Getting Started in the LibraryThis library guide points you in the direction of some basic library resources for completing library assignments and writing research papers in this course. Many of these resources are available from the library's homepage at http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/, so you may want to bookmark both the homepage and this guide.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Gaining an OverviewTo develop and refine your search, it often helps to consult a specialized dictionary, encyclopedia, handbook, textbook, guide, or bibliography. These tools are designed to offer an overview of your topic or research problem written by an expert. They may provide an historical perspective, a chronology of events, definitions of terms or concepts, or bibliographic references leading to the literature in a particular field of study. Many useful reference works are now available online. These handy e-reference collections are accessible via Find Resources By... Subject, Title, or Type on the library's homepage.
Finding and Evaluating Psychiatric and Mental Health Web SitesGoogle is useful for finding Web sites. Check out Google's Cheat Sheet for tips on using Google more effectively. The library also has guides and tutorials to help you navigate the Web.
Another great tool for locating health-related Web sites is MedlinePlus. MedlinePlus will lead you to Web sites that will answer medical questions. These Web sites have been reviewed for authority by experts from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. Sites found through MedlinePlus are great starting points and are particularly useful for patients.
When deciding what words to use for searching, consider checking a medical dictionary, text, or reference. Call numbers beginning with RC are a good place to start browsing to find books about mental health medicine and nursing. To find a book using IUCAT Catalog (Indiana University's online library catalog) about mental health and psychiatric nursing, the following terms are useful. Psychiatric nursing
Mental Disorders
Mental Health
Psychiatry
Psychotherapy
To properly evaluate your Web site, the following tools may be helpful. Is Your Web Site Credible?
10 Things to Know About Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Critical Evaluation Worksheet, Evidence-Based Practice Tools
Searching for Periodical ArticlesThe most efficient way of finding a high-quality periodical article , is to search a periodical database or index that provides descriptive abstracts, subject indexing, and often, the full-text content of articles. Check out the interactive Finding Articles Tutorial to learn the basics of choosing and searching the Academic Search Premier database. Below is a selection of databases useful for your course. For a complete list, see the library's Find Resources By... page. Select a resource by Subject, Title, or Type (choose Abstracts & Indexes).
Databases for this Course
CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature) (Ovid)
Content: | Provides monthly updated indexing of 1,200 English-language nursing journals, publications from the American Nurses' Association and the National League of Nursing, and primary journals from allied health disciplines, including consumer health, biomedicine, and health sciences librarianship, covering 1982 to present. Most articles include abstracts, and some also provide full text with graphics. CINAHL also provides access to healthcare books, nursing dissertations, selected conference proceedings, standards of professional practice, educational software and audiovisual materials in nursing. An online guide is available. For more details about CINAHL, select the information symbol  from the database selection screen. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). IPFW library owns the printed index 1956-1997 (Reference Z6675 .N7 C8). IU Libraries' license allows 25 simultaneous users systemwide. |
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Medline (Ovid)
Content: | Produced by the National Library of Medicine, Medline indexes over 3,500 national and international journals covering all areas of medicine, 1966 to present. Most records include abstracts. Many titles include full text and graphics. New articles are stored in MEDLINE(R) In-Process & Other Indexed Citations and are added to Medline on a weekly basis when they have been indexed with MeSH headings. OLDMEDLINE contains records from 1950 to 1965. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). |
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PsycINFO (CSA)
Content: | An international database treating psychology and related disciplines such as social work, psychiatry, pharmacology, medicine, nursing, education, law, linguistics and business. Items included are journal articles, books, book chapters, reports, theses and dissertations. Most citations contain abstracts and many include cited references. Coverage begins in 1887. Updated weekly. Documents included are articles in more than 35 languages from an international selection of more than 1,700 journals and other serials, and conference papers, books and dissertations. A journal list is contained in the database. |
Access: | Database available to authorized IPFW users (on or off campus). IPFW's license allows an unlimited number of simultaneous users. |
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Search Tips for Medline and CINAHLBoth CINAHL and Medline are great databases to use for finding nursing and other allied health articles, but generally, using the correct MeSH (medical subject heading) term in Medline or CINAHL term in CINAHL is key. When using the Ovid interface, remember to keep the "Map term to subject heading" box checked. Doing this will help you discover the correct MeSH or CINAHL term to use for your subject. If an index term does not exist for your subject, you can search it as a keyword (look for the check box at the bottom of the list of possible terms).
