OVID Tutorial: Library Database Searching for Evidence Based Nursing Practice at IUPUI

This tutorial was developed in 2008 for upper level Nursing students at the Indiana University School of Nursing (IUPUI campus). 

Jan. 2010: Even though the tutorial is now outdated -- primarily because the OVID database that was demonstrated was CINAHL (which is now only available on EBSCOhost) -- many of the concepts, search steps, and tips demonstrated are still relevant for searching OVID databases such as Medline.

Jan. 2009: There is now a separate EBSCOHost CINAHL Tutorial 

Viewing Tips 

• To view the various segments of the OVID tutorial, your computer must have the Flash Player (version 7 or higher) installed.  
• Depending on the size of your screen, you may be able to increase your window's zoom (view) up to 150%, scroll to the far right, and still be able to see all the content. 
• To keep the files from being too large for slow data connections, this tutorial has no audio. 

Part 1 - Library Database Searching for Evidence Based Practice (24 slides) provides some context and introductory material for the subsequent IUPUI database demos, since one of the challeges, when it comes to "Evidence-Based Practice" for Nursing, is that different professionals still mean somewhat different things when they use the phrase.

Part 2 - OVID Tutorial - Connecting to OVID (~1 min.) - Activating a VPN connection & Opening the desired OVID database  

• Logging-in to IUPUI VPN creates a secure VPN connection between your computer and the IUPUI computer network. This lets you use almost all of the library electronic resources -- from any of the IUPUI Libraries -- without having to repeatedly log-in.  It should prevent you from reaching a lot of external log-in screens that cannot recognize your IUPUI username and passphrase.

• Warning  The first 1/4 of this tutorial is misleading, because the technology used to establish a VPN connection changed in 2009. For the new method view the first 1/3 of: CINAHL Tutorial Part A - Launching IUPUI SSL VPN and Opening the CINAHL database (~2.5 min. ) Also, the OVID tutorial refers to the "Ruth Lilly Medical Library, which is now listed as "IU School of Medicine Libraries". 

• Part 3 - OVID Tutorial - Basic Searching (~5 min.) - Using Map term to Subject heading, Explode, Focus, Subheadings, & Combine selections in Ovid database searching

Caution: Ovid search screens changed recently!  The "Search History" box and the "Advanced Search" input box have swapped places.

Old look (like the tutorial):        

New look (like your search): 

Part 4 - OVID Tutorial - Using Limits (~6 min.) - Using Basic & Additional Limits to Modify a Search in the Ovid databases

Part 5 - OVID Tutorial - Viewing Articles (~5-1/2 min.) - Using Full Text links, Find It, A-to-Z List, Google Scholar, & Google to view articles listed in an Ovid database 

Part 6 - OVID Tutorial - Ordering Articles - Using Interlibrary Loan/ILLiad (from two different IUPUI Libraries) to order articles that are not available online at IUPUI

• Part 6a - Registering for Free Interlibrary Loan (ILLIAD) from two different IUPUI Libraries

• Part 6b - Using Interlibrary Loan (ILLIAD) from Find It (the Serials Solutions window) 

Go to the IUPUI Nursing Resources page