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NURS 3030: Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing

STEP 2: Read and Reflect

Before developing search terms for the main concepts of your PICOT question, it is essential to do some background reading. Becoming knowledgeable about the general subject matter of your PICOT question will help you develop good search terms.

For example, if the Population in your PICOT question is "community-dwelling older adults," it might help to do a quick search on those keywords alone, in order to familiarize yourself with who community-dwelling older adults are, or what it means to be community-dwelling. If your Intervention is "social support," you can do some background reading to understand different types of social support. 

Listed below are recommended resources for finding background information: 

Research Databases


UTMOST Search


Print Books & E-Books


Clinical, Point-of-Care Resources


Reliable Websites

  • Professional, authoritative websites can be used when looking up background information on a clinical topic. Please exercise extra caution before "Googling" information or utilizing a website as a resource.
  • Consult the Evaluating Information LibGuide for guidance