"Explode" is useful in most searches because it includes articles with subheadings to the term you are interested in. "Focus" will result in articles that have your term as the major subject of the article. Using both explode and focus will result in articles that have the main term as the major subject of the article with or without subheadings attached. Either function can be performed by checking the appropriate box by your term and then selecting "Continue" at the top of the screen while searching in Ovid.
In Ovid, the $ is the symbol to use for unlimited truncation. For example, nurs$ would return results with nurse, nurses, nursery, and nursing.
Remember that many times, finding research literature on psychiatric nursing topics can be challenging. PsycINFO (CSA) can expand your search into the psychological and sociological literature. Other sociological databases should be considered as appropriate (Sociological Abstracts (CSA), Social Services Abstracts (CSA), and PsycARTICLES (EBSCOhost)).
Is Your Article Scholarly or Popular?University instructors often ask students to use articles from scholarly journals rather than from popular magazines for their research assignments. The following Is Your Journal Scholarly? (PDF) summarizes major differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines. Which type of source have you located?
What about Full Text?Full text means that the text of the article is available in PDF or HTML digital format. Graphics and tables are not automatically included unless the database producer has rights to publish them. Many of the library's licensed databases offer the full-text content of periodical articles. IPFW students, faculty, and staff now have access to more than 20,000 full-text journals. Find them in E-Journal Finder.
When an article you need is not available full text in the database you are using, choose  to see all of your delivery options. You may be able to access the full-text content in another database, request the article from another library through Document Delivery Services, or make a photocopy of the article if the printed periodical is owned by Helmke Library.
When a Resource is Not Available in the LibraryRequest Delivery is an IUCAT feature that allows IPFW faculty, students, and staff to request materials held by other Indiana University Libraries and to have them delivered to Helmke Library (see the IUCAT Request Delivery Fact Sheet).
You may also request any item that is not available at Helmke Library through Document Delivery Services (DDS). DDS borrows books and provides photocopies of periodical articles from other library collections. The service is free for IPFW faculty, staff, and students.
Selected Psychiatric Nursing/Mental Health Web SitesThe National Institute of Mental Health The NIMH is one component of the National Institutes of Health and is the main federal entity responsible for supporting research on the mind, brain and behavior. Several mental health topics are covered on this site.
The National Guideline Clearinghouse The NGH is a freely available database of evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice. This database is searchable by disease, treatment, intervention, and organization. Use the Guideline Comparison tool to compare guidelines authored by different entities.
American Psychological Association The APA is the professional organization that represents psychology in the United States.
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association This important nursing association promotes leadership in mental health nursing, seeks to improve mental health care for diverse patient groups, and seeks to shape policies related to mental health issues.
NAMI-National Alliance for the Mentally Ill The mission of this national organization formed in 1979 includes the eradication of mental illnesses and improving the quality of lives of those suffering from mental illnesses.
Historic Asylums This site is a portal to other sites containing information about historical mental health institutions. Many images can be found throughout the sites linked here.
Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers ICCMHC is a trade association that represents and advocates for behavioral health providers across the state of Indiana.
United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Mental Health Information Center This government-sponsored body provides information via a toll-free number, their Web site, and multiple publications.
The Carter Center The Carter Center sponsors a Mental Health Program led by Rosalyn Carter to help decrease the stigma attached to mental illness and increase public awareness of mental illness.
The Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association envisions a world without Alzheimer's disease and supports research into all aspects of the disease.
The American Association of Suicidology This is an education and resource organization seeking to understand and prevent suicide.
National Mental Health Association The NMHA is the largest and oldest non-profit mental health organization in the United States.
And Finally, Ask a LibrarianLibrarians and skilled information assistants are always available to assist you. Visit the Service Desk to meet an information assistant who will help you get started. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.
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schultes@ipfw.edu
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
260-481-6502
Fax: 260-481-6509
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Stephanie J. Schulte M.L.I.S.
Reference & Information Services Librarian; Liaison to Biology, Chemistry, Consumer & Family Sciences, Dental Education, and Nursing; Science and Technology Information Center Coordinator
Helmke Library, LB 157 |
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