Below is a set of resources to help you understand how to locate
scholarly, peer-reviewed medical studies for your project.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our librarian, Kali Van Nimwegen (kali.vannimwegen@phoenixcollege.edu) for assistance!
When locating information about a medical topic, why not just go to Google or another search engine?
While you can find good information on websites such as the Mayo Clinic, for this part of the project, you need to create a literature review of three peer-reviewed medical studies:
While these are possible to find on the open web, using tools such as Google Scholar, it is much easier to use the tools of a database to help you find the specific type of study on the topic that you need. Databases are designed to help you narrow your search to what you are looking for.
Learn more about what a database is below!
PubMed is a free, government-run database from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that provides access to over 11 million citations from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. It has a number of tools to assist you in locating high-quality, peer-reviewed studies on medical topics.
Use the link below to access Pubmed with a special URL that ties into PC library holdings for more full text options:
Not sure what terms to use or how to get started when searching PubMed?
All databases use Subject Headings (an agreed upon controlled vocabulary) to organize information. These headings serve as umbrella terms for related keywords a researcher might use. There are different sets of subject headings, but many medical databases, including PubMed use the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) to organize articles. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/)
Check out the video below to see how you can use this tool to figure out the best search terms for your topic AND build a search to use in PubMed!
To search PubMed directly and make adjustments to your filters to find the specific article types you need, watch this video by another of our PC librarians, Ann Roselle:
The Phoenix College Library has a wide range of medical and multidisciplinary databases you can use for your research. Explore some of your best options below or access Databases by Subject page here!
Contains peer-reviewed journals on nursing and health topics along with practical nursing care advice from professional magazines and evidence-based care sheets. Articles in CINAHL can sometimes be easier to read than those found in PubMed.
Academic articles from many trade and scholarly journals on nursing and allied health topics such as the identification, evaluation and prevention of diseases and disorders; dietary and nutrition services; and rehabilitation and health systems management. Citations provided.
Database includes journals, videos, and reference books in nursing and allied health.
Primarily scholarly journal articles on clinical and biomedical topics, consumer health, and health administration.
Not finding anything? Try:
Check out the resources below for further useful information about tools you can use to make your research easier and more effective!
Through interlibrary loan, the PC Library can request a copy of an article that we do not own. Usually, the copy of the article is provided to you electronically and is delivered quickly! Click on "First Time Users" to create an interlibrary loan (ILL) account.