PubMed search
Getting Started
Databases to Start with:
- MEDLINE (Ovid)Searches MEDLINE, which is the primary source of journal articles for the health sciences (fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, public health, health care systems, and basic sciences). Ovid MEDLINE is optimized for advanced literature searches. Coverage is from the 1940s to the present.
- CINAHL Ultimate (Nursing & Allied Health)Covers nursing and allied health journal articles, book chapters, and dissertations, as well as providing summarized evidence-based resources such as care sheets and quick lessons.
- PubMedSearches MEDLINE, which is the primary source of journal articles for the health sciences (fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, public health, health care systems, and basic sciences). Coverage is from the 1940s to the present. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
Then try any of the following:
- OTseekerOT seeker is a database that contains abstracts of systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials relevant to occupational therapy. Trials have been critically appraised and rated to assist you to evaluate their validity and interpretability.
- Google Scholar (Setup connection to get to PDFs)Use Google Scholar to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, research institutes, and scholarly repositories from colleges and universities. If you are using from off-campus access, change the "Library Settings" to University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Look for the "FindIt@U of M Twin Cities" links in your Google Scholar search results to access full text and PDFs. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- ScopusSearch for information from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Covers the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Health Sciences Research Toolkit
Resources, tips, and guidelines to help you through the research process.
Finding Information
Library Research Checklist
Helpful hints for starting a library research project.
Search Strategy Checklist and Tips
Helpful tips on how to develop a literature search strategy.
Boolean Operators: A Cheat Sheet
Boolean logic (named after mathematician George Boole) is a system of logic to designed to yield optimal search results. The Boolean operators, AND, OR, and NOT, help you construct a logical search. Boolean operators act on sets -- groups of records containing a particular word or concept.
Literature Searching
Overview and tips on how to conduct a literature search.
Health Statistics and Data Sources
Health related statistics and data sources are increasingly available on the Internet. They can be found already neatly packaged, or as raw data sets. The most reliable data comes from governmental sources or health-care professional organizations.
Evaluating Information
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources in the Health Sciences
Understand what are considered primary, secondary and tertiary sources.
Scholarly vs Popular Journals/Magazines
How to determine what are scholarly journals vs trade or popular magazines.
Identifying Peer-Reviewed Journals
A “peer-reviewed” or “refereed” journal is one in which the articles it contains have been examined by people with credentials in the article’s field of study before it is published.
Evaluating Web Resources
When searching for information on the Internet, it is important to be aware of the quality of the information being presented to you. Keep in mind that anyone can host a web site. To be sure that the information you are looking at is credible and of value.
Conducting Research Through An Anti-Racism Lens
This guide is for students, staff, and faculty who are incorporating an anti-racist lens at all stages of the research life cycle.
Understanding Research Study Designs
Covers case studies, randomized control trials, systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
Qualitative Studies
Overview of what is a qualitative study and how to recognize, find and critically appraise.
Writing and Publishing
Citing Sources
Citations are brief notations in the body of a research paper that point to a source in the bibliography or references cited section.
Structure of a Research Paper
Reports of research studies usually follow the IMRAD format. IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, [and] Discussion) is a mnemonic for the major components of a scientific paper. These elements are included in the overall structure of a research paper.
Top Reasons for Non-Acceptance of Scientific Articles
Avoid these mistakes when preparing an article for publication.
Annotated Bibliographies
Guide on how to create an annotated bibliography.
Writing guides, Style Manuals and the Publication Process in the Biological and Health Sciences
Style manuals, citation guides as well as information on public access policies, copyright and plagiarism.
