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Occupational Health

Searching for quality information: using Discovery and the online databases

Finding Quality Information Part 1_Searching Discovery

Part 1 of this video series looks at how to search for quality information using Discovery.

It covers the basics of searching and using Discovery to create a basic and advanced search. The advice given and the searching techniques can be applied to any health topic/discipline. 

Video Presentation - Part 1:

Click on the link to watch a video on searching and using the Discovery search engine

The slides which are used during this video presentation are below.

Finding Quality Information Part 2_Searching the Online Databases

Part 2 of this video series looks at searching for quality information in the subject databases. It covers advanced and structured searching in the online health databases. The advice given and the searching techniques can be applied to any health topic/discipline. 

If you haven’t already done so, you might also find it useful to watch part 1 which looks at the basics of searching and using Discovery.

Please note: The library homepage has been updated since this video was recorded and the skills guides mentioned in the video can now be found here: https://libguides.tees.ac.uk/learninghub?b=s&group_id=6925

Video Presentation - Part 2:

Click on the link to watch a video on searching and using the online subject databases

The slides which are used during this video presentation are below.

Journal Articles

What are journals?

Journals

They are:

  • like magazines but of a scholarly nature
  • published at regular intervals with no predetermined end
  • contain articles on a variety of topics
  • the articles are written by different authors
  • sometimes they also contain reviews and other information
  • in printed and electronic formats

Why Should I use them?

  • journal time is much quicker than for a book
  • using information from journals will keep you up to date and informed of new developments in your subject
  • journals articles are more specific than books.  They give you more detailed information in a more scholarly and concise format
  • subject may not yet (or may never) be covered in books
  • quality research - academic reputation - peer reviewed.

What does peer reviewed mean?

  • Written by an academic, who is a specialist in the subject
  • Submitted to an editor, who then passes the work to other professionals or 'peers' for a critiques, the work is then passed back to the original writer for changes to be made before being published
  • Longer articles, heavily text based
  • Charts, tables, statistics and images
  • Properly referenced with a list of references at the end of the article.

Databases for your subject

For more specialist searching use an online database

What are online databases?

Databases are specialist search engines that search for quality information, such as journal articles, in specific subject areas.

The databases below are listed in order of relevance for your subject. Hover over the icons to see what help is available.

For help searching the databases contact your Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health librarians. Details on the Home page

Please note that all databases are provided for educational use only

Evidence Based Practice

Evidence Based Practice is about using the best available evidence on the effectiveness of healthcare interventions as a basis for professional decision making in practice. The evidence from the research should be used in conjunction with clinician expertise and patient choice. For information and resources for Evidence Based Practice, see the Evidence Based Practice LibGuide.

Help - journal articles

The following guides will help you to develop your skills in finding journal articles:

Finding Journals

Critical thinking - what it is and why it matters.

Doing a Literature Search

Developing Keywords

FAQs

Support for Searching the Literature for Evidence Based Practice

Need to Search Grey Literature

Grey literature is material which is not usually published through normal channels.  Examples of grey literature include: government reports, theses, conference papers and abstracts, discussion papers, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, best practice documents, guidelines and protocols. 

The helpsheet below details the best sources to use to find grey literature in health.

The UK Health Security Agency have also compiled an index of grey literature and the link to this is below.

Inter Library Loans

Have you found a useful resource that we do not have access to?  The Inter Library Loan (ILL) service gives staff and students of Teesside University access to material not currently held by the Library. See the Inter Library Loan Guide for more information.