Use of sources of final-year veterinary students to answer clinical research questions

Abstract

Objective Until now, sources used by final-year veterinary students to develop clinical questions have not yet been investigated. Thus, the aim of this study was to record the use of sources by final-year veterinary students. This data should assist with the improvement of future veterinary teaching and enable it to meet the needs of students and veterinarians. Material and methods For this purpose, the use of sources by 172 students in the compulsory development of a clinical question was evaluated. Results The most frequently cited sources were textbooks (37.7%), lecture notes (27.0%), websites (15.4%), professional articles (11.8%), scientific papers (7.8%), and, least frequently, the category of legal texts (0.3%). Conclusion This study demonstrates that students primarily use sources with which they are familiar from their studies. Educators should be aware of this and design their lecture materials accordingly. Clinical relevance Teaching students competence in the use of scientific literature is a task for teachers in the future.