Q. I am trying to access EBP and research articles for medical/nursing but no matter what I put into the search engine nothing comes up. Any ideas?

EBP and research articles are two different animals, so we are going to have to hunt for them in different ways.

Let's start with research in nursing. The best place to look for nursing research in CINAHL Complete (The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health).

a). Access CINAHL from our database menu - http://libguides.css.edu/az.php

b). When CINAHL loads, toggle to the "advanced search" using the link below the search box.

c). On the advanced search, type your topic in the search box. Below are a list of limiters you can apply to your search. In the left-hand column, toggle on the box for "research article."

d). Now hit the search button.

This should solve your basic need for a nursing research article on a particular topic. There are ways to use more of the features of CINAHL to your advantage, but we will leave that for another day.

Now, let take a look for EBM.

Option 1: Stay in CINAHL.

a). At the top is a blue tool bar. In it is a link for "evidence-based care sheets." Click on it.

b). Now you can search or browse in just the EBCS section of CINAHL.

Option 2:

a). Head back to our database menu: http://libguides.css.edu/az.php

b).  Access MedLine Complete.

c).  Enter your subject in the search box.

d). Below the search box, in the left-hand column, toggle the button for "EBM Reviews."

e). Hit the search button.

f). Underneath each of your results will be a link for "full-text" finder. Follow it to the Cochrane Library for EBM reviews.

Option 3:

a). Head back to our database menu: http://libguides.css.edu/az.php

b).  Access the Cochrane Library.

c). Search on your topic.

Searching in Cochrane can be a bit "hinky." I find that I actually find more results from Cochrane by searching it via MedLine (which is why I didn't send you directly there).