1 Research in Nursing Introduction to Web-Based Resources at the Kean University Library

2 This guide covers the following topics: How to search for books in the Kean Library.search for books How to search for specific journals by title.search for specific journals How to search for journal articles by subject.search for journal articles Where to go for help.help

3 Begin your research by going to the Kean University Library Homepage at:

4 How to Search for Books: From the Kean University Library Homepage ( click Kean Catalog. Click here

5 The Kean Catalog may be searched by keyword, title, author, and subject. Scroll down to see more searching options

6 For example, to find books about transcultural nursing, enter these keywords in the Find This search box, then click Search. Enter your keywords, then click Search.

7 Examine the Search Results list for titles of interest. Make note of the Library Location and Call Number. Books located in the Main Collection may be checked out if the Status is Not Charged. Click the title to view the complete record.

8 How to search for specific journals by title: To find out if the Library subscribes to a specific periodical, go to the Kean University Library Homepage ( and click Periodicals. Click here

9 Click Kean’s Periodical Listing to access a searchable list of the Library’s journal subscriptions.

10 For example, if you want to find out if the Library subscribes to American Journal of Nursing, enter this title into the Quick Search box, then click Go. Enter a journal title, then click Go.

11 If the journal title appears in the Search Results, this means that the Library subscribes to the periodical. A checkmark under Print Holdings means that the Library has the journal in print or microform. Click the checkmark to access the journal’s Kean Catalog record for detailed location information. A checkmark under Full Text Access means that the journal is available online through the database indicated below the title. Make note of the date range available. While on the Kean campus, you may click the database name to access the online articles. When off campus, access the database as described in the following section of this presentation.

12 How to search for journal articles by subject: To find journal articles on a particular topic, go to the Kean University Library Homepage ( and click Databases. Click here

13 You will get a screen that looks like this: When working off the Kean campus, enter your Library Barcode in this log- in box.

14 CINAHL is a key database for research in Nursing. To get to CINAHL: Click EBSCOhost, then click EBSCOhost Web, and then click CINAHL.

15 The steps listed above are as follows: First, click EBSCOhost. Remember to enter your Library Barcode if working on a computer not on the Kean campus. Click here.

16 Then click EBSCOhost Web. Click here.

17 Then click CINAHL. Click here.

18 The database defaults to the Basic Search screen. Either type keyword search terms in the Find box, click the blue Advanced Search tab to access the Advanced Search screen, or click the green CINAHL Headings button to access the database thesaurus: Let’s click on CINAHL Headings for now. Enter your keywords here. Alternatively, switch to the Advanced Search form or to the CINAHL Headings thesaurus.

19 CINAHL Headings is a good option when you must find articles that discuss how to critique nursing research articles. First, click CINAHL Headings. Click here.

20 Then type “nursing research” in the Browse for box; click Relevancy Ranked; then click Browse: Type “nursing research” in the search box labeled Browse for. Click Relevancy Ranked, then click Browse.

21 Click the heading “Research, Nursing” to display more information about this heading. Click “Research, Nursing.”

22 Put checkmarks next to Major Concept and next to Evaluation (under Qualify Subheadings). Then click Search: First, click Major Concept and Evaluation in order to look for articles that focus on evaluation (critiques) of nursing research. Then click Search.

23 You should get a list of articles that focus on evaluation (critiques) of nursing research. Click any article title to access the article’s citation and abstract (summary). Click the title to see the article’s citation and abstract.

24 When you see Linked Full Text in the article record, this means that EBSCOhost is providing access to the full- text article. Sometimes CINAHL provides links to full-text articles. Simply click Linked Full Text to access the article.

25 Even when you do not see “Linked Full Text,” you should consult the Library’s Periodicals list to see whether or not the journal you need is available through a different database or as part of the Library’s print holdings. Make note of the article’s date, volume number and issue number. When you are working on the Kean campus, you can click the Tour link to check the Periodicals list automatically. However, when you are working off the Kean campus, you must search the Periodicals list yourself, following the steps demonstrated earlier (see slide 8). We need to find out if the Library subscribes to Journal of WOCN.

26 Remember, to find out if the Library subscribes to a specific periodical, go to the Kean University Library Homepage ( and click Periodicals. Click here

27 Click here Then click Kean’s Periodical Listing.

28 Enter the journal’s name (in this case, Journal of WOCN) in the Quick Search box, then click Go. Enter journal name, then click Go.

29 The result shown below indicates that articles published from 1996 to 2003 in the Journal of WOCN are available in full-text format from the ScienceDirect database. If you are working off the Kean campus, you must access ScienceDirect from the Library’s Databases page (see slide 15).

30 Remember to enter your Library Barcode if working on a computer not on the Kean campus. ScienceDirect is available through VALE, so click here.

31 Click Databases.

32 Click ScienceDirect (Elsevier).

33 Click Journals, since you are looking for a specific journal.

34 Enter the name of the journal (in this case Journal of WOCN) in the search box, then click Go.

35 Click the journal name to access the full-text articles.

36 Click on the Volume number in which the article appeared. For this example, CINAHL had indicated that the article was published in Sept in Volume 29, Issue 5.

37 Here is the link for Volume 29, Issue 5, published in Sept Click here.

38 Click the PDF link to access the full-text article.

39 Remember, if you search for a journal title in the Periodicals list and find no records, you may still request a photocopy of the article you need through Interlibrary Loan. A search for Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing yields no results.

40 The Interlibrary Loan request form is available online from the Kean University Library Homepage at: / / Click here.

41 Where to go for help: Call a Kean University Reference Librarian at the “Ask a Reference Librarian” from the Kean University Library Homepage ( Simply click Ask a Reference Librarian. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions, accessible from the Kean University Library Homepage ( Visit a Reference Librarian in the Kean University Library.

42 Copyright © 2005, Kean University Library. Prepared by Ms. Linda Cifelli and Ms. Caroline Geck. August 10, 2005.