Discover Search
Discover Search Explained
Simultaneously searches dozens of our databases, including Web of Science and ebook collection, plus the library catalog. Note:
- Watch dates on sources carefully - use limiters of needed.
- Choices to refine search results are to the right of the results list
- May select Scholarly (Peer reviewed) journals. This is at the publication level - evaluate the item you intend to use.
- Full text often available by clicking link under "View It" on item record.
- If not available in print or electronically, use Interlibrary Loan.
Core Resources
- CINAHL Complete This link opens in a new windowAn expanded version of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health. Provides citations and abstracts for over 5,400 nursing journals, as well as books, conferences, software, and audiovisual material. Provides the full text for over 1,300 of those journals.
- Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition This link opens in a new windowCovers nursing and allied health topics. Full-text of articles from over 600 journals and citations and abstracts from another 850 journals.
- UpToDate This link opens in a new windowSpecific, detailed answers to clinical questions in nursing, sports and exercise sciences, communication disorders, and psychology. Original content that is written, reviewed and continually updated by a faculty of more than 5,100 leading physicians. Content includes over 9,500 topics in 21 specialties, a drug database and drug interactions program, 135 Medical calculators, What’s New (summary of important new findings by specialty), and patient education materials.
- Human Body MapsThis site offers an interactive way to explore human anatomy, with multiple layers of detail ranging from surface, to muscles, organs, circulation/lymphatic systems and skeletal system.
- Films on Demand Physical Therapy CollectionIncludes 160 different videos demonstrating many different tests, exercises, and procedures. Each video can be linked to directly, and custom playlists can be created within personal accounts.
- ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global This link opens in a new windowProvides full text for over 1.7 million dissertations and masters theses from U.S. and international academic institutions and abstracting and indexing for 3.8 million.
Research Process
The research process can look different for everyone, and may look different from project to project, but most will have a few common features:
- Begin with a question you want answered. What are you most interested in learning?
- Decide what type of information you need: do you need newspapers, books, or scholarly articles?
- Gather and evaluate information: are your sources current, reliable, applicable, and unbiased?
- Is your question answered? Do you need more (or different) information? Do you need to change your question?
- Repeat 1-4 until you're ready to use the information: make a decision, write a paper, present, etc.
Don't forget to ask a librarian for help!
Developing Keywords
Make a research question from your topic.
- For example: "What is currently being done to help conserve the endangered Giant Panda population?"
- Keywords: conserve and Giant Panda
Think of related words.
- Conserve: conservation, preservation, protection
- Giant Panda: panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca (scientific name).
Get searching!
Search Strategies
Boolean Operators are words and symbols that group keywords in specific ways.
- Group keywords together with quotation marks to search as an exact phrase. Example: “Alfred Hitchcock”
- Use AND to combine several keywords or phrases. Example: “opening credits” AND typography
- Use OR to search for information about one term, and also articles about another term. Example: film OR cinema
- Use the asterisk * if you want to search multiple iterations of a keyword. Example: sequenc* = sequence, sequences, sequencing
Evaluate Resources
Click image for more information