Skip to Main Content

Nursing: Core Tools

Created by Health Science Librarians

Health Sciences Databases

These databases contain varying levels of evidence.  Ranging from expert opinions to systematic reviews and meta analyses, these health sciences databases are the best place to start your search.  Most of the information in these databases has been peer-reviewed, but most articles have not been evaluated by experts to determine the strength of the evidence.  This is called unfiltered information.

Evidence-Based Practice Databases

These resources will generally provide higher levels of evidence because experts have collected, analyzed, and reported on the evidence for you.  This is called filtered information.

Higher types of evidence include Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analyses, Guidelines, Critically Appraised Topics and more.

Many evidence-based practice groups publish their findings online.

You can also search for specific Publication Types or Article Types like Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, Guideline, or Randomized Controlled Trial in Health Sciences Databases like CINAHL, PubMed, or Embase.

Other Useful Databases

Other Useful Databases

These databases are not focused on nursing, but they may also be useful depending on your topic.  This information will also be unfiltered because it has not been appraised by experts.

Dissertations/Theses

Many researchers do thorough studies in order to complete a dissertation or thesis, but these studies may not always be published later as journal articles.  It is important to search for dissertations/theses on your topic, especially as these studies can help you as you are designing your research study.

Finding Related Articles

Search for an article title in these databases to see a list of all the newer articles that cite the article or all the older articles used as references.

Assessment Resources