Use this guide to learn what resources to use for nursing research, and to get help with technology, writing, citing, and presenting.
Also known as "meta-analysis", a systematic review identifies an intervention for a specific disease or other problem in health care, and determines whether or not this intervention works. To do this authors locate, appraise and synthesize evidence from as many relevant scientific studies as possible. They summarize conclusions about effectiveness, and provide a unique collation of the known evidence on a given topic, so that others can easily review the primary studies for any intervention
Usually published in peer-reviewed journals. Although a research article will include a bibliography of other literature reviewed, and may lead you to similar articles, its primary purpose is to present original findings. Look for the following elements
Both evidence-based care sheets and evidence-based articles are similar to review articles (described below). These types of articles focus on summarzing research relating to specific ailments and the efficacy of their treatments, and serve as general overviews.
Summarizes and synthesizes the results of many different original studies. Its purpose is to define the state of the literature on a particular topic, and discuss different methodologies for conducting research. Review articles are excellent sources for locating research articles, and contain helpful bibliographies.
Written for practitioners. Clinical articles might present a particular case study or define a new technique.
(source: Clemens, Rachel, "Library Research Guide for Nursing," Dept. of Nursing, Cal State University)
