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Health Studies

What is Omni?

Omni is the Queen's library's academic search tool that enables you to search for books, journals, articles, videos and much more, all from one interface. 

Omni enables you to search different scopes of information collections: locally at Queen's, consortially with 18 other partner libraries, and beyond.

Books that are not available at Queen's but are available at one of our partner libraries can be requested directly through Omni.

The Omni search box is featured on the Queen's Library homepage

When Should I Search Omni?

  • You are starting your research and want to assess the resources available on your topic
  • You want to find resources in a variety of formats (i.e. books and articles)
  • You are searching for articles on an interdisciplinary topic, where information could be found in various databases
  • You are looking for an exact known item
  • A comprehensive article search is not required

When Should I Search Specific Databases?

Omni includes content from the various research databases to which Queen's University Library subscribes but not everything is included. If you are looking for information on a very specific topic, or a topic that is subject specific, it is recommended that you search databases that specialize in that subject area for more thorough results.

A link to database search is available from the library homepage or consult the relevant library research guide to determine the recommended databases in your discipline.

Books

Search Omni to find books, journals, videos and other materials owned by the Library.  You can search by keywords, author, title or subject headings.

Basic Searching

The default search in Omni is basic search. Enter one or more keywords into the Omni search box, choose the scope you wish to search (please note, if you are starting your search from the library homepage, the scope is automatically set to Queen's - this can be adjusted once you've executed a search), then click the search button. 

Basic search supports the use of Boolean operators: AND, OR or NOT, and they must be entered in uppercase (example: health AND exercise).

To search for a specific phrase, type quotation marks around the phrase, otherwise AND is assumed between each word.  (example: "health promotion").

Once you have your initial search results, you can fine-tune them by using the filters on the left side of the screen.

Advanced Searching

Use the advanced search option for more precise searching. Using the drop-down options within the Advanced Search screen you can limit your search to specific fields and/or a combination of fields (Author, Title, Subject, Call number). You can also specify that your search words must be contained in the search field ("contains", "starts with" or "is (exact)."  

Specific dates and languages can be selected. Resource type will limit your search to a specific format or material type, such as book or e-books.

Omni Search Tips Guide

For a much more comprehensive look at Omni, please consult the library's Omni Search Tips guide.

E-books

E-books come in a variety of formats (PDF, EPUB, HTML, etc.) with various features depending on the publisher and/or the digital platform where the e-book resides. 

Access to e-books varies based on licensing or platform. Some e-books can be viewed by only one user at a time, while others can be viewed by multiple users at once. 

The Library subscribes to a large number of e-book packages. There are many different ways to find e-books at Queen's.

Most collections have individual book records in Omni, but you can also search e-book collections directly through searching through the Database page.

E-book Collections: Health Studies

Internet Resources