Nursing - Houston

What is research, and what is qualitative versus quantitative research? What is mixed methods research? Many different homework assignments ask the student to locate qualitative research or quantitative research articles.  See https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/pce_program_methods.html for some definitions. The British Library has a site describing qualitative research.   Also, the US PubMed Central data source has an article describing qualitative research.  Mixed methods research, a combination of different types of research, can be studied at a  US National Institutes of Health information source here.  Many resources throughout the world concern themselves with ethical research conduct, including how to carefully manage individuals who are the subject of research and clinical trials (see NIH Clinical Research Trials and You). The US National Institutes of Health and also the Australian government display a National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, and the UK government has much information concerning the National Health Service Health Research Authority and more. 

A systematic review is a detailed research process often taking a year of the creator's (your) time. Many wonderful resources describe this product, including the Cochrane Handbook (at https://training.cochrane.org/handbook), and at the Library for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (at https://www.cdc.gov/library/researchguides/systematicreviews.html).  Much has been written about this process using PRISMA (see http://prisma-statement.org/).

Scoping reviews (see https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M18-0850?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org) also can use PRISMA, which is a kind of checklist of items needed to consider for inclusion within either research process. Scoping reviews are described at Cochrane training (see https://training.cochrane.org/resource/scoping-reviews-what-they-are-and-how-you-can-do-them). Cochrane has much helpful information on doing in depth research well.

Either a systematic or a scoping review involves a detailed process where an exhaustive search of the literature is made and then the data is managed. This means that you will select which databases are the best for your searching (see A-Z Databases.)  In the health sciences, some great databases to which TWU subscribes are  PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Science Direct.The data downloaded will need to be carefully curated or managed. This management of data can be facilitated with the RefWorks bibliographic manager (see https://libguides.twu.edu/refworks). Other information management tools may include the no-cost Rayyan (see https://www.rayyan.ai/) and other products. Your TWU librarians can be of help you you in your journey through these processes.

Don't forget RefWorks 3.0 to help you manage your research! Here is a exhaustive 30 minute video explaining RefWorks.

The  American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, (APA) 7th edition Introduction is available here: https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition-introduction.pdf

In January 2020, the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual became available.

This introduction outlines the differences between the 6th and 7th editions of APA Style, including, for example, the use of one space after a period at the end of a sentence (and not two spaces). The 7th edition is available in your TWU libraries. There are e-books available for sale for some popular personal readers.

Don't forget RefWorks 3.0 to help you manage your research!

Locate great places to publish at Ulrich's Periodicals Database. You can input a subject like functional foods and find a list of authoritative, peer-reviewed journals and information about how you can get published with them.

At http://libguides.twu.edu/c.php?g=270205&p=1803134 you can find information on open access publishing, including the Repository @ TWU. You can learn more about open access at the Directory of Open Access Journals (see https://doaj.org/about)  PLOS at Creative Commons (at https://creativecommons.org/about/) and at resources like SPARCalid.

A 12 minute video guiding librarians on how to partner with others in order to get published may be of help to you here.

Please be careful. It can be difficult to identify valid, peer-reviewed, authoritative journals in the mass of a business model that has publication offers popping up constantly in your email. Many appeals to the potential author appear, on the surface, to be scholarly, valid research organs of communication, but careful research reveals that the appeals are actually something else. Please ask your librarian for help or do the research yourself.

To determine if an offer to be published is the kind of high quality journal you seek, library scientists have produced some helpful resources. Take the title and any other information you have about the title and start your search. Trust, but verify.

Health Statistics Portals/Gateways

STATISTICS  Tools

TDS Health: EBMcalc

Here are medical formulas, decision tree analyses and clinical criteria sets.

To access these tools, login to the STAT!Ref database, then scroll down the screen to EBMcalc. Click on Introduction to get started

See resources including Unit conversions (Area, Basic Unit, Benzodiazepine dosing, Energy, etc.), Math Calculator, Allowable Blood Loss, Cardiac Output, Estimated Blood Volume, Apgar Score, Caprini DVT Risk Score, Gupta Perioperative Risk Estimate and more.

Tools include the following and MORE:

Medical Equations:
  - Bayesian Statistics I & II MultiCalc
  - Confidence Interval of Survey
  - False Negative Rate from Sensitivity and
     Prevalence
  - Kappa Measurement of Inter-observer
      Agreement
  - Likelihood Ratio of Positive from Raw Data
  - Negative Predictive Value of a Test
  - Odds Ratio and Relative Risk
  - Risk Education / Number Needed to Treat
  - Survey Sample Size with Population Correction
  - Z Score to Percentile Estimation, etc.

EBM Pyramid
Filtered / UnFiltered

Cochrane Library Evidence Pyramid: