What is Peer Review?
This brief (but excellent) video from California State University, Dominguez Hills explains what peer review is and why it is important.
Useful Databases for Information about Health Behaviors
- QuickSearch This link opens in a new windowQuickSearch combines results from many search tools for you to review in one list. Results come from the Wright State catalog and hundreds of library databases including all of our Ebscohost databases, JSTOR, the Web of Science, and others. Use the "Peer-Reviewed" check box to the left of your list of citations retrieved.
- APA PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
Indexes psychology literature and related disciplines including psychiatry, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, cognitive science, and linguistics. Includes journals and book chapters. Use Historic PsycINFO to identify literature published as early as the 1920s. Links occur to full-text when available.
- CINAHL This link opens in a new window
Search journal literature related to nursing and the allied health disciplines. Also contains early-release citations for pre-published journal articles.
- MEDLINE (PubMed) This link opens in a new window
MEDLINE PubMed provides free access to the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) premier database – MEDLINE. Content is citations and abstracts from national and international journals covering all aspects of biomedicine including allied health and other fields as they relate to medicine or healthcare.
- SPORTDiscus This link opens in a new window
Search this comprehensive resource for sports, physical fitness and sports medicine literature. Full-text content comes from books, conference proceedings, and journals.
Evaluating and Reading Your Sources (including research in the health sciences)
Before you rely on ANY type of information (websites, media, books, articles), you should evaluate whether the source is credible. Here are some options that may help.
- Evaluating Information - Media SourcesWright State University Libraries (Videos only - no quizzes). How do you know if the article you found is good enough to use for your assignment? Learn strategies for evaluating sources whether you find them on the Internet, in the library, or in the library’s databases.
- Evaluating Online Sources through Lateral ReadingA one-page handout from the University of Louisville which contrasts how you may have been taught to evaluate online sources with how you should evaluate them.
- Evaluating scientific claims (or, do we have to take the scientist's word for it?)Published by Scientific American in 2011, but still relevant.
- Know the Science: 9 Questions To Help You Make Sense of Health ResearchThe National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) provides 9 questions for "understanding the basics of scientific studies to help you make better health decisions".
- Bad EvidenceIrwig L, Irwig J, Trevena L, et al. Smart Health Choices: Making Sense of Health Advice. London: Hammersmith Press; 2008. Chapter 3, Bad evidence. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK63649/
- Simple Steps to Reading Scholarly ArticlesWright State University Libraries. Videos only (no quizzes). Strategies for reading academic articles.
What does it mean to contribute to the scholarly conversation?
When you write and prepare papers and presentations in your courses and subsequently in your career, you are contributing to the ongoing research conversation about a matter of concern in your chosen career or field. You are not simply stringing together quotes or summaries from sources, but you are thoughtfully selecting and using sources to demonstrate your own understanding and ideas about the topic.
Take a look at these videos to find out more about how to use sources to contribute to the scholarly conversation while still allowing your own ideas to be heard.
- How Library Stuff Works: Scholarship as ConversationVideo from McMaster University Libraries
- Integrating Your SourcesWright State University Libraries. You’ve searched for articles and books and you have a list of sources that are on your topic. Now how are you supposed to use them in your paper? In this workshop, staff from the Writing Center and a librarian will take you through the process of integrating those sources in your paper. Learn how to quote and paraphrase while avoiding plagiarism and keeping your voice the focus of your paper (or presentation or project). Part 3 explains how your work contributes to the scholarly conversation.
Appropriately Integrating Your Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
- Integrating Your Sources - Qualtrics ModuleA Research Toolkit workshop with quizzes to assess your knowledge.
- How to Avoid PlagiarismA variety of links with tips for avoiding plagiarism.
- How to Use a Writing Cleanroom to Avoid Plagiarismby Jonathan Bailey for PlagiarismToday
- Avoiding Plagiarism: The Harvard Guide to Using SourcesThis particular page provides excellent tips on how to avoid plagiarism, especially unintentional plagiarism. The entire guide, published by the Harvard College Writing Program, is useful for establishing good research and writing habits from start to finish. A navigation bar is available in the left column.
APA Style
- APA Style HelpGeneral APA guidelines, samples and templates, and sample citations for various types of sources.
