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Effective Literature Search : Tips and Tricks

Presentation · March 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.4426.6645

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Farooq Azam Rathore

Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan
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Farooq Rathore
"As long as one keeps searching, the answers
come."

Joan Baez
What is literature search
 What is literature search

Developing an ability to search in a purposeful and

systematic manner through the range of literature
or information relevant to one’s particular field
 Why search the literature?

Knowledge about recent advances

To identify suitable research topic

Avoid duplication

Understanding of the work done in the past

Provide evidence for the research that is planned

Generate discussion for the topic

Literature search strategy
 Literature search strategy

 Define your information need / research question

 Extract the concepts and terms

 List the keywords

 Decide which sources to use

 Find out how they function

 Run your search

 Review , refine you search and set alerts

Where to search? ----Global Data bases
Global Databases
Where to search? ----Global Data bases

 Medline

 PubMed Central

 Google scholar

 DOAJ

 Springerlink

 Sciencedirect

 Ovid Data base

 Highwire
 c

c
c
Where to search? --- Regional data bases
Where to search? --- Regional data bases

 AJOL

 Pakmedinet

 Bangladesh JOL

 Medindia

 Bioline
Literature search Techniques
Keywords
 Synonyms
 Demographics & epidemiology

 Stroke & Stroke (CVA)

 Head injury & traumatic brain injury

 Tetraplegia & Quadriplegia

Keywords
 Acronyms
 AMI; BKA; TBI; SCI; TB

 Alternative spellings
 Hemorrhage – Haemorrhage

 Ischemia --- Ischaemia

 Pediatric ---Paediatric

 Guillain-Barre Syndrome ---Guillian-Barre Syndrome

Keywords
 Change in Nomenclature
 Juvenile chronic arthritis

 Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

 Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

 Literature search Techniques

 Boolean operators
 Boolean Operators

http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/135024421.png
Boolean Operators
 Literature search Techniques

 Boolean operators

 Phrase searching

 Wildcards (truncation)
 Wildcards (truncation)

 The asterisk symbol acts as a “wildcard” and matches all words

that begin with the string of characters before the asterisk

 arter*

 artery

 arteries

 arterial

 arterioles
 Literature search Techniques

 Boolean operators

 Phrase searching

 Wildcards (truncation)

 Following a search ---Alerts

How to access full text of articles?
 How to access full text of articles?

Medline Limits

Google scholar
 How to access full text of articles?

Medline Limits

Google scholar

HEC digital library access

Reprint request to author

Personal subscription/ Pay per view

 How to access full text of articles?

College/University library

Society membership

Trial access & Promotional offers

 How to access full text of articles?

College/University library

Society membership

Trial access & Promotional offers

Friends/Colleagues abroad
 Some practical tips

 Polish you computer and Internet browsing skills

 Computer, DSL and Printer

 Plan for your literature search and spare some time.

 Prepare a list of Key words

 Team work

 PubMed tutorials

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