they let you conduct more sophisticated searches.

However, Google Scholar has some great features, including: (1) a "Cite" link with each search result that will let you export the citation to RefWorks or another citation manager and (2) a "Cited by" link that will provide a list of articles that cite the original article. You can also use Google Scholar to make sure a citation you already have is correct if it is not showing up in the databases (for example, Google will ignore spelling mistakes, unlike many databases). For best results, make sure to connect your Google Scholar account to your library so you can retrieve the full text of articles directly from your search results. To do so, go to the Google Scholar settings and click on "Library links," then search for your library.