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Undergraduate Nursing Resources

Core Databases for Nursing

Journal articles form the core of nursing literature.  Each of these databases focus on a different aspect of Health Care and Nursing Research.  Selecting the correct database, or trying several of them, when starting your research can make a difference in finding the most rigorous, current, and reliable information.

UpToDate

Note: UpToDate is an excellent clinical resource, it uses a high level of evidence to support clinical decision making.  This resource can give an excellent overview of the best practices in care and while it will refer to primary resources in the article reference lists, no articles in the database are original research.  So if you professor has indicated that you need a nursing research article (or primary literature) the articles found here will not be that source (although you could still use UpToDate in other sections of your paper.)

Continued access: UpToDate requires that users create a secondary login and then UpToDate may be used from off-campus (directly through their website, or through the app) using only that authentication. Periodically, you will need to log-in using the link above to show that you are a current SPU student or faculty member in good standing.

Citing an UpToDate reference, APA 7th edition: 
(although not required for most APA references, UpToDate references must provide a retrieval date because the content changes over time)

Article Authors. (date). Article title. In. Editor (Ed.), UpToDate. Retrieved [date you accessed], from URL

Williams, J., & Nieuwsma, J. (2016). Screening for depression in adults. In J. A. Melin (Ed.), UpToDate. Retrieved February 1, 2017, from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/screening-for-depression-in-adults

  • In text: (Williams & Nieuwsma, 2016).

All SPU Databases

The core resources above are only a select list of the SPU databases most often used for nursing.  There could be times when other databases would be helpful. For example, if you were looking for information about nursing malpractice, you might want to search the database Legal Collection.

A-Z List of SPU Databases

Not sure which database is best for your topic?  Ask a Librarian!

Resources for Nursing Role Development

ANA Essentials of Nursing Practice Titles: