Locating Articles | Magazine or Journal? | Citing Sources | Evaluating Internet Resources

Locating Articles

The following databases all contain nursing, medical, and health related sources. The content and level of coverage does vary greatly among these databases. These databases are listed in a prioritized order for your use. Hint: all Ebsco-brand databases can be combined into one search. Ask a librarian how.

Additional information sources, although not devoted exclusively to medicine and nursing, may also be of assistance to you in your research, depending on the focus of your topic.

Is a Periodical available in Staley Library?

Some, but not all, articles will be available full-text through the periodical databases. If an article is not available full-text, check to see if Staley Library owns a print subscription to the journal or magazine that published it. Determining whether or not a magazine or journal is available in Staley Library varies, depending on which database you are using. Consult the Do we own it? page for information on how to find out if Staley Library owns a periodical in print, or ask a librarian for assistance!

Magazine or Journal?

What category does the periodical you located fall into? Is it a scholarly journal or a magazine meant for a general audience? These determinations need to be made by you on a title by title basis. Keep in mind that a database may indicate something is a journal, or the word journal may be in the title of a publication, but these don't necessarily mean the periodical is a journal. Use the criteria listed in the chart below to help you make these determinations. When in doubt, verify a title's category with your instructor.

PERIODICAL TYPE	Scholarly Journals (Academic, Peer-Reviewed, or Refereed)	Professional and Trade Periodicals	Popular and Special Interest Magazines	Newspapers
PURPOSE	To inform, report, or make available original research. In-depth analysis of issues related to the discipline.  Includes information on conferences.	Written for practitioners, discusses current trends, news & products in a specific field.  Includes employment & career information;	Designed to entertain or persuade. Short articles deal with current events or hot topics	Current events; Hard news articles; Will often include interviews; Focus on local and regional information.
FORMAT	Lengthy articles with abstracts, methods, results, conclusions, and bibliography. May be published quarterly	Articles medium in length. May include statistics and forecasts. Often published monthly.	Articles usually fairly short. Published monthly or weekly.	Short articles; Just the facts. Published daily or weekly.
AUTHORS	Scholars, professors, or researchers in the field, discipline, or specialty.	May be written by staff, a scholar, professional in the field, or a free-lance writer, who has subject expertise.	Written by publication's staff or free-lance writers.	Written by publication's staff or free-lance journalist.
LANGUAGE/ AUDIENCE	Use terminology/jargon of the discipline. Reader is assumed to have a similar scholarly background.	Language appropriate for an educated readership, and assumes a certain level of specialized knowledge.	Use simple language in order to meet minimum education level.	Use simple language in order to meet minimum education level.
GRAPHICS	Graphics and charts to illustrate articles, but seldom glossy pages, pictures, or advertisements.	Includes photographs, illustrations, charts and tables to enhance the publication. Sometimes glossy advertisements.	Photographs, illustrations, drawings, charts and full of glossy advertisements.	Photos, charts and different kinds of advertisements.
SOURCES	Sources cited with footnotes and bibliographies.	Occasionally cite sources: Sources sometimes cited in the text.	Rarely cite any sources. Original sources can be obscure.	Rarely cite any sources. Sources are usually identified in the article.
STALEY LIBRARY  ACCESS	Go to Databases (by subject) or Databases (alphabetical)	Go to Databases (by subject) or Databases (alphabetical)	Go to Databases (alphabetical) select:   or Academic Search Premier	Go to Newspaper Databases to begin your search.

Annotating and Citing Your Sources

Guidelines for properly annotating your sources are available on the Preparing an Annotation page. Check with your instructor prior to writing an annotation to see if it should be evaluative or not.

Guidelines for using the APA (American Psychological Association) format properly are available through a guide from Millikin's Writing Center and Purdue University's Online Writing Lab OWL APA format page. If you do not find an example of your specific type of source, consult the complete APA Publication Manual in the library. There are copies available in the Reference Collection and at the Research Assistance Desk. Call number: Ref BF76.7 .P83 2010