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Library Resources for DNP Students: Primary theory sources

This guide provides information on how best to utilize library resources throughout your DNP program at the College of Nursing.

In assignments related to nursing theory, you may be asked to locate the primary or original source of a given theory. As a refresher, primary sources in this context are those that are written by the theorist. Secondary sources in this context are those that are written by someone other than the theorist, usually explaining or applying the theory.

This page will show you how to locate primary sources for nursing theories. Please note that this page will not provide a list of the primary sources for you. This is a good skill to learn, so let's get started!

Finding primary sources

One Search is the name of the search bar located on the Laupus homepage.

Step One: Type in the name of the theory you're using. Then, click Search.

Note: Remember to use double quotation marks if your theory has more than word!

Looping GIF demonstrating how to search in One Search.

Step Two: From the results page, click on Advanced Search in the search bar. A pop-up window will appear.

Looping GIF demonstrating where to click for Advanced Search.

Step Three: Leave the name of your theory in the first box. In the second box, type the name of your theorist (last name only, or last name and then first name). In the drop-down menu to the left of the second box, change the field to Author. Click Search.

Looping GIF demonstrating how to search by author.

The results that will populate will be written by your theorist, and will have the name of the theory. You may need to look closely at the results to find the source. A good tip is to avoid sources that use language like "validation of" or "test of" because these are sources that are based on the existing theory. You're probably looking for the source where the theory is originally described, so pay close attention to the titles and abstracts of the results.

CINAHL is the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature. It can be a great resource for theory-related literature. To search for primary sources, do the following:

Step 1: Change the default settings in CINAHL. Uncheck Suggest Subject Terms above the search bar. Select Boolean/Phrase. Uncheck the expanders (apply related words, also search within the full text, and apply equivalent subjects).

Looping GIF demonstrating how to change the default settings in CINAHL.

Step 2: Type in the name of the theory you're using. Then, click Search.

Note: Remember to use double quotation marks if your theory has more than word!

Looping GIF demonstrating how to search in CINAHL.

Step 3: On the results page, click the word Edit in the Search History box. A pop-up window will appear. Scroll down in the window until you see an Author field. Type the name of your theorist into that field. Click Save.

Looping GIF demonstrating how to edit the search results.

Step 4: In the same Search History box, click on View Results. This will refresh the results page to show the Author as your theorist.

Looping GIF demonstrating how to search by Author field.

The results that will populate will be written by your theorist, and will have the name of the theory. You may need to look closely at the results to find the source. A good tip is to avoid sources that use language like "validation of" or "test of" because these are sources that are based on the existing theory. You're probably looking for the source where the theory is originally described, so pay close attention to the titles and abstracts of the results.

Scopus is a broad, scientific database. In addition to allowing you to search by keyword, it also allows you to search by author. This is my favorite way to find primary sources from authors.

Step 1: From the Scopus homepage, click on Authors. Type the last name of your theorist into the first box. You can type the first initial, full first name, or two initials into the second box. If your theorist has an uncommon last name, you can even leave the second box blank. Click search.

Looping GIF demonstrating how to search by Author Name in Scopus.

Step 2: This will take you to the author results page. Locate your theorist in the list of results, then click their name.

Looping GIF demonstrating Author results page in Scopus.

Step 3: On the author record page, scroll down to locate documents written by your selected theorist. You can either continue scrolling in this view, or, if you prefer, you can click on View as Results Page, and you can see the documents in a results page view.

Looping GIF displaying the Author record page in Scopus.

Step 4: All of these sources will be considered primary because they were written by your theorist. To find the foundational or source of the theory, pay attention to the title, as well as the Cited By numbers. The higher the Cited By numbers, the higher the likelihood that you have located the foundational source. You can sort by Cited By (highest) to look at the record that has had the most citations.

Looping GIF demonstrating how to sort results by Cited By (highest) in Scopus.

Google Scholar provides a straightforward path to locating primary sources written by your chosen theorist.

Step 1: From the Google Scholar main page, locate the menu with three lines in the left sidebar. Click on Advanced Search. This will open a pop-up window.

Looping GIF demonstrating how to open the Advanced Search screen in Google Scholar.

Step 2: In the top box, type your theory. Remember to use double quotation marks if your theory has more than one word. Then, locate the box labeled "Return articles authored by." In that box, type your theorist's name, following the format provided by Google. Click Search.

Looping GIF demonstrating how to conduct an advanced search in Google Scholar.

The results that will populate will be written by your theorist, and will have the name of the theory. You may need to look closely at the results to find the source. A good tip is to avoid sources that use language like "validation of" or "test of" because these are sources that are based on the existing theory. You're probably looking for the source where the theory is originally described, so pay close attention to the titles and abstracts of the results.

If we don't have access to an article you need, don't worry. We have a service called Interlibrary Loan that can retrieve articles, books, etc from other libraries.  We can also send you materials located at Laupus or Joyner if you are unable to come to the library in person.

Check out our Interlibrary Loan page for more information.

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