Welcome to the Physical Therapy Guide.
Audience: CUW undergraduate students in PT courses and MPT graduate students.
Help Available: Please contact librarians with Ask a Librarian or on the Library Tab in the Portal (phone, email, chat)
How to Use: Click a tab for more information.
Evidence-Based Practice Guide
APA Citation Style Guide
To find Primary Research Articles inside databases Add the following row of keywords to your search:
(methods AND results) OR methodology OR “case study” OR “this study” OR “a study”.
You will want to copy and paste this entire row of keywords into its own search box in the advanced search.
Important! From your list of results, you will still need to examine each article to see if it is primary research
Research Search Tools
Working on a literature review? Try one of these tools for more research articles and grey literature
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Past, current, and upcoming clinical trials.
- NARIC (National Rehabilitation Information Center) DATABASE. 69,000 abstracts of books, reports, articles, and audiovisual materials relating to disability and rehabilitation research. 1956 -present.
- Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE):Evidence-based systematic reviews & economic assessments. 1994-March 2015.
- Epistemonikos: Evidence-Based Healthcare Search Tool
- HSRProj (Health Services Research Projects in Progress) (NIH): Search tool for current health services research and public health projects in the US
PICO Specific Search Tools
Clinical search tool designed to allow health professionals to rapidly identify the highest quality clinical evidence for clinical practice. Registered users (registration is free) benefit from extra features such as CPD, search history, and collaborative tools.
Search for Journal articles in Primo or library database (see databases tab)
Instructions for finding, accessing full-text, & requesting: Finding Journal Articles
Journal Titles
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- PT in Motion
- Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation
- The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy
- Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy
- The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
- Physical Therapy EJournals Shelf
Finding Journal Articles By Journal Title in Primo
- Open Primo Journal Title Search
- Search for the Journal’s Title or ISSN.
- Click on the Journal’s title in the search results.
- Search inside the journal for the article title on the journal page, or click a database link for years, volumes, and issues.
Note: Digital scans of print journal articles can be requested through Primo.
Books
Search for books and ebooks in Primo.
General Instruction: Finding Books Guide
Library of Congress Call Numbers
RJ 52-53 Pediatric Therapeutics
RM 695-799 Physical therapy and rehabilitation
RM 930-931 Rehabilitation therapy
Ebooks
📹 Watch a tutorial about using Ebooks
Note: You will be prompted to create a free account to download a large number of pages.
Reference Books
Use these general guides to look up definitions or vocabulary.
| Gray’s Anatomy | REF QM 23.2 G73 |
| Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy | REF RC 55 M4 |
| Physicians’ Desk Reference | REF RS 75. P5 |
| Human Anatomy Online | Website |
| NLM’s MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia | Website |
When would I need to find statistics and datasets? You might use statistics to describe your population/problem and show why it’s important.
ONLINE SOURCES
- HealthData.gov: US health and medicine data
- National Center for Health Statistics- Fast Stats Alphabetical list of stats on public health issues
- National Center for Health Statistics- Health annual report Datafinder tool and free infographics
- State Health Facts (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
- World Health Organization Data Repository: Health-related statistics from over 100 countries
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
List of data and statistics sources from the US Department of Health & Human Services.
Background Information
- Physiopedia
Online Encyclopedia of Physiotherapy - MayoClinic
Overview of Medical conditions and treatments - MedlinePlus Encyclopedia
Covers the basics of medical conditions, medications, and medical tests
Other Library Research Guides:
Video Tutorials
Click on the video and the CC icon for captions.