Finding Literature

Question 1

Describe a reference librarian

Answer 1

• helps point you towards your most likely resources, but he or she will not necessarily be able to answer your research question(s)

Question 2

Goals of the reference librarian

Answer 2

• to help you find suitable informational sources & to provide guidance & instruction for using effective search strategies

Question 3

What does a reference librarian not do

Answer 3

• they do not represent the culmination of your research

Question 4

Describe electronic sources & databases

Answer 4

• information from web sites & non-referred documents is questionable in terms of the accuracy & reliability of content
• peer reviewed journal articles from databases can usually be trusted to be credible & valid

Question 5

Describe journal databases

Answer 5

• generally inaccessible to search engine indexes
• the inaccessible areas are called the invisible web

Question 6

Define databases

Answer 6

-electronic libraries of indexed journals, books, & non-journal bibliographic literature that are overseen, managed, & updated on a regular basis

Question 7

Describe refereed journals

Answer 7

• they publish articles that have undergone peer-review prior to acceptance for publication

Question 8

Describe the peer review process

Answer 8

• a process by which a panel of experts judges the content & correctness of one’s work before accepting a research document for journal publication

Question 9

Limitations of search strategies

Answer 9

• search results are only as good as the search strategies employed

Question 10

Describe planned investigation

Answer 10

• begins with the understanding that searching & reviewing the literature is a purposeful & sometimes tiresome process

Question 11

open source journal publications

Answer 11

• doesn’t mean they are bad
• it means that they paid the journal to publish the article
• must look at who published

Question 12

Describe Boolean logic

Answer 12

• it’s based on logical relationships among search terms
• the operator terms (OR, AND, NOT) are used to combine search terms to create a different set of search directions for the computer to follow

Question 13

Describe general appraisal

Answer 13

• should precede critical appraisal
• appraisal refers to judgements about the relevance & readability of the evidence

Question 14

Describe critical review & appraisal

Answer 14

• sort out & organize search results/evidence as it accumulates
• this involves determining the relevance & readability of the literature & the quality & importance of the source

Question 15

Describe critical review

Answer 15

• it’s the structured reading, undertaken to answer questions, identify key points, & recognize significance

Question 16

How is the suitability of a paper determined

Answer 16

• determined by a quick read of the abstract in the preliminary evaluation

Question 17

Questions to help you locate information in a paper

Answer 17

• Topic: what was the article about
• Purpose: why was the study of experiment done
• Methods & procedures: what was being measured in the study & how was it tested
• Results: what were the statistical findings from the study or experiment
• Conclusions: what was the take home message of the article
• Theoretical significance: why did you choose this particular article
• Critical appraisal: objectively review & comment on the methodology of the study

Question 18

What is the quality of an informational source based on

Answer 18

• quality of an informational source as evidence is associated with the ranking or hierarchy of the evidence

Question 19

What to do before initiating search strategies and finalizing critical review & appraisal

Answer 19

• know the expectations regarding the quality of informational sources before initiating search strategies
• confirm quality requirements before finalizing critical review & appraisal

Question 20

What is the journal impact factor

Answer 20

• it’s widely considered a determinant of journal status associated with journal citation reports
• it’s a mathematical rating system based on the numbers of journal citations & article publications within a 2 year time frame

Question 21

Impact factor limitations

Answer 21

• the metric comparison used does not tell us anything about the reputation of the peer review process for scientific literature
• rankings are limited by the fact that frequency in citation & publication do not necessarily equate to scientific expertise, quality of scholarship, or an active research agenda
• human judgement is the greatest limitation of the journal impact factor

Question 22

Core databases for physical therapy

Answer 22

• Google Scholar
• PubMed
• HighWire Press
• PEDro
• CINAHL
• Cochrane
• Hooked on evidence
• SPORTDiscus