Technical Details:
Before we start searching, know that accessing much of the Shoreline CC Library's digital resources and content might require you signing in using your Shoreline Network ID. This will usually be the same as your email address (typical format: firstname.lastname@go.shoreline.edu) and password. If you're having trouble accessing these credentials, you can reset your password using this form from Technical Support Services or get support through their site. If you're having trouble signing in to access Shoreline's databases, you can also let us know at the Library at Library@shoreline.edu.
Library Databases are repositories for different general and specialized subscriptions to resources like magazines, newspapers, academic and scholarly journals (where we'll find most scholarly articles) as well as other kinds of literature like eBooks and reference materials.
Think of a database as like a certain platform for streaming service subscription: often content like movies or television shows that are available through Netflix may also be available on Amazon Prime, but these licensings can change, be redundant, or platform exclusive, original content that can only be found on one site.
Searching databases for scholarly journal articles can be a little bit like trying to find where a movie is currently available for streaming access online--sometimes a database platforms highly specific disciplinary content, sometimes a database may have content across multiple different subjects, and always it's worth considering where and why content is paywalled. Shoreline's Library unfortunately doesn't subscribe to every scholarly journal "platform," so part of the search and exploration process can involve navigating the limitations of resource availability.
In addition to the databases subscribed to by the Library, we'll also take a look at how to search for free scholarly articles through open access publishing sites and through other search tools like Google Scholar.
Narrow Down Library Databases by Subject
Shoreline subscribes to many health occupation-specific databases, as well as some broader, interdisciplinary ones that contain relevant publications related to dental hygiene, health care, and the health sciences.
Recommended Databases for Nursing:
CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
PubMed (Open Access)
PLoS (Public Library of Science, Open Access)
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)
While Shoreline only has the "base" level access to the Trip Medical database, this can be a great resource for exploring existing research, especially through its specialized PICO search functions and the ways that results are organized by type of research result and also available mind mapping.
Trip sorts results according to categories like "Key primary research" and Secondary Evidence like "Systematic Reviews" and "Evidence Based Synopses" so that you can better identify which types of research or analysis will be available in each article result.
These features allow you to also see how different kinds of information on the same topics and subjects "interact" with each other and where primary research is synthesized, compared, reviewed, and contextualized with other kinds of research and analysis and commentary.
Academic Search Complete is one of most comprehensive interdisciplinary databases. Starting here can help you get a sense of what might be available about a broader topic and help you narrow down an idea and consider using more specific disciplinary databases next.
PubMed is an open-access database of peer-reviewed scholarly articles across the Health Sciences. Below is a tutorial demonstrating how to access PubMed from the Shoreline Library, how to use its tools to search, cite, and follow the scholarly conversations around your topic.
PubMed is a great site for Literature Reviews, Reviews, and Meta-analyses, but if you are only looking for original research, you might have to sift through a lot of not relevant articles first, try adding NOT (Review[Publication Type]) to the end of your query (usually we connect search terms with AND as our Boolean operator, since we want to see the relationship between them both, but you can also use NOT in order to narrow down results by excluding certain content.
Database "tour" and search strategies for CINAHL with Full Text (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) featuring Shoreline Librarian Lauren Bryant. CINAHL is equipped with the ability to sort through results using numerous custom filters, which can strategically generate relevant results that are less dependent on having the exact "perfect" search terms. CINAHL covers an extensive range of allied health science disciplines.
Google Scholar is another great tool to add to your research strategies when looking for academic articles, scholarly journals, and peer-reviewed resources.
Google Scholar allows you to run a specialized search of papers written in academic contexts across databases and other locations. Since many scholarly or academic papers are behind paywalls, you can link your Google Scholar search settings with Shoreline Community College's Ray Howard Library so that your searches identify which of these results can also be found in full text in our library databases. Linking our library with your search settings makes sure you see which resources we have access to.
Check out this quick step-by-step introduction to Google Scholar, with instructions for linking results to Shoreline's Library and a tour of some key search features.
One tip I find very helpful is if I sometimes encounter a paywalled article, but I'm not sure whether or not I have access to it, I'll copy and paste the title of the article into the Google Scholar search bar, and often I'll get a result for the article including the PDF on the right side of the results. Not all articles can be found this way, but it's a good way to double-check your access.
