Rehabilitation Service Line Resources: UNC Hospitals
What is a library database?
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.
Databases 101
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Find@UNC - Full Text ArticlesFind @ UNC links you directly to full-text articles available through UNC-CH Libraries subscriptions and many open-access resources. When the article is not online via Find @ UNC, scroll down the resulting page to see other options.
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Finding articles using databasesLibrary databases let you search for article citations across hundreds of journals at once and to use the Find @ UNC button to link to the articles themselves (i.e. full-text) when available online. Different databases focus on different disciplines, while many article citations appear in multiple databases. Search journal titles in UNC's library catalog.
Getting Started: a few Key Databases
Discipline Specific Databases: see HSL's Online Resource Guides
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
Occupational Therapy Resources
Evidence-based Physical Therapy
Recreational Therapy Resources
Speech-Language Pathology Resources
Allied Health Sciences Guide (general)
See PICO tab on this guide for more PICO help
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Asking the Well-Built Clinical QuestionThis guide walks you through the steps of EBP from PICO development to appraisal. Developed by UNC and Duke.
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Asking Focused QuestionsPICO guide from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM Oxford U.)
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Formulating Answerable Clinical QuestionsPractice developing your PICO questions here.
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Forming Focused Questions with PICOA Guide from the UNC Chapel Hill Health Sciences Library
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PICO(T) Template & ExamplesTemplate and Example PICO(T) questions for different clinical situations, including
• Intervention
• Therapy
• Etiology
• Diagnostic
• Prevention
• Prognosis/Prediction
• Meaning
Aids for Organizing Your Search
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:
Learn More about Using Databases
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.
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CINAHL & PubMed Searching & Navigating (Eastern Michigan U. Library)CINAHL and PubMed are two of the most widely used databases in the Health Sciences. CINAHL and PubMed are often searched for similar material, so this guide presents concepts essential to both. The content is broken down into small chunks, designed to accommodate the busiest schedules as well as provide easy reference.
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Sample PsycINFO Search on EbscoHOST (YouTube)This is a sample search of PsycINFO on the EBSCOhost platform. Uses a search example question to illustrate how you can use the elements of a question to build a search with the thesaurus.
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APA Database on EbscoHOST Training Videos (YouTube)Additional videos for UNC APA databases: PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, PsycTESTS, PsycCRITIQUES.
For help using the New PubMed platform (5/2020), see New PubMed Resource Box.
PubMed resources below are being updated but still have useful information demonstrated using the original PubMed platform.
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Searching New PubMedCreated by HSL clinical librarians, this guide provides a way to quickly review the basic PubMed search skills needed to answer clinical questions.
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Scopus TutorialsBasic online tutorials.
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Scopus Quick Reference GuideDownloadable
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Embase Quick User Guidedownloadable
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Web of Science Group Training PortalIncludes Web of Science, InCites, EndNote, Publons, and Kopernio