Finding evidence
Using up to date and informed evidence aids health professionals to deliver the best care across our health services. This module will teach you learn how to plan and develop an effective search strategy, which will help you find high-quality evidence for your assessments.
What evidence do you need?
There are different kinds of evidence you can use. Did you know that the source of information can influence the kind of information you'll find?
Academic Articles
Academic articles provide the latest academic and clinical research, peer-reviewed by experts.
Watch the video What is Peer Review (3:41) to learn about the peer review process.
Books
Textbooks are useful for well-established facts, often information 20 or more years old.
Websites
Websites can provide government policy, standards, professional guidelines and consumer health information.
How to search for different evidence types
Choose the type of evidence based on what will best answer your question and your assessment requirements. For more information, see our page on Information sources.
Expand the below sections to learn how to find the most common evidence types.
Search for books
You can find books and book chapters using Library Search. Enter relevant keywords and filter your search by resource type, selecting 'books'. You can also add other relevant limiters, e.g. date ranges.
- If you have a specific reference to a book or book chapter that you would like to find e.g. your textbook, search for the book title in Library Search.
- If the title is not very unique, trying adding the author's surname to your search (e.g. Macroeconomics Gordon).
- Once you have found the title and edition you require, check which campus(es) the title is available from, and if it is available as an e-book.
Search for journal articles
Academic articles are also known as peer reviewed, scholarly, or refereed articles. Continue working through this guide to learn how to find high-quality articles that are relevant to your topic.
If you are struggling to find the full-text (PDF) of an academic article that you would like to access, try following these steps:
- Search for the article title in Library Search and check if it is available as a PDF or with the 'Find it @ Deakin' button.
- Search for the article title in Google Scholar and use the find it @ Deakin button (you will need to link your Deakin library access)
- Use the Deakin bookmarklet (if you are searching via Google) to bypass paywalls – sometimes (as in the case for the above links, the articles are open access and available freely online).
- Ask for help through Library Chat.
Search for websites
Searching for evidence through Google can be a useful way to discover reports, policies, and user-generated content (e.g. blog posts, social media, news).
Check out our Complex searching through Google handout for guidance on building an effective Google search.