LibGuides: Systematic literature searching for health and life sciences students: Systematic searching

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Systematic searching

Systematic literature searching

Systematic literature searching is an advanced, structured process and a consistent approach is important.

The search will need to be thorough, using relevant keywords, Boolean operators and advanced searching techniques.

The whole process (including the search strategy itself) will usually need to be documented, so that it could be repeated by someone else. Therefore, when planning, it is helpful to keep a record of which databases you have searched, the terms which were used and some notes about what terms did and didn’t produce good results. There are some templates below which could help with this.

Your subject guide will point you towards the most appropriate databases to search for your subject area. You won’t need to use all of them, but, you will usually need to use at least two or three. Which ones and how many will depend on your specific question and assessment.

Search record template (blank)
Basic blank template to keep a record of searches
Search record template with examples - PICO/PIO/PEO table format
PICO/PIO/PEO table format
Search record template with examples - table format
Table format to reflect database search page

Structured literature searching: full process (Discovery and online databases)

Systematic searching in Discovery

The video and slides below provides an introduction of how to carry out a systematic literature search using Discovery. The search terms used are based on a research topic. It goes through 4 main steps to finding information:

Identifying keywords.
Deciding where to search.
Searching.
Evaluating results.

Searching for Information - Part 1 (Slides)

Systematic searching in the online databases

The video and slides below show how to do an advanced systematic literature search in the CINAHL, Medline and PsycINFO databases. The search terms used are based on a research topic. It goes through 8 key steps to finding information:

Thinking about your topic.
Identifying key concepts and putting them into a framework (if needed).
Thinking of alternative keywords (synonyms).
Linking the keywords together using Boolean operators.
Applying advanced search techniques such as truncation and phrase searching.
Carrying out the search.
Reviewing the results and applying limits.
Saving the search.

Please note: The library homepage has been updated since this video was recorded and the skills guides mentioned in the video can now be found here: https://libguides.tees.ac.uk/learninghub?b=s&group_id=6925

Searching for Information - Part 2 (Slides)

Structured literature searching in the EBSCOhost databases (such as CINAHL, Medline): bite size videos and guides

Advanced searching using Boolean operators

The written guidance and short video tutorial below show how to use Boolean operators in a subject database available on the EBSCOhost platform.

You can access the EBSCOhost health databases by clicking on the links below.

Using Boolean operators in a database

Searching using advanced techniques

The written guidance and short video tutorial below show how to use the advanced searching techniques in a subject database available on the EBSCOhost platform.

Using advanced searching techniques in a database

You can access the EBSCOhost health databases by clicking on the links below.

CINAHL Ultimate
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
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)
MEDLINE
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
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)
PsycINFO
Can I access this resource?
To access PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
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 PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
SPORTDiscus
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
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)
Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source
Can I access this resource?
o access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
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)
AMED (Allied and Complementary MEDicine)
Can I access this resource?
To access AMED you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
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 AMED licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (A-D) (This link opens in a new window)

Structured literature searching in the Ovid databases (such as Embase and Maternity and Infant Care): bite size videos

Searching in Embase

The short 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.

EMBASE
Can I access this resource?
To access Embase you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
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.
List of electronic resource licences (E to H)

Searching in Maternity and Infant Care

The short 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.

Maternity and Infant Care
Help and guidance is available at https://libguides.tees.ac.uk/systematicsearching/

Can I access this resource?
To access Wolters Kluwer (OVID) resources you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
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 Wolters Kluwer (OVID) licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (U to Z)

Structured literature searching in Scopus: bite size video

Searching in Scopus

The short 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.

Scopus
Can I access this resource?
To access Scopus you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
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.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)

Searching in PubMed and PEDro

PubMed

Medline (available via EBSCOhost) 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