Access to information
This section will include guidance on:
- Finding & evaluating information online
- The Knowledge Network
- NHSScotland Library Services
- Developing your search skills
Finding & evaluating information online
Before using any information that we find, it is essential that we critically evaluate it.
When you have found information of interest, it can help to ask yourself the following:
- Who is the author? Is the person or organisation reliable or a subject expert?
- Is the information relevant to your needs?
- Is the information accurate and up-to-date, or has it been superceded?
- Is the information objective or is it biased in any way? e.g. Are there any conflicts of interest?
More detailed guidance on assessing the quality of information sources can be found in the Find, use and share knowledge section or in the Search Tips interactive guide produced by Knowledge Services at NHS Education for Scotland (NES).
The Knowledge Network
The Knowledge Network is a digital library and knowledge platform for health and social care staff in Scotland, administered by NES.
It is an essential first port of call for information to support practice and research.
The Knowledge Network offers free access to subscription resources such as:
- e-books
- e-journals
- research articles
- specialist databases
- clinical decision-making tools/evidence summaries (e.g. BMJ Best Practice, DynaMed)
To access these resources, please register for an NHSScotland OpenAthens username.
Help with using The Knowledge Network
Tailored, one-to-one online training sessions are available to help you make the most of The Knowledge Network, as well as a range of video tutorials.
NHSScotland Library Services
There are NHSScotland Library Services throughout the country in most NHSScotland boards, run by librarians with expertise in healthcare information. They can assist you in your search for health and social care information, be it specialist or general, online or in print.
The libraries offer services and resources such as:
- print books and journals
- study space
- computer terminals
- document delivery services
- literature searching services
- current awareness bulletins
- in-person sessions to strengthen your searching & research skills
There are also a number of specialist library services, including the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Library, the Health Protection Scotland Library and the Health Management Library.
Further information and library contact details can be found on the Library Services section of The Knowledge Network.
Searching the internet
Apart from Google, there are many other internet search engines available, such as Ask.com, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and Yahoo!, amongst others. However, Google continues to be very popular and offers several tools that can be very useful when searching for information.
Below are some tips on searching more effectively on Google:
- Search for a phrase: use quotation marks, e.g. “social care”. This will find results where the two words exist together.
- Exclude a particular word or phrase: put the minus sign (-) before it e.g. "mental health" -children should bring up results that exclude the word children
- Search for a particular file type: e.g. "health and social care integration" filetype:pdf should return only PDFs with your phrase in them
- Search within a website: e.g. "social care" site:knowledge.scot.nhs.uk will search for the phrase within The Knowledge Network website
- Search for related websites: e.g. related:iriss.org.uk will bring up websites related to iriss.org.uk
- Try using the various fields available in the Advanced Search, such as limiting results by region, date last updated, or choosing where in a site to search for terms (page title, text, etc.)
Developing your search skills
Self-paced guidance
The NES Knowledge Services Search Tips interactive guide provides an overview of how to develop your search skills and assess the quality of information you find online.
More detailed guidance can be found in the Find, use and share knowledge section of this site.
In-person guidance
Contact your local NHSScotland Library Service to arrange tailored, in-person guidance on searching and making the most of resources such as specialist databases.
Internet safety
So much of our work is now conducted online that it is important to be conscious of internet safety, as well as proper process for handling information in a safe manner. In the Be safe and legal online section you will find guidance related to online safety, information security and keeping sensitive information safe.