eBooks on Professional Development & Ethics
Books On Professional Development & Ethics
Professionalism Across Occupational Therapy Practice by
ISBN: 9781630910914Publication Date: 2017-03-30Professionalism Across Occupational Therapy Practice by Dr. Elizabeth D. DeIuliis provides an overview of the wide-ranging knowledge, skills, and attitudes that encompass professionalism across the occupational therapy profession. While there is no formal endorsed definition of professionalism in occupational therapy practice, suggestions are provided to serve as a blueprint for use. Professionalism in occupational therapy practice is a dynamic sophistication, exemplified by a combination of an individual's personal skill set, knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes, and the adoption of the moral and ethical values of the profession and society. Dr. DeIuliis illustrates the concept of professionalism as a unique combination of intrinsic and extrinsic qualities surrounding key constructs of ethics, responsibility, competency and behavior. Professionalism Across Occupational Therapy Practice discusses these various expectations in the academic setting, the clinic, workplace, and in general society. Professionalism Across Occupational Therapy Practice utilizes a developmental approach to teaching and learning, paralleling the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (2001). This classification system provides a graded, holistic methodology to human teaching and learning. The concept of professionalism will be exemplified by using both a knowledge-based approach to subject matter requiring higher-level learning such as metacognition, which is a crucial component of professionalism. The chapter objectives and learning activities will challenge the reader to recall, comprehend, apply analysis, synthesize, evaluate, and create knowledge directly to their context. Due to recent changes in healthcare, educational standards, and societal influence, the expectation of professionalism has been under greater scrutiny across health and social care professions. Professionalism Across Occupational Therapy Practice is the ideal text to provide a blueprint for occupational therapy students, faculty, and practitioners to fulfill our profession's potential and achieve the American Occupational Therapy Association's Vision 2025.Willard and Spackman's Occupational Therapy by
ISBN: 9781975106584Publication Date: 2018-10-17Celebrating 100 years of the Occupational Therapy profession, this Centennial Edition of Willard & Spackman's Occupational Therapy continues to live up to its well-earned reputation as the foundational book that welcomes students into their newly chosen profession. Now fully updated to reflect current practice, the 13th Edition remains the must-have resource that students that will use throughout their entire OT program, from class to fieldwork and throughout their careers. One of the top texts informing the NBCOT certification exam, it is a must have for new practitioners. Packed with first-person narratives that offer a unique perspective on the lives of those living with disease, this edition offers much that is new as it continues to help students and clinicians develop the knowledge and skills they need to apply a client-centered, evidence-based and culturally relevant approach across the full spectrum of practice settings.Rehabilitation Ethics for Interprofessional Practice by
ISBN: 9781449647780Publication Date: 2016-02-01Rehabilitation professionals need to be grounded in moral principles in order to meet the needs of patients and effectively collaborate in interprofessional healthcare teams. Rehabilitation Ethics for Interprofessional Practice introduces a common language and theory for interdisciplinary ethics education and practice while establishing a moral foundation and guiding readers in how to put ethical principles into action. The text begins by describing the moral commons, a framework for ethical deliberation characterized by mutual respect for personal and professional identity, common language, inclusion of relevant stakeholders, and the dialogic process. The authors then describe the Dialogic Engagement Model (DEM), gives professionals a structure and space for learning and understanding within their teams as they strive to provide ethical patient care. Rehabilitation Ethics for Interprofessional Practice is forward-looking, grounded in both theory and practice. A resource for facultyOccupational Therapy: Performance, Participation, and Well-Being by
ISBN: 9781617110504Publication Date: 2014-12-30Occupational Therapy: Performance, Participation, and Well-Being, Fourth Edition, is a comprehensive occupational therapy text that introduces students to core knowledge in the profession and the foundations of practice-the occupations, person factors, and environment factors that support performance, participation, and well-being. Editors, Drs. Charles H. Christiansen, Carolyn M. Baum, and Julie D. Bass, are joined by more than 40 international scholars who bring students, faculty, and practitioners the evidence that supports occupational therapy practice. The PEOP Model 4th Edition is featured as an exemplar of a person-environment-occupation model and provides a valuable roadmap for understanding key concepts and developing strong clinical reasoning skills in the occupational therapy process. Features: Examines the theories, models, frameworks, and classifications that support contemporary knowledge of person, environment, and occupational factors. Presents detailed chapters on the occupations of children and youth, adults, older adults, organizations, and populations Provides extensive coverage of the person factors (psychological, cognition, sensory, motor, physiological, spirituality) and environment factors (culture, social, physical, policy, technology) that support occupational performance Includes exceptional content on the essentials of professional practice - therapeutic use of self, evidence-based practice, professionalism, lifelong development, ethics, business fundamentals, and critical concepts Builds clear links with the AOTA's Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, Third Edition; International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and accreditation standards for entry-level occupational therapy programs. Introduces emerging practice areas of self-management, community-based practice, technology, and teaching/learning and opportunities to work with organizations and populations Incorporates international and global perspectives on core knowledge and occupational therapy practice. Documents assessments, interventions, resources, and evidence in user-friendly tables Uses simple and complex cases to illustrate key concepts and ideas.
