Getting Started with Searching
What databases does the RUC Library have?
As a member of the RUC community, you have access to over 300 databases. To find a particular database or browse the full list of titles, use the A-Z databases list.
Additionally, there are lists of databases recommended for particular subjects or programs at RUC. You can find these by scrolling down to RUC in the subject list on the A-Z databases and looking for the entries listed under "RUC - [SUBJECT]" as seen in the image below:
The current RUC-specific database lists are as follows:
- Anatomy
- Health Sciences
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Psychology & Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Respiratory Therapy
CINAHL, PubMed and Google Scholar are some of our library's most used resources.
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
- To learn how to get started searching in CINAHL, see our online How-To Guide.
- And to learn how to search CINAHL specifically for articles published in nursing journals, see our page called "Searching for Nursing Articles in CINAHL."
- To learn how to get started searching in PubMed, see our online How-To Guide.
- To find out how get the most out of searching in Google Scholar, see our page called "Including Radford Databases in Google Scholar Searching."
- To find out how to download and use UpToDate on your phone, see our instructions for Using the UpToDate Mobile App.
How do I formulate a search strategy?
While the details will vary from database to database, here are some broad suggestions to help you get started:
1. Think about your search terms.
Consider synonyms and other ways of talking about your topic. If you find a good article, look at terms used in the abstract. You may also want to look at the keywords applied to the article within the database.
2. Consider how recent the information you are looking for needs to be.
In most databases, it is possible to limit your search to a specific date range such as the last 5 years.
3. Consider other limits you may want to put on the search.
While these again, vary from database to database, common ones include: language the article is written in, article type, or whether the article is scholarly/peer-reviewed. Please note that we do not recommend using the "Full Text" filter, as it might exclude ideal articles that we can request from other libraries.
Are you stuck or need more help finding articles?
Email one of our librarians and be sure to include the following: details about what information you're looking for, what databases you've already looked in, and the search terms you've already tried.