Date of Award

5-2018

Degree Type

Report

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology and Health Science

Committee Chair(s)

Eadric Bressel

Committee

Eadric Bressel

Committee

Chris Dakin

Committee

Tye Harrison

Abstract

The most useful form of educating new and current athletic trainers is through evidence-based practice (EBP). Concussions are one of the most frequent injuries in sports and are seen at every setting of athletic training. Concussion research is essential for athletic trainers to make informed and educated decisions on the most current diagnosis, treatments, and return to play protocols for concussion injuries.

Purpose: The purpose of this narrative review was to analyze the amount of peer-reviewed research on current concussion articles that is freely accessible to athletic trainers in settings without university affiliations or budgets for journal subscriptions.

Methods: Two hundred and seventy six articles were screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. One hundred and thirty seven articles met the requirements and were then sorted by their open access determination.

Results: Out of the 137 articles, 56 were found to be freely accessible to the public by the standards of this review. Many articles that did not qualify as open access were still available through online academic social networking sites. Accessibility and reliability are important characteristics that are commonly being questioned of these sites.

Conclusion: Although many articles were found freely through academic social networking sites, the reliability of these online sites may not be an adequate source to providing quality peer-reviewed research. In addition, there is a significant amount of concussion research that could potentially contribute to the EBP of athletic trainers.

Download

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .