University of Southern Maine

Nur 100 - Introduction to Professional Nursing

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For assistance in locating information on any nursing topic, please contact Sheila Johnson (sheilaj@usm.maine.edu or 780-4690), Nursing Department Liaison, USM Glickman Library, Portland, or Evelyn Greenlaw (evelyng@usm.maine.edu or 753-6541), Lewiston Campus Library.

IM, chat, and e-mail research assistance is also available through our Ask a Librarian service.

LIBRARY SERVICES  

Library Card
Your USM picture ID card is also your library card. Your library id is the small red number below the barcode beginning with 2502200. New or transfer students will have had this number automatically activated if the id was obtained before the semester began. Don't know if your barcode number works? Go to the library's home page, click Your Record (upper right blue tab) and login. Doesn't work? Contact the library Circulation department at any of our campuses.

Library Hours
For Portland, Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn.

Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad)
If an article is not available online or in print, we can obtain a copy for you. To register for this service, go to the library's home page, click ILLiad and First Time Users - Start Here. When you request an article on interlibrary loan, a link to it will appear in your e-mail within 3-5 working days.

Reserves
Hard copy (print) or electronic.

Journal Subject List
Some nursing and medical journals require you to type in a password to access their articles off campus. To obtain these from library's home page, select Journals link. Type the journal name. For a list of the library's electronic nursing/medical titles, from the subject category select Health & Biological Sciences.

Library Home Page
Consult for a complete list of resources and services, including the student services link.

GETTING STARTED

Define your Research Topic

LOCATE BOOKS

Books are good sources to help you select a topic, and to provide background information.

• Search the URSUS catalog to locate books at USM and other University of Maine System libraries.
• Note: For information on using the catalog, consult the URSUS tutorial.
• Can’t find your title in Ursus? Try MaineCat (Maine libraries) or WorldCat (hundreds of US and worldwide libraries).

WRITE A BOOK REVIEW OR ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Writing a Book Review
  An excellent guide from Indiana University. Includes a review example.

• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography
  A brief review from Cornell with examples.

Useful when you need an overview or introduction to a topic, or when you want brief, factual information. For a more comprehensive list, consult the Nursing subject guide.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)
(POR/GOR Reference, LEW Reserve RC455.2 .C4 D54)

Dictionary of American Nursing Biography
(POR Reference RT34 .D53)
Contains 196 biographical sketches including nineteenth-century pioneers and more recent innovators involved in the nursing profession.

Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, & Allied Health
(POR/LEW Reference R121 .M65)

Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
(POR Reference RT21 .G353)

Handbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications
(POR Reference RB38.2 .K44)

The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
Provides general medical and disease information for health professionals.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Desk Dictionary

Physicians Desk Reference
(POR/LEW Reference RS75 .P5)
Drug descriptions based on information published by the pharmaceutical companies.

Frances W. Peabody Papers
(POR Special Collections)

Journal articles are the most current sources of information, and many are based on recent nursing research. The easiest way to find articles on your topic is to search an electronic index ( database). Most of your nursing instructors will require you to use scholarly journals as vs. magazines. So how do you tell the difference? Consult popular, scholarly and trade periodicals for information about these distinctions.

Frequently your instructors will also require that you use peer-reviewed journals. Not certain what this means? To find out, consult What is a Peer-Reviewed Journal? Look at Finding Articles at USM for detailed instructions on locating full text articles online and in print journals.

The Database Search Tips will help you to develop an effective search strategy for your topic. Consult these databases to locate articles on your nursing topics:

NURSING AND HEALTH RELATED DATABASES

TUTORIALS:

• Dalhousie Cinahl tutorial (interactive)
• University of Florida Cinah Guidel (detailed)
• Article Linker (USM's guide - excellent)

Check with your instructor before using Internet resources. Some will prefer that you use the pre-selected sites listed in your course material. Others will want you to use library databases exclusively.

When selecting Internet resources it is important to evaluate the quality of any websites that you use. Consult the USM Library’s Evaluating Web Resources guide, or Evaluating Web Pages (UC Berkley) for assessment criteria. For a more comprehensive website list, consult the Nursing subject guide.

Associations and Organizations

Maine State Nurses Association Gives information on continuing education opportunities, practice issues, and legislative priorities.

Nursing World Official site of the American Nurses Association.

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing site lists career information, local chapter news, conferences, and other information of interest.

Student Nurses Association of Maine Includes links to scholarships, employment opportunities, and events.

General Resources

Hardin MD Meta Directory of Internet Health Sources Comprehensive meta directory from the University of Iowa that provides access to resource lists in medical and health-related subjects. Organized by disease and specialty.

Learning Resource Center USM’s nursing department has developed an excellent list of Links, including interactive nursing and medical sites.

Nursing on the Net: A Web Sampler of Resources for Nursing An extensive list of sites developed by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

Nursing Sites on the World Wide Web Selective list of nursing sites from the University of Buffalo's Health Sciences Library.

Nursweb Emory University’s searchable list of over 275 sites on all aspects of nursing.

The Virtual Nursing Center A multimedia site with study guides, patient care simulations, and links to other interactive pages. Produced by Jim Martindale.

This section will apply if you are writing a paper or completing an assignment that requires you to cite your resources.

Citation Style

Accurate, properly formatted footnotes and bibliographies are indicators of good academic research, and the ethical/legal use of information. The standard citation style for nursing courses is APA (American Psychological Association).

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
POR/GOR Reference BF76.7 .P83 2001
LEW Reserve BF76.7 .P83 2001

Using American Psychological Association (APA) Format (Updated to 5th Edition) (Purdue University Online Writing Lab)

Plagiarism

USM Academic Integrity Policy

Plagiarism: What it is and How to Recognize and Avoid it (Indiana University)

Created by: Sheila Johnson
Last Updated: 1.2008