CCSF Library: Licensed Vocational/Practical Nursing: Web

Online Search Tips

Rather than putting a full sentence into an online search box, it can be more productive to focus your topic down into a few search words. To combine them, follow these search tips:

use quotes around two more more words that MUST stay together
use AND between words that MUST show up in your search
use OR between synonyms (you don't care which word shows up, but one MUST)
search string: the way you combine all your search words with ORs and ANDs and quotes

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Assistance

Email reference is available Monday through Friday during the Fall and Spring semesters. We try to respond within two days.

Chat with the library 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to meet with a librarian for in-depth help with your research.

Finding Web Information

Searching for information on the web efficiently requires developing a search strategy. Is the information sought very specific? If so, a search engine is the best search tool to use with keywords to describe the exact information need. Unsure or looking for more general information on a topic? Start with a subject directory and search broad topics. Many specialized databases and search tools are also available on the web.

Click the Research Skills tab above for great resources on evaluating health information on the Web.

Statistics on the Web

Calculating Sample Size for Different Study Designs in Medical Research
Involves lots of equations, but gives you an idea of the issues related to sample sizes.
CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A very well organized website for starting research and for finding health statistics. Extensive information about health and disease from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
MedlinePlus
US National Library of Medicine website providing health information to the general public
US FDA Drug Information
Food and Drug Administration website of information on drugs for humans, such as label information and FDA approval history. Look for the Drugs@FDA search link, as well as links for healthcare professionals and consumers, and the Drug Information Pathfinder.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Website of the Federal government agency charged with being the "steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation." Site provides consumer health information, information on clinical trials, and an array of health and research-related information
WWW Epidemiology Virtual Library
Website from UC San Francisco's Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Lists government agencies keeping epidemiological data from all over the world.

Guidelines and Other Health Science Resources

US FDA Drug Information Food and Drug Administration website of information on drugs for humans, such as label information and FDA approval history. Look for the Drugs@FDA search link, as well as links for healthcare professionals and consumers, and the Drug Information Pathfinder.
National Guideline Clearinghouse
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
PubMed
National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health launching point for health sciences information, from peer-reviewed literature to clinical trials. Be sure to look at the quick start guide, information on finding the full text of articles, and the tutorials. Also check out the citation matchers, useful if you have incomplete information about an article.
TOXNET
National Library of Medicine online database of toxicology information
Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy - Online
Online version, with features not available in the print version, and "continuously updated to ensure that the information is as up-to-date as possible."