Find Evidence
We enable easy online access to key information and evidence resources, give you the tools to search for and appraise the literature that you need, and maintain a book collection which supports professional and personal development needs.
When you need support to search more widely for the best evidence to answer your question, we also offer an evidence searching service to save you time.
To find and access the full range of information and evidence that is available to you as NHS staff and learners (and find out how to avoid article paywalls!), start here:
Access a journal article
You will need an OpenAthens account to access most journal articles.
If you know the article's DOI or PubMed ID (PMID)
Use LibKey.io:
- Search for Leeds and select your organisation.
- Enter the article’s DOI or PMID.
- If your library service has access, you’ll see a link to the full text.
- If not, you’ll be redirected to an automatic request form.
If you find articles outside library systems
If you find articles via Google, Wikipedia, PubMed, or other websites, use LibKey Nomad.
- At Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Leeds Community Healthcare, LibKey Nomad is pre‑installed on all Trust computers.
- You can also use it on personal devices by signing in to your Microsoft Edge account, or download LibKey Nomad to your device.
- LibKey Nomad is a free, safe browser extension that automatically shows links to full‑text articles available through your NHS library.
Read more about LibKey Nomad for the NHS
If you know the article title
You can search by title in the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub:
- Sign in with OpenAthens.
- Search for the article.
- If your library service has access, a full‑text link will be shown.
If we don’t have access
If an article is not instantly available through these tools, you will be redirected to a request form.Complete the form with your name and email address, and submit.
Library staff will aim to obtain the article PDF and send it to you within 5 working days.
If you need help with any of these tools, please contact us
Find a journal
Accessing Journals with BrowZine
BrowZine lets you search, browse, and access online journals that your library subscribes to, making it easy to find journals related to your interests.
When you access BrowZine for the first time:
- Click Choose my library
- Search for Leeds and select your organisation
- When prompted, sign in with OpenAthens to access full text for most journals
Checking access to a specific journal
To check whether your library service has access to a particular journal, use Journals A–Z:
- Use your organisation's link:
- Sign in with OpenAthens
- Search for the journal title
- Follow the links to view the available issues
If the journal is not available
If you need specific articles from journals that your library does not subscribe to, see the information under Access a journal article.
Library staff may be able to obtain individual articles for you from other NHS library services.
Find a book
Borrowing Books
To borrow print books, you need to join your NHS library service.
This membership can be used at any NHS library in Yorkshire and the Humber, so you can take it with you if you move Trusts. All the NHS libraries in the region share the YorCat library catalogue.
Finding and borrowing print books
- Search the Yorcat library catalogue to check which library has the book you want
- If your local library has the item, visit during opening hours to borrow the book
- If the book is in another YorCat library, log in to your YorCat account to reserve the book. It will be sent to the library that you choose, and you will receive an email when it arrives..
If you are unable to visit your local library during opening hours, please contact us to discuss alternative options. In some cases, books may be sent to your workplace address.
Accessing ebooks
To access ebooks, you will need an OpenAthens account.
You can search for ebooks via the YorCat catalogue or the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub.
You will be prompted to log in with OpenAthens when you access the book. Only ebooks available through your own organisation can be accessed.
If the book is not available
If the book you need is not available through YorCat, your NHS library may still be able to request it for you from another NHS library service.
To request a book that is not listed in YorCat, please contact your library team.
Suggesting a book for the collection
We aim to develop our collections ot meet the needs of our users. If you would like to suggest a book for purchase, please contact your library team.
Search for information and evidence on a topic
- The NHS Knowledge and Library Hub is a great place to start your search for information and evidence on a topic. This tool allows you to search thousands of journals, articles, e-books and more, all in one place.
- When you are in the Hub, if a yellow banner displays at the top of the page, make sure you log into your OpenAthens account to view and access the full range of results available to you.
- To browse a list of online search tools and information sources, visit our A-Z of evidence.
- To explore collections of evidence resources relevant to specific job roles or topics, visit our topic guides.
- Alternatively, click on the relevant heading below to discover online sources of different types of information and evidence:
- Grey literature (information produced outside of traditional publishing and distribution channels-eg. reports, leaflets etc.)
- Clinical guidelines
- Clinical trials
- Decision support tools/ evidence summaries
- Statistics
- Apps
- Images
- Healthcare databases
- Our Information Skills Guide can help you to choose resources, plan your search strategies and appraise the information that you find.
- To save you time and ensure that you find the best evidence for your needs, you can request an evidence search from one of our experienced healthcare librarians.
Carry out an in-depth literature search
- The NHS Library and Knowledge Hub can be used for basic and advanced searches of a very wide range of healthcare literature. For help with advanced searching through the Hub, book onto one of our training sessions.
- To learn more about the principles of how to search for healthcare literature effectively, visit our Information Skills Guide or book onto a Searching Skills Course.
- Some staff and learners need to carry out complex, robust and reproducible searches for literature reviews or research projects. These advanced searches should be conducted in bibliographic databases such as Medline, Embase and CINAHL. Find out how to access and use these Healthcare Databases.
- To save you time and ensure that you find the best evidence for your needs, you can request an evidence search from one of our experienced healthcare librarians.
- If you have any queries around searching, please contact us.
Request an evidence search by a librarian
If you want to save time and be sure that you've found the best evidence to answer your question, you can request an evidence search from your librarians.
Provided for all NHS staff by NHS England, the Knowledge and Library Hub allows you to search thousands of journals, multiple databases, e-books and more, all in one place.
Make sure you log into your OpenAthens account before searching to view and access the full range of results available to you.
OpenAthens
An OpenAthens account gives all NHS staff and learners access to a wide range of online resources.
Knowledge & Library Hub
Instant article access with DOI or PMID
Browse journals by subject
Browser extension for one-click access to articles
