How do I find the latest research?

These resources are available free to anyone via the Internet and offer useful tools for discovering new research in a wide variety of subject areas.

1. Smithsonian Research Online.
2. Google Scholar.
3. Mendeley.
4. ResearchGate.
5. DRIVER.
6. JournalTOCs.

How do you keep up with research in your field?

How to keep your head above water

1. Set up citation alerts for your own articles.
2. Set up new article alerts for academics in your field.
3. Set up new article alerts for key topics in your field.
4. Check Google Scholar’s “my updates” once a month.
5. Subscribe to Table of Contents alerts.

Why is it important to have up to date research?

It is important to keep up to date with current research findings, new innovations in care, recent trends in patient problems, trends in patient outcomes and changes in the social, political and system context of the care we provide.

Why is up to date research important in nursing?

Research helps nurses determine effective best practices and improve patient care. The findings from peer-reviewed studies can correct old misunderstandings, pave the way for new treatment protocols and create new methodology — all of which improve patient outcomes.

How do you find the right topic for your research?

Your research problem should be related to the current needs in the field and well-suited for the present status of the issues in your field. Explore what topics are being covered in current journals in the field. Look at calls from relevant disciplinary organizations. Review your research center agenda and focused topics.

How do you identify a problem in research?

Your research problem should be original and unique. It should seek to address a gap in our knowledge or application. An exhaustive review of literature can help you identify whether the problem has already been addressed with your particular sample and/or context. Talking to experts in the research area can illuminate a problem.

How can my research problem have a positive impact on the field?

Your research problem should have a positive impact on the field. The impact can be practical, in the form of direct application of the results in the field, or conceptual, where the work advances the field by filling a knowledge gap.

How do you determine the timeliness of a research problem?

Identifying a current question in the field and supporting the problem with the recent literature can justify the problem timeliness. Your research problem should be original and unique. It should seek to address a gap in our knowledge or application.