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NURS 312: Physical Assessment and Pathophysiology - Comprehensive Case Study Assignment: Using Web Sources

Research Tips

Some information will be more easily found on the web rather than in journal articles or books.  Choose the most appropriate place for the information you're seeking.

For background information on your patient's race, national origin, or culture, some information may be available at the country level (e.g., France) as well as a broader level (e.g., European Union or Europe).  Try multiple searches if your patient's background relates to more than one possible geographic location.

Organizational and Professional Websites

There may be a group or organization related to your patient's diagnosis.  Try some of these well-known organizations, or search to see if there is one for your patient:

Evaluating Sources

To help decide whether the information you find on the web is reputable, consider these factors:


 

A- Authority

  • Author expertise and qualifications - What are the author's credentials and background in this subject area? Are they affiliated with reputable institutions or organizations? Do they have appropriate education, training, and experience to be knowledgeable on this topic?
  • Type of publication - Is the source a book, academic journal, magazine, newspaper, website, blog? Is it a peer-reviewed scholarly publication? Generally, academic and professional sources are seen as more credible than popular media.
  • Date of publication - Is the source up-to-date for the topic? When was it last updated? How recently was it published?
  • Questioning Authority- Has the authority been questioned? Is this an isolated instance or a well-reasoned, tried and tested argument? Have people disagreed with it, and if so, what merits do their disagreements bear?

B- Biases

  • Publisher reputation - For books/articles, what is the reputation of the publisher? Is it an established, reputable academic press or organization?
  • Site sponsorship - For websites, who is responsible for the site? Is it tied to respected institutions, organizations, companies, or individuals? What might their motivations be for publishing this content?
  • Objectivity - Does the source seem objective and unbiased? Or does it seem driven by a particular agenda or point of view?

C- Craftsmanship

  • Writing quality - Is it clear, accurate, precise, and error-free? Or is the writing poor in quality?
  • Logic and reasoning - Does the author make logical arguments and connections? Is their reasoning biased or emotionally driven?
  • Evidence and citations - Does the author provide citations and references to credible sources? Is the information well-supported by evidence?