Systematic Literature
Searching
VETM 601 Professional Skills
UCVM Graduate Students
Nov 29, Dec 13 2012
Lorraine Toews MLIS
Librarian, Veterinary Medicine ,UC Health Sciences Library
libguides.ucalgary.ca/vetmed
My background
 Masters Library & Information Studies (MLIS) U of A
 UC Library Subject Librarian – academic staff
 1997 – 2006 UME, PGME Faculty of Medicine
 2006 – pres Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
 2011- pres Bachelor of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
 Adjunct appointment – UCVM Ecosystem & Public
Health
 Co-author reviews
 Author
 Registered Nurse - 7 years
Workshop Overview
 Search continuum
 Standards for systematic searches
 Search process
 Developing search questions
 Selecting databases & search engines
 Search strategies
• Textword vs Subject Heading
• Broaden & Focus Searches
 Saving search strategies
 Reporting searches
 Publishing your research
Search Continuum
Focused search for Comprehensive
…
search for …
Exhaustive search
for …
Clinical decision
support
Dissertations
Systematic reviews
Current awareness
Research Proposal
Policy reviews
Systematic Reviews
vs Narrative Reviews
Feature
Narrative Review
Systematic Review
Question
Often broad
Focused clinical question
Search
Often not specified
Comprehensive,
explicit search
Selection of Studies
Often not specified
Potentially biased
Explicit criteria used to
minimize bias
Evaluation of Studies Variable, not specified
Rigorous, explicit
evaluation of studies
Synthesis
Often not specified
Often qualitative
Often quantitative
Meta-analysis
Recommendations
Sometimes evidence
based
Evidence-based if well
conducted review
Standards for
Systematic Literature Search
Cochrane Collaboration Handbook
http://www.cochrane-handbook.org/
US Institute of Medicine
Standards for Systematic Reviews
http://www.iom.edu/
Systematic review searches
aim to minimize bias by
Doing an exhaustive search for all the evidence
in …
 Peer reviewed journal literature
 Grey literature
•
•
•
•
•
Conference proceedings
Dissertations & theses
Government documents
Data & statistics
Professional organization reports
 Unpublished studies – clinical trial & research
in progress registries
1. Translate your
Research Question into
Searchable Questions
2. Develop Search Terms
Ask a Searchable
Question
How does the metaphylactic use of
antimicrobials in beef cattle affect
the emergence of antimicrobial
resistance in a feedlot setting?
Key concepts &
Search terms
Concepts
Search terms
metaphylactic OR metaphylaxis
metaphylaxis
beef cattle
OR prophylactic OR prophylaxis
cattle OR bovine
antimicrobial resistance OR
antimicrobial resistance
feedlots
antibiotic resistance OR AMR
Feedlot OR concentrated animal
feeding operation OR CAFO
Ask a Searchable
Clinical Question
Among dairy cattle, is the
complement fixation test vs the
Elisa test more accurate in
screening for Johne’s disease?
