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Learning how to find and judge evidence is part of becoming a midwife.

Every choice you make as a midwife rests on good information: knowing where to find it, how to judge it, and how to use it responsibly. Learning these skills now will help you get the most out of your degree and feel more confident in practice. The library and your professors are here to support you as you grow.

After all, midwifery is about more than catching babies — it’s about earning trust, making safe decisions, and standing up for the people in your care.

Please add any questions about the Library you have to the following Google Doc.

Introduction to searching for midwifery students

Video transcript

Which tool, when?

Quick path: LibrarySearch → scope the topic → pivot to a subject database for depth. Use date, item type and subject filters (e.g., “Midwifery—Canada—History”).

General tips:

  • Search with key concepts (AND/OR), not full sentences.
  • Check for credibility and relevance of a source reviewing details such as author, date, evidence type, Canadian context, perspective

Looking for....

Use

 Why Pro tips

Health research

(Peer reviewed research papers/articles) 

LibrarySearch (library's general search tool) 

PubMed (health and medicine focus),

 Largest health database; free after graduation Use filters: Review, Guideline; add MeSH headings copied from a good search result
  CINAHL  Strong profession focus; great subject headings Limit to peer-reviewed; add a CINAHL heading for precision
Books, videos, textbooks, research articles and broad topics (history/society) LibrarySearch Covers MRU books, ebooks, videos and research articles across topics

Sign in; lock filters (date, peer-review) before editing search

Find many key course textbooks

Clinical practice guidelines

 

Focus your search on the Canadian or provincial context

 

find out more

 Trip Database Combines guidelines, reviews, and evidence summaries from many sources. Use filters (e.g., guideline, evidence summaries); search by condition + “guideline.” l
Professional association websites (e.g. CAM, SOGC), Most up-to-date, profession-endorsed guidelines and position statements. Check “Practice Guidelines” or “Publications” tabs; 
PubMed (limited) Includes some published guidelines Add filter “Guideline” under article type; combine with MeSH terms for condition or intervention.
Professional publications - such as those from professional associations or licensing bodies

Search of specific sites such as Canadian Midwifery Regulators Council, College of Midwives of Alberta, Canadian Association of Midwives

LibrarySearch (limited)

 Standards, position statements, and practice updates from the profession and regulators.

Browse website menus or use site:domain.org keyword in Google to locate specific documents quickly.

eg guidelines site: canadianmidwives.org

Statistics & social determinants of health

find out more

 Search of specific website such as Statista, Statistics Canada, NCCIH, FNHA (see also Indigenous Health resources section below) Key for understanding health trends, population needs, and contextual factors influencing care. Use filters for geography and demographics; check “data tables” or “interactive dashboards” for export options.
Cross-disciplinary quick scan Google Scholar Finds items across fields; good for citation chaining Set Library links to MRU; use "Cited by" to find newer work

Practice connection: Canadian jurisdiction, current regulation, and community context matter for safe, client-centred care.

Searching for historical or sociological discussions of midwifery

LibrarySearch (the main search box on the Library’s homepage) is the best place to start if you are looking for:

  • History of midwifery in Canada and internationally
  • Sociological perspectives on birth, care, and professional roles
  • Books and book chapters that won’t appear in PubMed or CINAHL
  • Videos, articles, and more across many disciplines

Tip: Start with a few clear keywords rather than full sentences. For example:

You can also connect ideas with AND/OR (e.g., midwifery AND history AND Canada), but in most cases just combining your main words works well in LibrarySearch.  then apply filters (e.g., resource type = books, subject = midwifery, date range).

Practice connection: Historical and sociological sources help you see how midwifery roles have changed and how social contexts shape care today.

Advanced Search

Searching for research to support clinical decision making

The 6S evidence pyramid (shown above) is a quick way to judge the strength of the evidence you find. The higher up the pyramid your source is, the more weight you should give it in your clinical decision making.

  • Top = strongest evidence (systematic reviews, summaries, guidelines)
  • Lower = useful but weaker (individual studies, expert opinion)
  • Not every topic has all levels — use the highest one available for your question.