Online Resources for Professionalism & Ethics
Professionalism
- Lecours, A., Baril, N., & Drolet, M. J. (2021). What is Professionalism in Occupational Therapy? A Concept Analysis: Qu'est-ce que le professionnalisme en ergothérapie? Analyse de ce concept. Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapie, 88(2), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417421994377
- Reiter, K., Helgeson, L., & Lee, S. C. (2018). Enhancing Professionalism Among OT Students: The Culture of Professionalism. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 2 (3). https://doi.org/10.26681/ jote.2018.020308
Ethics
- AOTA 2020 Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics
- The 2020 Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics (the Code) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is designed to reflect the dynamic nature of the occupational therapy profession, the evolving health care environment, and emerging technologies that can present potential ethical concerns in practice, research, education, and policy. AOTA members are committed to promoting inclusion, participation, safety, and well-being for all recipients of service in various stages of life, health, and illness and to empowering all beneficiaries of service to meet their occupational needs. Recipients of services may be persons, groups, families, organizations, communities, or populations (AOTA, 2020)
Citation Management
About citation managers
Citation managers are software packages used to create personalized databases of citation information and notes. They allow you to:
- import and organize citation information from article indexes and other sources
- save pdfs and other documents
- format citations for your papers and bibliographies using APA, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver, and many other styles
- include your own notes
Choose a citation manager
- Citation managers used at the UMN compared
- What is a citation manager?
- Wikipedia's comparison of reference management software
Citation managers we support
Contact us for support with the following citation tools or attend a workshop.
EndNote Basic
EndNote Desktop
- Purchase EndNote (U of M educational discount)
- Learn about EndNote
Mendeley
Zotero
BibTeX users can find more information in our BibTeX guide.
APA Style
APA Style (American Psychological Association)
- Books
- Concise rules of APA style
1. Concise and bias-free writing -- 2. Punctuation, spelling, and capitalization -- 3. Italicizing and abbreviating -- 4. Numbers, metrication, and statistics -- 5. Tables -- 6. Figures -- 7. Footnotes and appendixes -- 8. Quotations, reference citations in text, and reference list -- 9. Reference examples. - Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
- The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition) is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, educators, and professionals in psychology, sociology, business, economics, nursing, social work, and justice administration.
- Writing with style: APA style made easy
- Introduction: the laypeople and you -- Some generalizations about how psychologists write -- Preparing the introduction section and the literature review paper -- Preparing the method section -- Preparing the results section -- Preparing the discussion section -- Preparing the abstract -- Preparing the references section -- Preparing a title page and formatting your manuscript -- Grooming tips for psychology papers -- Preparing a presentation -- Wrapping it up.
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- Introduction: the laypeople and you -- Some generalizations about how psychologists write -- Preparing the introduction section and the literature review paper -- Preparing the method section -- Preparing the results section -- Preparing the discussion section -- Preparing the abstract -- Preparing the references section -- Preparing a title page and formatting your manuscript -- Grooming tips for psychology papers -- Preparing a presentation -- Wrapping it up.
- Concise rules of APA style
- Internet Resources
- American Psychological Association (APA) style examples
- Monash University
- APA Format Citation Guide
- Mendeley.com
- APA Formatting And Style Guide (7th ed.)
- OWL Online Writing Lab, Purdue University.
- APA Quick Citation Guide
- Penn State University Libraries
- Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style
- From the American Psychological Association.
This tutorial is designed for those who have no previous knowledge of APA Style®. It shows users how to structure and format their work, recommends ways to reduce bias in language, identifies how to avoid charges of plagiarism, shows how to cite references in text, and provides selected reference examples.
- From the American Psychological Association.
- Bow Valley College Guide to APA Style
- Bow Valley College, California. Covers all aspects of APA style. Includes online tutorials and a set of FAQs
- Paper Format (APA Style)
- From APA.org - covers title, margins, line spacing, headers and more.
- How to Write a Paper in APA Format
- From VeryWellMind.com
- Student Paper Format - APA Style
- From Towson University
- American Psychological Association (APA) style examples