You can contact the Learning Hub via email:
learninghub@tees.ac.uk
Find us and check our opening hours
Feedback on our services
This guide aims to take you through the full structured, systematic, literature searching process, usually required for a final year project within health and life sciences.
Evidence of a systematic, structured, literature search could be required for an undergraduate (Level 5 or 6) or taught postgraduate (Level 7), dissertation proposal, dissertation, service improvement project, or systematic review.
If you are an academic, researcher or a postgraduate doctoral student (Level 8) and require support with searching, please see the Research support pages.
Depending on what type of project you are undertaking, the stages involved in the full research process may be different. However, the key stages for conducting a comprehensive, systematic and structured literature search tend to include:
This guide will go through each stage, as well as linking out to additional resources which may be helpful in the steps beyond the literature search.
Discovery is a useful resource to use to get started with searching for literature. However, as you progress throughout your course, and when you are expected to evidence your search, you will need to start searching the subject databases.
The databases which are recommended for your subject area, can be found on the Subject Guides.
The main ones used in health and life sciences, which are linked to below, are CINAHL, Medline, Embase, Health Research Premium Collection, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library Online.
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Ebsco licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E-H) (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Ebsco licence can be found below.
Can I access this resource?
To access Embase you must be either:
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Embase licence can be found below.
Can I access this resource?
To access Health Research Premium Collection you must be either:
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Health Research Premium Collection licence can be found below.
Can I access this resource?
To access Scopus you must be either:
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Scopus licence can be found below.
Can I access this resource?
To access Web of Science you must be either:
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Web of Science licence can be found below.
Other databases include: Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE) - abstracts of other systematic reviews; NHS Economic Evaluation Database (register of published economic evaluations of health care interventions); Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (bibliography of clinical trials); Cochrane Review of Methodology Register (bibliography of research synthesis).
Grey literature is material which is not usually published through normal channels. Examples of grey literature include: government reports, theses, conference papers and abstracts, discussion papers, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, best practice documents, guidelines and protocols.
The helpsheet below details the best sources to use to find grey literature in health.
This work is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Deed.