Searching for your nursing dissertationNursing 2016

What do you want covered today?

“By the end of today’s session I want to have covered/looked at/done…”

What will you be doing today?

• Quick refresher on primary and secondary sources

• Example search• Your own search• Critical appraisal and referencing• ………………

A quick refresher on primary and secondary sources

Distinguishing between primary and secondary sources

• Primary sources – original research published by the researchers in peer-reviewed journals. Use databases such as CINAHL to search for these.

• Secondary sources – work that summarises, critiques or reviews primary research. See for example NICE and the Cochrane Library.

Ask: What exactly are you trying to find out?

PICO

For any question:• Consider the different keywords, related

terms or subheadings within your question;• Think of possible synonyms e.g. stroke or

cerebral vascular accident;• Search each element separately;• Combine searches on the same or similar

subjects with OR e.g. high blood pressure OR hypertension;

• Combine searches on different subjects using AND e.g. diabetes AND pregnancy.

Search Scenario• One in four women experience domestic

abuse at some stage in their lives, and 30% of this abuse starts in pregnancy.

Twycross, A. (2014) ‘Disclosure of domestic violence and abuse: how

prepared are you?’ Evidence-based nursing, 17(3), pp. 63-64. • As a nurse, how could you best respond to a

pregnant women experiencing domestic abuse?

Over to you – your search

Critical appraisal“It usually comes as a surprise to students to learn that some …published articles belong in the bin and should not be used to inform practice” (Greenhalgh 2006).

Finding critical appraisal resources

3rd year nursing subject guide

Referencing worries?

3rd year nursing subject guide