Finding and Using Information: A guide for nursing, health and social care (Essentials)

Finding and Using Information is an accessible textbook for nursing, health and social care students seeking to improve their information skills. Starting with a self-assessment checklist and through clear explanations, examples and activities, the book will help you to develop a toolkit for dealing with information throughout your studies and beyond. You will learn:

• How to identify what information you need and how to find the best sources
• About browsing the web and how to work effectively with web-based information tools
• How to identify and evaluate trustworthy sources of information
• Ways of managing and keeping track of the information you find so that you can retrieve it when you need it
• About the importance of acknowledging, citing and referencing information
• How to use academic databases
• How to plan and carry out an advanced literature search

Written by a highly experienced learning and research librarian, this book will help you to develop the information skills you need for your studies and to achieve the standards of proficiency required to practise your health and care profession effectively.

Contents

About the author
Introduction

1 Seeking information – knowing what you’re looking for
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The ‘information landscape’ – types of information
1.3 Knowing why you’re searching
1.4 Conclusion

2 Locating information – tracking down sources
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Places to search
2.3 Reading lists
2.4 Finding books on the library shelves
2.5 Words
2.6 Taking control of your search
2.7 Searching inside
2.8 Conclusion

3 Browsing information – understanding the web
3.1 Introduction
3.2 What is the web?
3.3 Understanding web addresses (URLs)
3.4 Health and social care websites
3.5 Getting more from Google searching
3.6 Filter bubbles
3.7 Disappearing web-based information
3.8 AI and internet searching
3.9 Conclusion

4 Selecting information – evaluating sources
4.1 Introduction
4.2 B – Bias
4.3 R – Relevance
4.4 E – Evidence
4.5 A – Author
4.6 D – Date
4.7 Bringing B, R, E, A and D together
4.8 Misinformation, disinformation and fake news
4.9 Triangulation
4.10 Conclusion

5 Navigating information – the anatomy of a research article
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Types of research article
5.3 The structure of a research article
5.4 Reading the article
5.5 Research hierarchies
5.6 Critical appraisal of research
5.7 Conclusion

6 Organising information – keeping track
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Storing your own documents
6.3 Storing messages
6.4 Rediscovering sources
6.5 Alerts for new sources
6.6 Conclusion

7 Acknowledging information – citing and referencing
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Why reference?
7.3 Academic integrity
7.4 Referencing styles
7.5 In-text citations – signposting
7.6 References – providing the detail
7.7 Tips for referencing and citing effectively
7.8 Phantom references
7.9 Citing and referencing AI-generated text and images
7.10 Automating the process
7.11 Conclusion

8 Sifting information – academic databases
8.1 Introduction
8.2 What are databases?
8.3 Health and social care databases
8.4 Boolean operators
8.5 Using database features
8.6 Citation tracking
8.7 Conclusion

9 Scoping information – planning an advanced literature search
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Defining the question or topic
9.3 Deciding where to search
9.4 Choosing search terms
9.5 Applying limits to the search
9.6 Other means to identify literature
9.7 Planning a search relating to underserved populations
9.8 Conclusion

10 Exploring information – doing an advanced literature search
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Entering your search terms
10.3 Screening the results
10.4 Obtaining the literature
10.5 Recording and reporting the search
10.6 Conclusion

11 Sharing information – getting yourself known
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Creating social media content
11.3 Presenting at conferences
11.4 Student publishing
11.5 Writing for your audience
11.6 Conclusion

Glossary
References
Index

David Bedford is a Learning and Research Librarian at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), with 14 years of experience supporting students on a wide variety of courses. During this time, he has worked with students and staff from over 20 different medical, health and social care professions on courses taught by the Universities of Greenwich and Kent as well as CCCU. He has a particular interest in how people engage emotionally with information and with the process of selecting trustworthy sources to use in study and in life. David has written journal articles and guest posts on national blogs, and has also written for the theatre. In June 2020, he was awarded the Professional Services University Teaching Excellence Award by CCCU for his work supporting information and digital literacies, including tackling the issue of library anxiety among students. David is a member of CILIP (the library and information association) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.