First, start off in the Cochrane Library. Online access to the Cochrane Library through Hunter Library provides direct access to full-text, high quality systematic reviews of healthcare research. Systematic reviews look at numerous research studies, offer summaries for them, and then provide recommendations according to the preponderance of the evidence found across multiple research studies. Cochrane’s systematic reviews are considered a gold standard of evidence-based information. To access full-text online Cochrane Library:

1. Go to the Hunter Library homepage and click the All Resources A-Z link at the right of the page.
2. Click the letter C in the alphabetical list.
3. Click the Cochrane Library link
4. If you are not on the Cullowhee campus, you will be prompted to enter your name and ID number (your 92- number you use to get into WebCAT and other stuff).
5. Once you are in Cochrane Library, in the Search For box enter the least number of words possible to describe your topic. Due to the specialized nature of the information, the database contains fewer records than other research databases. It is better to start out with a single word or short phrase than to get too specific.
   For example: urinary catheter instead of preventing urinary catheter infection
6. Hit the Search button. When results appear, look to the right of the page until you see the words “Restrict To:” and click Reviews. This step focuses your search on the systematic reviews. (Also, you will not see tempting titles marked “Protocol” that sound so good, but only provide protocols for conducting systematic reviews not yet completed.)
7. Look through the list of results. When you see a title you like, click Record. The introductory text of the review then opens and you can read the abstract of the review, click on links to the left of the review to get to different sections of the review, or, best of all in my humble opinion, click on the link for PDF which brings up a big, beautiful PDF document of the ENTIRE review you can then save to your machine, email yourself, or print. Do not let the number of pages of a review concern you too much; while some are quite long, many of the pages contain lists of references. Plus, these reviews let you can read about MANY research studies all at once.

Next, if you ARE looking for evidence in PHYSICAL THERAPY, search PEDro .
PEDro’s tutorial is an EXCELLENT resource if you want to learn more about evidence-based research in general.

If you are NOT looking for evidence in physical therapy, then   

Next, go to the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). This tool compiles clinical guidelines from federal, state, professional, and international organizations. Guidelines provide recommendations for treatment. In addition, most guidelines provide extensive references for the evidence used in compiling the guidelines. This site is free to use, so please remember it for later in your career if you have limited access to resources.

1. Go to the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC).
2. In the Search box at the left of the NGC homepage, enter the least number of words possible to describe your topic. Like Cochrane Library, the information in NGC is very specialized.
3. When results appear, scroll through them and find titles that look appealing. Please note the dates of the guidelines and the names and home countries of the originating organizations in case this information affects your decision to select the guideline.
4. Click a title to read the Brief Summary of the guideline. If you want to use the guideline, look to the left of the page and click on Complete Summary. After opening the Complete Summary, you can read the summary online; click the PDF link to the left to obtain a PDF document that you can save, email, or print; or click on the link (if available) at the left to take you to the full text of the guideline from the originating organization.
5. For more information on using this tool, please click the Help link at the top of the NGC website.

If you do not find enough evidence-based information in Cochrane and NGC to meet your needs, use find healthcare research articles and make sure you choose articles that describe study types presented on the Evidence-based Pyramid or email Ann Hallyburton or call the Reference Desk at 1-866-928-5424.