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.
