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Nursing

A program guide to nursing research and resources at NOVA. Direct comments to kmentzer@nvcc.edu or dkearney@nvcc.edu

Need Help?

For individual research help, schedule an appointment to meet with a librarian.

Online Encyclopedias

Below are a few places you can find definitions and encyclopedia articles, just remember that you will have to login with your myNOVA username and password.

Search Tips

 

Use broad terms, as encyclopedias usually provide general overviews of topics.

medication error

Use quotation marks ( "  " ) around phrases (two or more words); this tells the database to look for the words in a specific order.

"nurse intervention"

Why to Use Reference Books

An encyclopedia is a type of reference book. Use a reference book to:

  • Define important vocabulary words related to your topic,
  • Find a basic overview and main issues related to your topic,
  • Find references to additional resources, and
  • Discover important background information related to your topic.

You will typically not use a reference book or encyclopedia as a source in your research.  The information in these sources is for your own background knowledge.