Library Subject Guides
As a Health Sciences student, you are expected to find and use high-quality literature. You'll need to use a range of different sources and demonstrate your ability to find good results in order to impress your tutors and to develop your skills for evidence-based practice.
This page shows you the best resources to use. See the Tutorials and guides tab for help in planning and developing a search strategy.
Books are a great place to start your research. They contain useful summaries about what's happening in your field and can help you to establish the key theories and background of your research. As well as books specifically covering your subject, the Library also holds lots of titles to help you develop your study skills.
Books contain references to other resources that you can explore for more in-depth information when you have understood the basics.
Use YorSearch, the Library catalogue. Some books will be available as e-books that you can access online from anywhere; look for the View Online link in YorSearch..
Each of your modules will have a reading list of suggested books - look for the Reading Lists link on each module site in the VLE.
Many of the books you need will be located in the Y section of the Library for Medicine and Nursing, although you may also need to look elsewhere.
Click to reveal a list of common shelf locations for Health Sciences
If you're a member of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) or the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), you also have access to their full range of online resources. Find out more with the links below.
Journals, sometimes called periodicals, are collections of articles published regularly. Articles contain the most-up-to-date research content and often go into more depth than books. They are a fantastic source of criticism and discussion of issues in practice and research.
Some journals are more academic in focus and contain summaries of research; some are more focused on current professional issues that you might encounter in practice.
Some useful journals to read regularly are:
These are all freely available from the Library but you might also like to consider a personal subscription to important professional journals.
If you know the name of the journal you need, you can search for it in YorSearch. Most journals can be accessed online by logging in with your University username and password; look for the View Online link. Some will also be available in print in the Library. You can also browse our electronic journals using BrowZine.
It's important that you keep up-to-date with changes in health policy and governance.
NHS England provides publications, resources and statistics on the work of the NHS.
The Department of Health provides information on health care policy and consultations:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) provides information on global health issues.
Other organisations and charities carry out extensive research into health care policy and practice. Some examples are below.
The Library subscribes to a range of sources of statistics and data, which are provided on the E-resources Guide Datasets and Statistics list.
Some key sources are listed below:
Please note that the University has access to the core Statista database. You will not have access to Statista Global Consumer Survey and Statista Company Database.
To start a more detailed search for articles and other research evidence, you'll need to use online databases. These are collections of resources that allow you to search for articles from hundreds of different journals at the same time.
You'll also have access to databases in practice, so it's a good idea to get used to how they work and the kinds of evidence that are available.
You'll find our full range of databases through the E-resources Guide.
Box of Broadcasts (BoB) is an on demand TV and radio service for education. You can record and access an extensive archive from 65 free-to-air channels, create clips from programmes and compile playlists. See what you can discover today!
The Library provides access to a range of resources that can help you to develop skills for use in practice.
These resources, that provide step-by-step instructions and suggestions for further reading are a good starting point:
The BNF is also available in print in the Library; find the latest edition through YorSearch.