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Structured searching for health students (using CINAHL and other databases)

Other useful databases for health topics

Structured searching in Embase

The video tutorial below shows how to use Boolean operators, advanced search techniques and filters in the database Embase.  You can access the database by clicking on the link below. 

Video Tutorial 

 
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You can open an Ovid database (such as Embase or Maternity and Infant Care) and search without having to create a personal account but you need to create a personal account in order to:

  • Save searches (which you can re-run later)
  • Save articles
  • Create Projects to organise your saved articles

 

The videos and written guidance below explain how to create a personal account and how to save, re-run and share searches in the Ovid databases.

Video Tutorial (Creating a personal account) Written Guidance (Creating a personal account) Video Tutorial (Saving, re-running and sharing a search) Written Guidance (Saving, re-running and sharing a search)
Person icon Picture of a note pad and pencil Share Picture of a note pad and pencil
       

Structured searching in Scopus

The video tutorial below shows how to use Boolean operators, advanced search techniques and filters in the database Scopus.  You can access the database by clicking on the link below. 

Video Tutorial

 
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Structured searching in Maternity and Infant Care

The video tutorial below shows how to use Boolean operators, advanced search techniques and filters in the database Maternity and Infant Care. You can access the database by clicking on the link below. 

Video Tutorial

 
video camera  

 

You can open an Ovid database (such as Embase or Maternity and Infant Care) and search without having to create a personal account but you need to create a personal account in order to:

  • Save searches (which you can re-run later)
  • Save articles
  • Create Projects to organise your saved articles

 

The videos and written guidance below explain how to create a personal account and how to save, re-run and share searches in the Ovid databases.

Video Tutorial (Creating a personal account) Written Guidance (Creating a personal account) Video Tutorial (Saving, re-running and sharing a search) Written Guidance (Saving, re-running and sharing a search)
Person icon Picture of a note pad and pencil Share Picture of a note pad and pencil
       

Searching in PEDro (the Physiotherapy Evidence Database)

PEDro is a free database of randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.

The web guide below shows how to use Boolean operators and search techniques in this database and how to view the results. 

 

Online Guide:

Link to Spark tutorial  on how to use the Pedro database

Structured searching in PubMed

This interactive tutorial from the University of Nottingham shows how to conduct a structured search using PubMed. 

Online Tutorial:

open book

Medline (available via EBSCO) will cover a lot of the content within PubMed and offers the ability to do a more focused/structured search. It is also one of the main databases used in Systematic reviews. However, although both databases are very similar and will have a lot of duplicated content, there are some differences to be aware of, before you make your decision about whether to search them both or not.
 
PubMed is an interface used to search Medline but it does also have some additional biomedical content. PubMed citations come from:
1) MEDLINE indexed journals:
2) journals/manuscripts deposited in PMC
3) NCBI Bookshelf. 
If you limit your PubMed search to MeSH controlled vocabulary or the MEDLINE subset, you will see only MEDLINE citations in your results.
More information is available here: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/difference.html 

Searching in the Cochrane Library

The Cochrane Library training hub guides you through how to use the Cochrane Library by providing access to quick training videos, user guides and webinars.

The short videos below show how to search in the Cochrane Library.

Video from Cochrane Training which shows the different ways to search the Cochrane Library Video from Alkek Library (Texas State University) which shows how to search for systematic reviews in the Cochrane Library.
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Systematic Reviews

Systematic Reviews

If you a a postgraduate researcher undertaking a full systematic review or if you are a taught postgraduate on a course where you need to search systematically for a literature review, you might also find the Systematic Review LibGuide useful. 

Critical Appraisal

See the Critical Appraisal LibGuide for basic level support for appraising qualitative and quantitative research papers. It's designed for students who have already attended lectures on critical appraisal.

The guide includes frameworks to appraise research along with an opportunity to practise appraisal skills using a research paper with suggested answers.

Developing a search strategy with e-LfH

This series of tutorials from e-LfH (NHS, Health Education England) will take you through the steps needed to develop an effective search strategy. You don't need to log in, you can access these resources as a guest.

online tutorialIntroduction to SearchingThis tutorial helps you to: recognise when you need to conduct a search; identify which  searching skills you need to develop; and find out where you can access further help with searching.

online tutorialWhere do I Start Searching?: This tutorial explores what types of information are available and where to search for them. As well as CINAHL, the University subscribes to a variety of health resources which will be useful for you in your research. You can access these through the A-Z of databases or your subject Guide.

This tutorial has been created by Health Education England, which means that some of the resources highlighted are only available to NHS employees. If you are a Healthcare student, on an education program which involves practice and placement within an NHS provider, you can access these additional resources through Open Athens.

How do I Start to Develop a Search Strategy?: This tutonline tutorialorial will help you to: focus your research topic; use frameworks to break down your topic into key concepts; identify additional search terms to broaden your search; use AND/OR to combine search terms. Although other frameworks are shown in this video, the School of Health and Social Care recommends the PICO/PIO/PEO framework.

online tutorial

Critical AppraisalThis tutorial is designed to build confidence in critical appraisal.

Useful reading

Further Reading

Click on the image to see additional useful resources

Link to online reading list of additional resources and further reading

Ask your Friendly Health (Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health) Librarians

This is your one-stop-shop for your research and study skills for health (nursing, midwifery and allied health).  

If you have any questions please get in touch:

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