ULibraries Research Guides: Physical Therapy and Athletic Training: Find Articles

What databases should I search for PT and AT literature?

Listed below are our three favorite databases for locating PT and AT literature (e.g. scholarly articles, conference proceedings, literature reviews).

PubMed
PubMed comprises more than 36 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text. Updated daily. Coverage may go back to 1940s and older. Trouble accessing full text? Click here for a video tutorial on how to sign in using MyNCBI and link Outside Tool to EHSL.
SPORTDiscus with Full Text
SPORTDiscus with Full Text is a source of full-text sports & sports medicine journals extending back to 1985 (some exceptions). Subjects covered include biomechanics, drugs, exercise, kinesiology, movement science, nutrition, occupational health & therapy, physical fitness, physical therapy, rehabilitation, sports & exercise psychology, coaching & education, and sports medicine.
PEDro: Physiotherapy Evidence Database
PEDro, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database is a free database of over 21,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.
For each trial, review or guideline, PEDro provides the citation details, the abstract and a link to the full text, where possible. All trials on PEDro are independently assessed for quality. These quality ratings are used to quickly guide users to trials that are more likely to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice. PEDro is produced by the Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy at The George Institute for Global Health.
Scopus
Scopus is a large abstract and citation database of research literature and patents. The database is updated daily; Scopus contains over 93 million records with over 87 million records since 1970. Scopus indexes over 26,000 peer-reviewed journals from more than 7,000 publishers, including over 6,000 open access journals. Scopus also indexes nearly 200 trade publications, nearly 150,000 conferences, and over 300,000 books. Additionally, the database contains over 48 million patent records from US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and UK Intellectual Property Office.

Depending upon your research topic, these other databases may be useful:

Consult a subject specialist from the libraries for more help.

CINAHL Complete
CINAHL Complete is the world’s most comprehensive source of full-text for nursing & allied health journals, providing full text for more than 5,400 journals indexed in CINAHL. Many of the most used journals in the CINAHL index contain full text with no embargo. 1937 to present.
Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases to inform healthcare decision-making.
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)
- Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
- Cochrane Methodology Register (CMR)
- Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE)
- Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA)
- NHS Economic Evaluation Database (EED)
ECRI Guidelines Trust™
An interactive practice guidelines portal. Free registration required.
Education Full Text + ERIC
Education Full Text + ERIC (The Education Resources Information Center) is a combined database centering around education literature and resources.
Embase
Embase - another crucial resource for discovering biomedical evidence within published, peer-reviewed literature, in-press publications and conference abstracts. Full-text indexing of drug, disease and medical device data - supported by Emtree - helps retrieve precise answers to search queries. Coverage is 1947 to present.
HAPI: Health And Psychosocial Instruments
Measurement instruments for clinical conditions or treatment outcomes, HAPI features material on unpublished information-gathering tools for clinicians.
Over 2/3 of the tools are in medical and nursing areas. Produced by Behavioral Measurement Database Services. Single user access; please log off when finished. Info Sheet (pdf)
Sports Medicine & Education Index
This database covers a wide range of subjects ranging from fitness and recreation to physical education, exercise science, kinesiology, sport sociology, sport psychology, and sports medicine. Sources indexed primarily include scholarly journals and limited coverage of books, conference papers, and magazines. We do subscribe to SportDiscus with Full Text which provides the full text to over 500 journals ranging from athletic training to journals published by Human Kinetics and many more.
APA PsycINFO
The premier abstracting and indexing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology. 1800 - present.
SBRnet: Sports Business Research
This database provides access to market research and industry news covering many aspects of the sporting goods and sports marketing industry, including sports equipment sales, sports participation, sports broadcasting, sports sponsorship and sports marketing.
Synthesis Collection
This listing provides access to the Synthesis and Colloquium collections, which are interdisciplinary teaching and learning products covering new and emerging fields in the life sciences. The basic component of the collections is a 50 to 100-page "lecture" (a self-contained electronic book that synthesizes a research or development topic). Each lecture includes pictures, tables, and linked references to other peer reviewed articles and books. The collections and their lectures are organized b…
This listing provides access to the Synthesis and Colloquium collections, which are interdisciplinary teaching and learning products covering new and emerging fields in the life sciences. The basic component of the collections is a 50 to 100-page "lecture" (a self-contained electronic book that synthesizes a research or development topic). Each lecture includes pictures, tables, and linked references to other peer reviewed articles and books. The collections and their lectures are organized by series, with each series managed by an editor who guides the lecture topic and author selection as well as peer review. New series and lectures are added continuously and existing lectures are revised periodically. Some topics which are currently covered by this database are Biotechnology, Cell Biology of Medicine, the Developing Brain, Developmental Biology, and Integrated Systems Physiology.
Web of Science Core Collection
Search the world's leading scholarly journals, books, and proceedings in the science, social sciences, and arts and humanities and navigate the full citation network. Science Citation Index Expanded (1900 - present), Social Sciences Citation Index (1900 - present), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975 - present), Book Citation Indexes (2005-current), Current Chemical Reactions (1985-current, supports structure searches), Conference Proceedings Citation Indexes (1990-current), Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005-current), and Index Chemicus (1993-current).
For published authors of monographs, please submit your request to be added to Web of Science.

What are some key PT journals?

Listed below are a few PT journals that are heavily used by PT professors, students, and professionals.

What are some key AT journals?

Listed below are a few AT journals that are heavily used by AT professors, students, and professionals.

What are some key rehabiltiation science journals?

Listed below are a few rehabilitation science journals that are heavily used by professors, students, and professionals.

Other Library Guides

Evaluating Sources: SIFT & PICK, RADAR, & ACT UP
by Lorelei Rutledge Last Updated Feb 14, 2025 1118 views this year
Evidence Based Practice
by Elizabeth Frakes Last Updated Jun 27, 2025 523 views this year
Reference
by Ismaeil Hakimi Last Updated Jun 3, 2025 529 views this year
Literature Reviews in the Health and Life Sciences
by Alfred Mowdood Last Updated Jun 11, 2025 60 views this year

Connect from off-campus

a laptop sitting open on a rock in the woods.

Most library resources are available to current University students, faculty and staff from home or other remote locations. Login with your uNID and get easy access to library resources -- article databases, e-journals, and e-books.

Click here:

Visit our help page and drag the "Reload via EZproxy" button to your bookmark bar

OR Download and install VPN software on your machine.

Interlibrary Loan

Get library materials from other libraries for free!

Items not found at University of Utah libraries will be requested from another library through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). In most instances books are available within 1 to 2 weeks and electronic access to articles can be provided within 24-48 hours.

Submit an interlibrary loan request

Learn how to submit an interlibrary loan request