Allied Health

Suggested Steps

• You might find the Introduction to Library Research useful if you've never worked on a research project at the university level.
• If you need help getting started, finding information, or have a question about resources, contact a librarian.
• In order to access the library electronic materials (books, journals and databases) log in to MyUTampa.
• If you need assistance with your Spartans Domain log-in information, please contact the IT Help Desk at StudentHelp@ut.edu or at x6255.

1. Best Bets - Start with a couple of quick searches of Spartan Search and a subject-specialized database like CINAHL to get a feel for the type and quantity of sources available. Play around with the suggested search terms.
2. Background Information - Sometimes you need a definition or basic fact for your paper that you can't find in a scholarly article. Or perhaps you need a more basic understanding of your topic before diving deeper into scholarly research. This is where reference sources, such as encyclopedias, come in handy.
3. Books - Start here if you're looking for books.
4. Articles - Start here if you're looking for articles (of any type). Don't forget to try different search terms.
5. Citations - Proper citation is a critical part of the scholarly process.
6. Not having any luck?

Key points of the presentation to HSC360-2

If you've never done a research project that requires academic citations, watch the video and do the exercise sheet in the Introduction to Library Research.

Finding the right language is half the battle:

• MeSH
• Subject terms in papers
• Subject Headers in databases

Books and articles the library doesn't own can be acquired through interlibrary loan.

Try using the following as additional search terms (don't forget the quotation marks):

• "systematic review"
• "meta-analysis"
• "literature review"

If you use Google Scholar, make sure your settings are adjusted to access the library's collection.

Worldcat.org is good source for locating useful books.

Note on using dissertations - It's best not to cite theses or dissertations since they have not been peer-reviewed. However, the bibliography of these sources can sometimes be very useful.