Midwifery example (ethics): If you are researching how midwives support informed choice during pregnancy, a review article that looks at many studies together would be stronger evidence than a single opinion piece. The review helps you see overall patterns, while individual articles can give specific examples.

Note: MRU does not currently provide access to Systems-level evidence.

Definitions for each level are available on the 6S Pyramid tab of this guide.

Reference: DiCenso, A., Bayley, L., & Haynes, R. B. (2009). Accessing pre-appraised evidence: Fine-tuning the 5S model into a 6S model. Evidence Based Nursing, 12, 99-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ebn.12.4.99-b

Summaries or guidelines are the most synthesized form of evidence available to us. They bring together research and expert consensus to outline best practices for care.

The National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools explains:

Summaries provide an outline of management options for a given health issue. Summaries incorporate the highest quality and most synthesized sources of research evidence.

Where to find midwifery-related guidelines:

Practice tip: For most midwifery topics, start with PubMed or CINAHL to find studies, and use TRIP or Cochrane when you need pre-appraised evidence like guidelines or systematic reviews.

Searching for Resources on Indigenous Health

In addition to LibrarySearch, the following websites and databases are especially helpful for finding Indigenous health and midwifery resources.

Practice connection: Using Indigenous-led sources helps you understand health from community perspectives and supports culturally safe midwifery care in Canada.

When researching Indigenous health, remember the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, particularly those related to health. These emphasize culturally safe care, addressing systemic barriers, and valuing Indigenous knowledge.

 

For health data, combine sources like Statistics Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, and provincial reports with community-led sources (e.g., FNHA, NACM) to ensure Indigenous perspectives are included.

These guides offer additional tips for searching for resources relating to Indigenous peoples.

What about Google Scholar?

Google Scholar can help you:

  • Spot search terms across fields (midwifery, nursing, sociology, public health)
  • Find full text of cited articles by pasting the title
  • Link to MRU Library for off-campus access

Set up for off campus use (see below) Why bother? On campus, Scholar recognizes MRU. Off campus, setup ensures “Full text @ MRU Library” shows. If no full text, request it for free through Interlibrary Loan.

⚠️ Not a replacement for PubMed or CINAHL: coverage is unclear and advanced search functionality limited.
Google Scholar Search

Help! It is asking me to pay to open an article

Good news: As an MRU student you never need to pay for an article.

If you find an article in Google that blocks the full text, try these steps:

  • Step 1: Copy the article title → paste into LibrarySearch. If MRU subscribes, you’ll see a link to full text.
  • Step 2: Not available? Request it for free through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Using Google Scholar at home? Adjust the settings so MRU links show up:

  1. Go to ☰ Menu → Settings
  2. Select Library Links
  3. Search “Mount Royal” and check the box for Full text @ MRU Library
  4. Click Save

settings option on google scholar

choose library links and search for mount royal

After setup: Articles MRU pays for will be flagged in your search results with a link like this:

Links to full text articles at MRU

Citation management software - Mendeley or Zotero

Keep track of your sources: Citation managers help you save articles, books, and websites in one place and create references automatically.

Two free tools we recommend are Mendeley and Zotero. Both let you:

  • Save and organize references
  • Add notes and tags
  • Generate APA citations and reference lists

Tip: For small assignments, you might not need a citation manager. But for larger projects — or topics you want to track over time — it can save you hours and keep everything organized. You can also take your account with you after graduation, since both tools are free.

Midwifery example: Create folders for each topic (e.g., informed choice, regulation, Indigenous midwifery) so you can quickly find sources again when you need them later.

Not sure which tool to pick? See our comparison chart on the Undergraduate Research guide.

APA guides and resources

The following APA resources will help you cite in-text, create a reference list, and format your paper.

Profile Photo
Francine May
Contact:
Associate Dean, Research
fmay@mtroyal.ca
She/Her/Elle
Website
Subjects: Midwifery, Nursing