An important first step is determining your information need. Information needs in a nursing academic setting can be wide-ranging, from simply needing "information about" to answering a precise, well-thought out clinical question.
The literature on Evidence-Based Nursing Practice suggests classifying questions as either Background or Foreground questions. Classifying in this way can help you to determine what kind of sources you will need to access.
Background questions ask for general knowledge of disease processes or clinical contexts; they ask "who, what, when, why, where or how" about a single disease, drug, intervention or concept. Secondary sources such as textbooks, nursing reference sources and review articles can provide relevant and reliable answers quickly.
Foreground questions ask for specific knowledge one can apply to a specific patient or problem. They often compare two things: two drugs or treatments, the prognosis of two groups, two diagnostic tests, or the harms or benefits of two approaches. They often require primary sources that synthesize a wide range of knowledge, and are more difficult to answer than background questions. Foreground questions are typically clinical questions that require evidence-based answers.
Background questions ask for general knowledge of disease processes or clinical contexts; they ask "who, what, when, why, where or how" about a single disease, drug, intervention or concept. Secondary sources such as textbooks, nursing reference sources and review articles can provide relevant and reliable answers quickly.
Foreground questions ask for specific knowledge one can apply to a specific patient or problem. They often compare two things: two drugs or treatments, the prognosis of two groups, two diagnostic tests, or the harms or benefits of two approaches. They often require primary sources that synthesize a wide range of knowledge, and are more difficult to answer than background questions. Foreground questions are typically clinical questions that require evidence-based answers. The PICOT format is useful to develop these (please see the Evidence-Based Practice page of this guide).