Purpose and scope
I have created this guide to help you as you work on your assignments and research proposal for HSCI 486. Some of this I will talk about during my presentation, and some of this are links to resources that you can explore on your own.
If you need help, please contact Hazel Plante, Liaison Librarian at 778.782.4173 or hazel_plante@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.
Journal articles
Think broadly; It's helpful to consider what fields are spanned by your research question, and therefore what databases may contain useful information for your essay. In addition to the health databases, you may also want to consider searching sociology, women's studies, or international studies databases. If you are not finding what you need with your first search term(s), consider trying related search terms to pick up variations in author terminology.
Doing research off campus? Use the browser extension Libkey Nomad to get instant links to the SFU Library's full-text content for articles and e-books as you do research on the web.
Some suggested databases
Medline
To limit to systematic reviews, go to Advanced search, and select "Systematic Reviews" under the Subject Subsets box.
Global Health
A public health database focused on international health.
CINAHL
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Much Population & Public Health literature can be found here.
POPLINE
World-wide literature on population, family planning and related health issues.
Major index for Women's Studies research with feminist perspectives. Contains scholarly articles.
A combined search of all of the Web of Science Citation indexes. A good "one-stop-shop" to see what is published on a topic.
Make sure to access via the Library to ensure access to our holdings. Use the cited by to find related articles.
General database search tips
Some search techniques are common to most or all databases:
If you're finding too many articles
- Try adding terms to your search. In some databases, you'll need to type "AND" between the words; in others, such as PubMed and Web of Science, it's assumed.
- Exact phrase searching will also narrow your search.
- If appropriate, use subject searching instead of keywords (MEDLINE [MeSH], CINAHL [CINAHL headings], PsycINFO [Thesaurus])
- Use any relevant limits - limit to articles published in the last 5 years, limit to review articles, etc. Be wary of limiting to full text as the Library's "Where Can I Get This" function can often lead you to the full text even if not provided by the database itself.
- Consider using "NOT" to rule out irrelevant articles; e.g. diabetes NOT insipidus. Use with caution as you may lose some good articles.
If you're finding too few articles
- Think of any possible synonyms you could use and add them to your search by using "OR" between words. Try thinking of broader synonyms; contraceptive rather than condom, for instance.
- Use both subject headings and relevant keywords, combined with ORs.
- Use truncation (aka wildcard searching) - put an asterisk before the end of a word to find all variant endings. E.g. physio* will find articles using the words physiology, physiological, physiotherapy, etc.
- Check the subject headings - e.g., MeSH in MEDLINE - to get ideas for other ways your idea might be categorized.
How to find a known article from a citation
If you have a specific article you're looking for, first try entering the article title in the basic search:
Tip: Put the title in quotation marks for better results.
See From citation to article for further tips for finding known articles.
If the full-text article you need is not in our collection, you can still get it (for free!) in 1-3 business days by requesting it as an interlibrary loan.
Citing your sources
AMA/Vancouver style is the most common citation style in the biomedical sciences. AMA style is supported by various citation management tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.
- AMA quick guide from University of Chicago.
- AMA citation style guide from BCIT.
Citation or reference management tools collect your journal article, book, or other document citations together in one place, and help you create properly formatted bibliographies in almost any style — in seconds. Citation management tools help you keep track of your sources while you work and store your references for future use and reuse.
Facts, statistics, and data
World Development Indicators, Health, Nutrition and Population Statistics, and more.
WHO Global Health Observatory data, regional statistics. Includes indicators like Percentage of Births Attended by Skilled Health Personnel and Contraceptive Prevalence Rate.
This program has collected, analyzed, and disseminated accurate and representative data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 260 surveys in over 90 countries.
undata provides selected series from 30 specialized international data sources for all available countries and areas. Includes gender, HIV/AIDS and population data.
Source of facts, statistics and data on HIV/AIDS.
The database includes key indicators such as Life expectancy, Maternal and infant mortality, Average length of stay, Discharges and Surgical procedures for its member countries and several additional countries.
Maternal Health, HIV/AIDS, Child Survival and Health, Water and Sanitation, more.
Information and free full-text research reports on global health topics with a focus on reproductive health, gender equality, and maternal health.
Pecha Kucha Resources and tips
- Stick to a single, narrow subject
- Photos of people are great as slides. Don't try to explain your photos. Let them sit alone, adding dimension to your story.
- Watch some great examples as preparation.