COD Library - Nursing Research Guides

Nursing Research Guide

Library Catalogs

Use the catalogs below to locate print and audio-visual materials.

C.O.D. Library Catalog (Search for items in our Library)
- Nursing Books in the C.O.D. Library
- Nursing-related Ebooks (electronic books)
Search other Library Catalogs and learn about reciprocal borrowing from local Colleges

Reference Works (Print and Electronic)

Reference materials are well indexed, organized, concise, and highly credible. They provide overviews, definitions, specific information or addresses. Types of reference books include: directories, dictionaries and encyclopedias, basic health books (describing diseases and conditions), and drug resources. Since you cannot normally take these materials home, remember that you will have to photocopy, or write down the information that you need.

Click here** to view recommended books found in the C.O.D. reference collection.

**Clicking this link will take you to the Consumer Health Resource Guide's section on reference materials including full-text, online reference books

Click here to view nursing drug books found in the C.O.D. reference collection or Click here to view ALL pharmacology, drug and herbal supplement related reference materials

Online Drug & Pharmacy Information::

Click here for annotated links to Drug & Pharmacy Sites on the Internet

Micromedex Health Care Series MICROMEDEX Healthcare Series provides full-text information supporting clinical care decisions including: drug monographs and evaluations, drug dosages and interactions, drug product identification, reproductive risks, toxicity management, alternative medicine/herbal preparations information, acute/emergency care guidelines, drug, disease and condition information for patients, laboratory test information, dosage calculators, nomograms, and references. You must obtain a username and password to use this resource from your home computer. Contact your instructor or call the Reference Desk at (630) 942-3364.

Click here for nursing resources found in the C.O.D. reference collection

Article Databases

Look for journal articles on your topic in C.O.D.'s article databases (online indexes that also contain some full text articles). You must have a valid College of DuPage library card to access the electronic indexes and databases from off-campus.

C.O.D.'s Health Databases

Internet Resources

Atlases, Dictionaries and Handbooks

Lumen Gross Anatomy Dissector
Merriam-Webster Online including medical dictionary, thesaurus, Spanish-English, unabridged, visual, and ESL
Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 17th Edition
Merck Manual of Health and Aging
Merck Manual of Medical Information: Second Home Edition
Patient Safety and Quality
Stedman’s Medical Dictionary
Teaching Patients with Low Literacy

Online Journals in Health Care and Nursing*

*Remember that you can search for FREE full text articles from hundreds of nursing journals as well as credible medical journals and magazines by using the C.O.D. Health databases (a valid C.O.D. Library card is necessary to search from non-C.O.D. computers)

Select Nursing and Heath Care Organizations

Useful Web Sites

ANA Research Toolkit
ANA has developed a Research Toolkit to help you provide evidence-based care that promotes quality health outcomes for individuals, families, communities and health care systems. The Toolkit can also assist you in shaping health policy at the bedside, within an organization, and at the local, state and national level. The toolkit offers an introduction to research and evidence-based practice. It provides access to numerous resources to translate evidence into practice and to support nurse researchers. Members only can log in and have access to a research repository with reviews of research articles. This toolkit will change over time and add new resources to meet your needs.
Care Plans from RNCentral.com, free sample care plans
C.R.I.S. Community Resource Information System [DuPage County] is a fast and easy way to obtain basic information on social service programs throughout DuPage County [Mozilla Firefox browser is recommended, Internet Explorer sometimes does not display correctly]
DuPage County Health Department promotes physical and emotional health; prevents illness and disability; protects health from environmental risk factors; and strives to assure the provision of accessible, quality services. Web site topics include: asthma, depression, bioterrorism, consumer services, dental services, DuPage safe food site, environmental health services, mental health services and men's and women's health sites
EBPHN: Access to Electronic Health Information Evidence Based Public Health Nursing information
Healthfinder U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Offers consumer information useful for patient education.
How to Try This: Assessments and Best Practices in Care of Older Adults Evidence based assessment tools and demonstration videos from the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing (HIGN) and the American Journal of Nursing
MEDLINEplus Extensive information from the National Institutes of Health and other trusted sources on over 800 diseases and conditions. There are also lists of hospitals and physicians, interactive tutorials, a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary, health information in Spanish and other languages, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, surgery videos, and links to thousands of clinical trials.
Medscape Nursing Medscape Nursing is a free resource (registration required) for nurses, featuring Free Nursing CE (Continuing Education), medical journal articles pertaining to nurses, MEDLINE, medical news, major Nursing conference coverage, and comprehensive drug information.
National Guideline Clearinghouse Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Searchable database of clinical practice guidelines.
National Nursing Database from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the compiled date is updated daily, providing real time nursing licensure and discipline statistics. Note that no individual identifying information is available
NIH Health Information Index from National Institutes of Health. A searchable directory of NIH Institutes.
Nursing-Theory.org provides information and articles on theories & models, nursing theorists, and famous nurses
The Nursing Theory Page from the University of San Diego Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science.

Citing Sources with the APA Style Guidelines

Use these resources to properly document your research.

Health Science Courses often require APA citation style but you may be asked to use MLA style (clarify with your instructors what style is required for each research project).

C.O.D. Library's Citing Sources Page (APA and MLA examples for print and electronic resources as well as additional citation resources)

APA Style.org Remember that online sources, such as articles from databases and web sites, will require some extra steps in order to properly cite them!

APA Reference Style Guide – a comprehensive APA Guide from Northern Michigan University

A Word or Two About APA Citation handout

Microsoft Word file Citing from Micromedex or CareNotes.doc (Help downloading)

Helpful Handouts

Studying for LPN or RN Pre-Entrance Exams?

Take advantage of the COD Library's Nursing Entrance Exam Resources (PDF Document)

Need assistance with Nursing Research (includes searching CINAHL)?

Try out my Tips to Successful Nursing Research Handout! (Word Document)

Need assistance finding cultural (including racial, ethnic, minority, and religious) diversity in health care resources?

Use the COD Library Cultural Diversity Resources Handout (PDF Document)

Don't hesitate to contact me with questions!
Debra J. Kakuk Smith
Associate Professor, Health Sciences Librarian
HSC 2335
(630) 942-4305
smithkak@cod.edu

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