Research Guides: Nursing 296 Library Research Guide: Search Terms, Keywords and Finding Articles

Search Term Tips

It is important to try different search terms when you are looking for articles.
- Include any variations in spelling or forms of words, like searching for "child" in addition to "children".
- Include synonyms of your search terms, such as: in addition to searching for "adolescent", try "teen", "pre-teen".
- In addition to searching for the age of the child you are researching, such as a "5-year old", also include the age group, like "preschool".
As you look at articles, collect new keywords to add as your search terms. For example, if you are searching for "Piaget" and you see the word, "piagetian theory" showing up a lot in your results, try adding "piagetian theory" as a keyword.
Only put in one or two keywords when doing your search, not a complete sentence. For example, if you want to write about "fine motor skills in preschool-age children, try entering "motor skills" and "preschool".
You can group a few words together as a phrase, and put in quotation marks, like "cognitive development".

A-Z Nursing Subject Guide
A link to over 15 different Nursing databases, with articles from magazines, trade journals and scholarly peer-reviewed journals. Databases included are CINAHL, Health Source: Nursing Academic Edition, as well as Nursing databases from Gale and ProQuest.
A-Z Education Databases
A list of the Education - related databases with articles helpful for the Pediatric Essay. Try searching for articles on Erikson, Piaget, Cognitive and Physical Development.