Knowing which database(s) to use is a key first step. One of the databases you will most likely use is PubMed.
You may also find good resources in Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, PsycInfo, or Web of Science.
Here are some tips for these databases.
Get help when you need it. Check out the options.
PubMed
This is an international database, indexing over 5,200 journals from over 80 countries. It has a tremendous archive of citations to articles going back over 100 years - so be sure to watch the date the article was published or better, yet, use a "filter" to get citations for the past 3 years. The scope of topics is wide ranging from basic science to clinical medicine, and includes nursing, public health and psychology articles.
Key Tips:
Academic Search Complete
A great multi-disciplinary database and one that is great for the debate look up topics. Spend a little time picking good search terms and don't forget that you might need synonymous terms - for example, vaccines OR immunization. This database has all types of literature from general interest periodicals (magazines like Time) to peer-reviewed journals (like Journal of the American Medical Association) to books to newspapers and more.
Key Tips:
Business Source Complete
The database for a topic that has or might have an economic or financial component. It covers scholarly journals and trade magazines in business, management, finance, economics, accounting, marketing, etc and covers many areas related to medicine and public health. Many publications include online full-text.
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