Subject Guides: Nursing: Searching Databases

Where to start?

Starting a literature review? Need a few good articles for a class assignment? A good review of the literature review usually includes searching one or more health sciences databases - and possibly other subject specific databases. Lay out your search strategy using PICO before you start your database search.

Struggling with conducting your literature review? Check out this guide on the Steps to Conducting a Literature Review:

Conducting a Literature Review

Health Sciences Databases

MEDLINE (1946-present via Ovid)

For systematic, scoping, or other types of synthesis reviews, Medline via OVID is the preferred platform for searching.

CINAHL Plus with Full Text
The Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library (LHCADL) is an initiative established by the Alberta Government. It was created as a legacy to the late, the Honourable Lois Hole to continue her vision of greater learning opportunities for all Albertans.
For additional information, go to the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library information site.
EMBASE
Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window
The Cochrane Library includes:
- The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
- Cochrane Protocols
- Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL)
- Cochrane Editorials
- Cochrane Clinical Answers
- Cochrane Special Collections
Scopus
Web of Science Core Collection

Subject Specific Databases

Education

ERIC (via EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Education Database
Education Research Complete
The Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library (LHCADL) is an initiative established by the Alberta Government. It was created as a legacy to the late, the Honourable Lois Hole to continue her vision of greater learning opportunities for all Albertans.
For additional information, go to the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library information site.

Indigenous Health

Indigenous health literature can be found in many different databases but can be tricky to search for. Check out the Health Sciences Search Filters: Indigenous Peoples page for help.

Psychology

PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
PsycARTICLES
Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI)

Public Health and Health Policy

Global Health This link opens in a new window
Global Health provides an alternative, complementary point of reference with a broad analysis of foreign language journals, books, research reports, patents and standards, dissertations, conference proceedings, annual reports, public health, developing country information, and other difficult to obtain material.

The Global Health database covers the following aspects of human health and disease:
- communicable diseases (including HIV/AIDS)
- tropical diseases, i.e, diseases in the tropics (including field and experimental studies)
- parasitic diseases and parasitology - medical entomology
- human nutrition (including food composition, food poisoning, effects of diet on health, nutritional disorders, and experimental aspects)
- community and public health (including chronic diseases, occupational health, health status indicators, the impact of agriculture on health, and cancer epidemiology)
- medicinal and poisonous plants (including pharmacology, tissue culture, animal studies, plant composition, allergens, and toxins)
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
The Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library (LHCADL) is an initiative established by the Alberta Government. It was created as a legacy to the late, the Honourable Lois Hole to continue her vision of greater learning opportunities for all Albertans.
For additional information, go to the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library information site.

Dissertations and Theses Databases

ERA: Education and Research Archive
U of A's institutional repository

Database Tutorials

Need help searching Medline via OVID? The Gerstein Health Sciences Library at the University of Toronto has excellent video tutorials to help guide you through the mechanics of using this database, and others!

Health Science Database Video Tutorials
Find help using:
- MEDLINE (OVID)
- CINAHL (EBSCOhost)
- EMBASE (OVID)
- Cochrane Library
- Scopus