Radiographic Procedures 2 Collaborative Learning Project Guide

The research portion of this project is your opportunity to learn all you can about your topic. Your "big picture" goal is to gather information about why and how to perform your assigned radiographic procedure so that you can convey accurate information through your writing and presentation. To do that, you will need to search in variety of resources, keep track of the information sources you find, and synthesize that information in a way that makes sense to you and to others. It's super important to understand a topic before you can write about it!

The resources on this page are Ellen's best recommendation for how to approach the research portion of your work. Please know that they are not the only good resources out there, and different topics may require slightly different approaches. Please reach out if you want some help!

Research Introduction and Search Tips

Ellen's 8-minute overview of some recommended resources and research strategies for this project. This video pretty much covers the same information as the written content on this page, so you can pick the learning style that works best for you. 

Start with your textbook. Read all the relevant sections carefully.

• Use the index (in the back of the book) to find all the relevant pages and sections about your topic.
• Then read those sections carefully (you may need to read these sections several times). Try to get a solid understanding of your topic and any relevant anatomy, procedural terms, etc.

Set up a notetaking system for your project and take notes.

• Take notes on what you learned about your topic in your textbook. 
• Write down any questions that you have about your topic or gaps in your understanding.
• While you're at it, create a new Reference page for your project and make a Reference entry for your textbook.
• Then, keep adding to your notes as you look in additional sources.
• Not sure what to keep track of? At minimum, take some notes on:
  • Which sources you consult
  • Information you learned about your topic

Finding Reliable Information

Next, start looking for credible resources on your topic. Use databases to look for scholarly articles, journals, and academic research. Professional websites may provide you with practice guidelines, case studies, or other helpful resources. You may also conduct an interview or draw on resources from your clinical site. 

Databases

Databases are organized collections of academic journals, scholarly articles, magazines, and other types of content. They have filters and search features to help you find what you need.

Note: You will need to log in to these resources using your MyWestern login info. The login screen looks like this:  

Database search tips:

• In each database, start with a general search for your topic, but then use the list of key terms you developed in the last two steps to go deeper. Don't give up if your first few searches don't retrieve anything useful.
• At this point, you're looking for information about the radiologic procedure, relevant anatomy, and any technical criteria. Use your textbook to help you come up with good search words and think like a radiographer.
• Watch your spelling. These tools don't correct misspelled words and they will retrieve results for the words you type.
• If you're not finding anything relevant, try adding the word "radiography" or "radiograph*" to your search to narrow things down.

Best Bet Databases for Radiography:

Want to look deeper on your own? Browse our full list of library databases for yourself:

Websites

It's important to be searching for high quality information and to evaluate everything you find. It's also important to start distinguishing information that a patient would find useful and information that a professional would want to access. The websites below offer some high quality information resources that may help you locate information for your paper or presentation.

Use the search box on the websites to look for your topic. You may find practice guidelines or other helpful resources. Note that not all resources on these websites are freely available, but sometimes you can find some that are.

Best Bet Radiography Websites:

Radiographic Images

These images will be included in your paper, your presentation, or both. They can also be great for helping you understand the procedure. 

Best Bet Resources for Images

You can also use the databases linked above to search for images. Some of the articles you found already may also have high quality images you can use.

Note: You can use resources for your "minimum of 3 reliable outside sources in addition to your textbook" that are not included on this research guide. However, the resources linked in this section are vetted and credible, and will (hopefully) get you to what you need quickly.

Every topic and tool is a little different, so if you're having trouble, or want a more personalized recommendation, please reach out! You can also ask your instructor for suggestions and ideas.

You can contact Ellen using the chat widgets in this guide or email me at rangee@westerntc.edu.