Using Canvas to Teach Literature Search Techniques in CINAHL & PubMed to Nursing Students

At the University of California, Irvine, Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, students begin formal training in their junior year. One of the first courses, “Frameworks for Professional Nursing Practice,” focuses on “the scope and standards of professional nursing practice.” Students must complete a paper on a chosen clinical and ethical issue in the nursing profession. Successful completion of this project requires the ability to search the published nursing and medical literature and retrieve relevant information. Since 2007, in cooperation with the course instructor, the Research Librarian for Nursing Science has prepared an assignment for students consisting of a literature search in PubMed and CINAHL for their topic. This assignment followed an in-class instruction session. The goal is twofold: to help prepare students for the work needed to complete the main course assignment, and to familiarize them with the databases and literature search process. Submitted worksheets are reviewed by the librarian who provides feedback to each student