LibGuides: Occupational Therapy: Finding Journal Articles

Searching for Journal Articles - Where and How

Do you need to find the full text of academic peer-reviewed journals articles? Whether you need one article for discussion or several for a research paper, you won't find them all in one place. Consider where you are searching (the type of articles that are in the collection or database), and how you are able to search (the time-saving features of the database that reduce the number of articles you have to look through and bring the articles you want to the top of the list.)

Steps in performing a Literature Search:

1. Identify the Research Question using PICO(T) (Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time)

2. Refine the Research Question / Explore the Available Research using a broad search of the Library Catalog or combined search of multiple databases.

3. Identify Databases that have Journal Articles, Reports, etc. with the Subjects and Formats you are looking for.

4. Explore the Features and Search Tools that are available in each of these databases.

5. Search for Evidence-Based Research articles and download the Full-Text to your computer.

6. Get the Full-Text of additional Important and Recent Articles that you plan to cite or quote from.

7. Critically Evaluate each study.

8. Write your Paper, using the online RefWorks citation software to assist with APA citation format.

Find Occupational Therapy Articles

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete is the world's most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals and a total of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
CINAHL Ultimate This link opens in a new window
CINAHL Ultimate is a robust collection of full text for nursing & allied health journals, providing full text for more than 925 journals indexed in CINAHL®. This authoritative file contains full text for many of the most used journals in the CINAHL index, with no embargo. CINAHL Ultimate is the core research tool for all areas of nursing and allied health literature. Indexing dates back to 1937.
MEDLINE Ultimate This link opens in a new window
MEDLINE Ultimate provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more. With indexing coverage dating back to 1857 and 1650 full-text journals dating back to 1865, MEDLINE Ultimate is the definitive research tool for medical literature.

OT Seeker
OTseeker is a database that contains abstracts of systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and other resources relevant to occupational therapy interventions. Most trials have been critically appraised for their validity and interpretability. In one database, OTseeker provides fast and easy access to information from a wide range of sources to inform occupational therapy.

ProQuest Health & Medical Complete This link opens in a new window
This database offers reliable, comprehensive journal coverage of clinical and biomedical topics, consumer health, health administration and more.
ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Premium This link opens in a new window
This database offers reliable, comprehensive coverage of the fields of nursing and allied health including journals, video, dissertations, reference books and more.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
PubMed comprises more than 35 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
Rehabilitation Reference Center This link opens in a new window
A clinical reference tool designed for use by rehabilitation clinicians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists at the point of care. You can use this resource to find clinical reviews, journal articles, books, and patient information. An exciting feature of this database is the ability to customize patient information sheets with illustrated instructions for therapeutic exercises, your contact information, and any special instructions you may have for the patient.
SPORTDiscus with Full Text This link opens in a new window
SPORTDiscus with Full Text is the world's most comprehensive source of full text for sports & sports medicine journals, providing full text for 550 journals indexed in SPORTDiscus. This authoritative file contains full text for many of the most used journals in the SPORTDiscus index - with no embargo. With full-text coverage dating back to 1985, SPORTDiscus with Full Text is the definitive research tool for all areas of sports & sports medicine literature.