Rehabilitation Service Line Resources: UNC Hospitals

Library Database: a searchable collection of citations for articles and other materials (usually with abstracts and other information). 

• Some library databases contain the actual articles ("full text").  CINAHL Plus with Full Text (UNC's CINAHL version) is a good example. 
  • Otherwise, you will use Find@UNC to link to the articles (full text) or to find other options for accessing them.
• Database searches yield article citations from many journals simultaneously, saving you time.
• Different databases have different focuses/cover different disciplines.
• An article can be indexed in (its citation can be found in) many different databases.  
• Some databases also index conference proceedings and other materials. 
• Most UNC databases are paid for by the library to give you stable access to high quality scholarly information.  

As opposed to the filtered information in Evidence-Based Practice resources such as Cochrane and other systematic review databases (where experts have collected, analyzed, and reported the evidence for you), searchers of the databases below generally must analyze the quality and relevance of the studies themselves.  

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

Link to many additional databases for specific rehabilitation-related disciplines. 

Multidisciplinary Resources focused on Evidence-Based Practice

Discipline-Specific Resources focused on Evidence-Based Practice

Clinical Reference Resources

Occupational Therapy Resources

Physical Therapy Resources

Evidence-based Physical Therapy

Recreational Therapy Resources

Speech-Language Pathology Resources

Allied Health Sciences Guide (general)

Use this guide to help visualize and plan your search:

• From Purdue Libraries Creating a Search Strategy Guide: Constructing a Search Statement Worksheet (.pdf download).

Use this log to keep your search organized and to document your search strategy for reporting:

Don't forget, Ask Us when you have difficulty finding what you're looking for in a database.

Don't forget, many databases have a link to help files as part of their search screens.

Boolean Basics for Searching
Boolean searching helps you find less (narrows) or find more (broadens) results when you search in many databases and Web search engines. Boolean searching depends on the use of three terms: AND, OR, and NOT. Enter these terms in ALL CAPS because many search engines are case sensitive for these terms.

Full Text Articles via Find@UNC
Includes Find@UNC in PubMed and what to do when the article is not online via Find@UNC.