Health Education & Community Health Research Guide

Have you formulated a PICO question?

PICO is a recognized format for developing a clinical research question. This question is often used as the basis for a literature search/review, and if needed, a research study design. It is part of a larger framework associated with evidence based practice (EBP) in health-related fields.
 

PICO is an acronym that stands for:

P = Patient/Problem [Condition] or Population

I = Intervention or Exposure

C = Compare to or Control

O = Outcome

Have you been asked to find an article on your topic that has been published by a specific journal?

You can often enter a keyword search from the journal's home page within a database. Follow the steps and see the images below for visual examples.

1. Use the Find a Specific Journal Tool or a list of suggested journals on a Research Guide to get to the home page for the journal.
2. Look for a link stating Search within this publication or a search box that is similarly labeled.
3. Add keywords or search phrases which describe your topic to the blank search boxes.
4. Click search to find articles on the topic that have been published in the specific journal you are searching.

Note: These specific instructions apply to EBSCO databases. If the journal is housed in a ProQuest, SAGE, or other company's database, the screens will look different from the examples which follow (Steps 3 and 4).