Practical Nurse

Health and Nursing Databases

Key Nursing Journals

​Database and Journal FAQs

1. What is a journal? [Answer]

   When your instructors tell you to use journals, they don’t mean the Edmonton Journal. A journal is basically a magazine that is published by a professional group, such as The Journal of the American Medical Association or The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research.

   The articles in journals are based on research. If you were ill in the hospital, would you want nurses and doctors taking care of you that learned their profession from journals? or from magazines such as Chatelaine, and/or any websites?

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2. Why should I use journals instead of websites? [Answer]

   There are some excellent websites with good, current, reliable information. But there are many more websites that do not have good, current, reliable information. Anybody can put anything on the World Wide Web.

   Before articles are published in journals, they are reviewed for credibility. The author of an article will have credentials that can be checked by the publisher. Do you know the credentials of the people who publish most websites?

   Websites from some government departments or agencies and from professional associations are usually considered reliable.

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3. Where do I find journals? [Answer]

   These days most journals are published both in print and online. Libraries pay a subscription for their users to access online journals through databases. You can then search these databases by going to the library website.

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4. What is a library database? [Answer]

   A library database is basically a collection of online journals and e-books and sometimes online videos. Some databases cover general subject matter; some are very specific to a particular field of study.

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5. How can I find journal articles on my topic? [Answer]
   Journal articles can be found in the library's databases. Find out more, including how to search our databases, check out these short video tutorials. [hide answer]
   
    
6. What does ‘peer-reviewed’ mean? [Answer]
   ‘Peer-reviewed’, and ‘refereed’ articles are those scholarly articles that are reviewed by a group of experts in the subject before that article is accepted for publication. [hide answer]
   
    
7. What does ‘evidence-based’ mean? [Answer]
   ‘Evidence-based’ means that a theory or practice is based on conclusions drawn from the evidence. This evidence is written about in articles in professional journals that present the findings of research, and is also taken from clinical expertise, and patient preferences. [hide answer]
   
    
8. Are there good sources of information other than journal articles? [Answer]
   Information in journals is current, credible and usually very specific to a particular topic. The professionals and experts who write journal articles often write or compile books as well. Some of these books end up being textbooks, but many can be found on the shelves in the Library, or online as e-books (electronic books). Library staff spend a lot of time checking the curriculum of various programs and finding and ordering books and e-books for the Library that deal with the topics covered in the curriculum. To find these books and e-books, go to the Library website. [hide answer]