Academic databases – Academic databases are an invaluable resource for nursing research as they contain peer-reviewed scholarly articles, journals, and studies. Some top databases to search include CINAHL, PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and others available through your school library. Using specific search terms related to your topic, you can find current evidence and literature to support your project. When searching, be sure to tailor your searches to find full-text, peer-reviewed articles published within the last 5-10 years.

Institutional repositories – Your university library website likely has an institutional repository that houses theses, dissertations, and capstone projects completed by previous students at your institution. Browsing these can provide you with ideas on how other students have structured their projects and give you an understanding of what is expected for your own work. You may also find previous studies conducted that relate to your topic area. Speaking to a librarian can help you access your school’s repository.

Government websites – Government agencies frequently fund nursing research and publish findings and data on their websites for open access. Resources like ClinicalTrials.gov allow you to see whether any studies relevant to your topic are currently in progress or have recently been completed. Sites like those of the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are good places to search for statistics, data sources, reports, and studies using .govdomain suffixes.

Reference books – Nursing programs commonly have textbooks, handbooks, and nursing references covering a variety of topics in their physical collections. Browsing relevant reference books can expose you to more background information on your topic as well as provide references you may be able to subsequently find full-text online. Speaking to a reference librarian can help identify keywords to search the catalog for applicable titles.

Grey literature – Conferences, organizational reports, dissertations, working papers, and other “grey literature” not published commercially may contain relevant data and findings. Searching sites like ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global and EThOS can uncover regional or institutional studies not represented in academic databases. Reaching out to relevant nursing organizations and asking if they have any white papers, reports, or presentations on your topic area can turn up additional documents.

Librarian support – Your institution’s nursing librarian is a knowledgeable expert specifically dedicated to assisting nursing students with research needs. By discussing your capstone topic with the librarian, they can provide customized searching strategies, recommendations for specific databases to target, and suggest additional resources beyond the common ones. Nursing librarians understand best practices for evidence-based projects and are invaluable for helping plan your research approach.

Interlibrary loan – If after exhaustive searching you are still unable to access the full-text of important articles or documents, consider requesting them through your library’s interlibrary loan service. This allows materials not held locally to be borrowed from other participating libraries, significantly expanding your reach. There may be a nominal fee, but it provides access to important sources that could greatly contribute to your project’s literature review.

In addition to these resources, don’t forget to consider consulting any professional associations, relevant organizations, or government agencies that may have statistical snapshots, program data, or reports applicable to your study topic area. Interviewing subject matter experts, as allowed by your school’s IRB process, could uncover valuable insights to address gaps in the available literature as well. Be sure to methodically keep track of your search strategies and all references as you conduct research using a citation manager, to streamline the literature review and references sections later on. Applying a multifaceted approach to searching many types of sources should allow you to become comprehensively informed regarding your nursing capstone project topic.