literature searching tips and tricks

Literature Searching Tips and

Tricks

Rebecca Raszewski, MS, AHIPAssistant Information Services Librarian & Assistant

ProfessorMarch 28, 2013

What I Will Cover Today

• Tips on Approaching a Literature Search• Searching the Databases, CINAHL and MEDLINE

via PubMed• Getting Help

Tips on Approaching a Literature Search

What Kind of Question do You Have?

• Diagnosis, Etiology/Harm, Prognosis, Therapy (Prevention, Quality Improvement)

• PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) o T (Timing)

• John Hopkins EBP Question Development Toolo https://employee.hospital.uic.edu/Nursing/SitePages/EBPC.aspx

Write Out Your Topic• What would be the ideal title for your article?• Write up an abstract or a thesis statement• Jane-Journal/Author Name Estimator

o http://www.biosemantics.org/jane/

What are the Words You Need to Search?

• Look for the Subject Headingso Special Vocabulary that can be found in most databaseso One word or phrase is used to describe a particular topic

• Ex. Hypertension represents high blood pressure, Neoplasms represents cancer, etc.o CINAHL-CINAHL Headingso MEDLINE via PubMed-MeSH

• Searching for a particular phrase may be too limiting

Example: End of Life Care

• Hospice Care• Hospice and Palliative Nursing• Life Support Care• Palliative Care• Terminal Care

Topic: Decision Making in NICU

Regarding Withdrawing Life

Support

• Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing

• NICU• Pediatric Advanced

Life Support• Resuscitation• Resuscitation Orders• Treatment Withholding

• Decision Making• Decision Making,

Clinical• Decision Making,

Ethical• Decision Making,

Family• Decision Making,

Organizational

Which Resources Do You Need to Search?

• Nursing Research and Subject Guideo http://researchguides.uic.edu/nursing

• Health Sciences Research and Subject Guideso http://researchguides.uic.edu/cat.php?cid=5873

• Databases A-Z Listo http://researchguides.uic.edu/databases

• Grey Literature• Websites, etc.

Keep Track of Your Searches

• Create an Excel Spreadsheeto databases searched, dates, words used, limits, number of results, and

number of relevant results

• Create an account within each databaseo Search alert

Searching the Databases: CINAHL & MEDLINE via PubMed

Searching the Databases

• CINAHL Plus with Full Texto Nursing and Allied Health database with over 2.8 million citations

• MEDLINE via PubMedo Biomedical database with over 22 million citationso Available for free but must go through UIC Library to access PubMed

• MEDLINE via Ovid

Off Campus Access• Need to get a ACCC account• Same username (NETID) for hospital but

password will be different• This account allows you to access:

o Library resources from off campuso Library computers and access to $15.00 for printing every semestero UIC Wireless

1. Do a subject heading search for the first part of your research project

2. Do a keyword search for the first part of your research project

3. Do a subject heading search for the second part of your research project

4. Do a keyword search for the second part of your research project

5. Combine your search sets together with OR, AND, etc.

6. Apply Limits to your search

Steps for Searching

A subject heading is a special vocabulary that is used within most databases to best describe an article’s content

Look in the database to find where the subject headings are located

Not every database will have the same exact subject headings

1. Do a Subject Heading Search

• A keyword search will double check if you have found relevant articles

• Searches the author, titles, abstracts, subject headings, full text (if available), etc.

• Use truncationex. Nurs*

2. Do a Keyword Search

3. & 4. Do a Subject and Keyword

Search for the Next Topic

• Use OR Before AND• OR increases your results while AND decreases

your results

5.

Combine Your Searches Together with OR, AND, etc.

• Always apply limits at the end• Age Groups• Gender• Language• Year of Publication

o CINAHL has a research limit. MEDLINE via PubMed does not.

6. Apply Limits to Your Search

Tips on Using Certain Limits

• Exclude MEDLINE Records• Full Text Limit• Geographic Location-not every database will let

you do thiso CINAHL has a Journal Subset Limit but it does not work the way you

thinko PsycINFO and Scopus will let you limit by location

• Limiting to Research Articleso CINAHL has Research limito Otherwise limit to publication typeo Another option is methodology (PsycINFO)

1. Do a subject heading search for the first part of your research project

2. Do a keyword search for the first part of your research project

3. Do a subject heading search for the second part of your research project

4. Do a keyword search for the second part of your research project

5. Combine your search sets together with OR, AND, etc.

6. Apply Limits to your search

Steps for Searching

After You Have Done Your Limits-Now

What?• Read the articles’ abstracts from your results.

o Johns Hopkins EBP Research Evidence Appraisal Doc

• See if the articles are available as full text• Request through InterLibrary Loan any articles

you cannot find online (Free!)

Keep This in Mind

http://library.downstate.edu/EBM2/2100.htm

Create an Account within the Databases

• Save searches• Set up search alerts• Share citations or searches

o CINAHL-My Foldero MEDLINE via PubMed-My NCBI Account

RefWorks• Need to create an account

o Use UIC email addresso http://researchguides.uic.edu/refworks

• Manages citations• Creates bibliography in APA format• Share citations with other people

Additional Databases• MEDLINE via Ovid• PsycINFO• Scopus• Sociological Abstracts• Web of Science

• Cochrane Library• EMBASE• ERIC

Getting Help

Getting Help• Make an appointment with me

o Call Me: 312-996-2759o Email Me: raszewr1@uic.edu

• Health Sciences Tutorials & Instructional Guideo Database Tutorialso Evidence Based Practice Tutorial

• IM: uiclibrarian • CALL: Reference Desk: 312-996-9163

What Can I Do for You?

• Buy Books/Recommend Purchases for the Library• Library 101• Individual or group sessions on library-related

topics• Literature Searches• Create Online Guide for your department or unit

o APN Guide

What I Covered Today• Tips on Approaching a Literature Search• Searching the Databases, CINAHL and MEDLINE

via PubMed• Getting Help

Questions?

Rebecca Raszewskiraszewr1@uic.edu

312-996-2759http://

researchguides.uic.edu/raszewski