Key Concepts &
Search Terms
Concepts
Search terms
P = Population/Species Dairy cattle
P = Problem/ Disease
I = Intervention
ELISA OR enzyme linked
immunosorbent assay
C = Comparison
Intervention
Cft OR complement fixation test
O = Clinical Outcome
Johne’s disease OR
paratuberculosis
Define Search Limits
 Publication Date
 Language
 Type of document – review, RCT
 Age group
 Gender
 Geographic Location
3. Select Appropriate
Databases for
Your Topic and Task
Veterinary Medicine
Interdisciplinary
3.1 Locate journal
literature
Google Scholar
- background, scoping search, cited by
- find known article
CAB Abs – vet med, animal science
PubMed / MEDLINE – medicine, vet med
Scopus, Web of Science Citation – multidisciplinary,
citation tracking
Wildlife & Ecology Studies
BIOSIS – basic science
Environment Complete - environment
Agricola – animal science
CAB Abs vs PubMed
CAB Abstracts
Content
Comprehensive index of
veterinary medicine journals*
Indexes many vet medicine
conference proceedings
PubMed | MEDLINE
Indexes 110 vet med
journals + human
medicine journals
Not index conference
proceedings
Quality of Indexing
Less depth, less consistency
than PubMed
Consistent, in-depth,
granular indexing
Search interface
More complex than PubMed
Easier, more intuitive
Evidence-based
medicine
No Clinical Queries
Clinical Queries feature
Access
Subscription required
Free
CAB Abstracts
Subject Coverage
CABI Publishing
http://www.cabi.org/default.aspx?site=170&page=1016&pid=125
Some Vet Med Journals
in CAB Abs not in PubMed
Bovine
Bovine Practitioner
Cattle Practice
Livestock Science
UK Vet: Livestock
Equine
Australian Equine Veterinarian
Equine Veterinary Education
Journal of Equine Science
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science
Exotics
Exotic DVM
Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine
Swine
Journal of Swine Health & Production
Pig Journal
Some Vet Med Journals
in CAB Abs not in PubMed
Poultry
Journal of Poultry Science
Poultry International
Public Health
Journal of Veterinary Epidemiology
Journal of Veterinary Public Health
Wildlife
European Journal of Wildlife Research
Journal of Wildlife Health
Journal of Wildlife Management
Other
Journal of Veterinary Cardiology
CAB Abs, BIOSIS
Web of Science
Scopus & Web of Science
Scopus
Web of Science
Multidisciplinary
Multidisciplinary
Citation tracking
Citation tracking
More journals
More conference
proceedings
1996 - present
1898 - present
Scopus Coverage
Scopus Coverage
Wildlife & Ecology Studies
Subject Coverage
Environment Complete
Subject Coverage
3.2 Locate conference
proceedings
CAB Abstracts – vet med
IVIS International Veterinary Info System
Web of Science
Scopus
BIOSIS – basic science
UC Library Catalogue – selective
Interlibrary loan
Purchase from Proquest Dissertations Express
3.3 Locate dissertations
& theses
Proquest Dissertations & Theses
 Full-text PDFs 1997 – present
 Can take 1 year to appear in Proquest
Interlibrary loan if not in Proquest
Purchase Proquest Dissertations - credit card
3.4 Locate data & statistics
UC Library Spatial & Numeric Data Services
http://library.ucalgary.ca/sands
Phone: 403-220-6822
libdata@ucalgary.ca
maps@ucalgary.ca
Twitter: @UofCLibData
3.6 Locate unpublished
clinical trials
Cochrane Collaboration Handbook
Chap 6.2.3 Unpublished and ongoing studies
Clinical trial registries
http://handbook.cochrane.org/
Mainly human, but have animal studies related to
human disease
Off-Campus Authentication
Barcode: first 9 digits of barcode on back
(leave off last digit)
Password/PIN: UCID number leave off zeros at front of
number
http://thoth.lib.ucalgary.ca/loginhelp.html
4. Search Strategies
A Cautionary Note
Databases like CAB Abstracts, Scopus …
• Do not work like Google
• Quality varies
• Consistency, depth indexing
• Search software functionality
• Subject coverage varies
• Effort to learn search skills > quality of results
Broaden or
Focus your Search
Concept
Search Terms
A
AND
Cft OR complement fixation test
“AND” in a concept NARROWS search
B
elisa OR enzyme linked immunosorbent
assay
AND
C
AND
“OR” in synonyms within a concept
BROADENS search
Johne’s disease OR paratuberculosis
Strategies to
Broaden Searches
 Reframe your question to make it broader
 Use broader search terms
 Remove the least important concept
 Add synonyms within a concept (Boolean OR)
 Use truncation in textword searches – therap*
retrieves therapy, therapist, therapeutic
 Apply fewer, or no limits
 Use the Explode feature (only in CAB Abs, OVID MEDLINE)
 Use both subject headings & textwords for the
broadest search
Strategies to
Focus Searches
 Reframe your question to make it narrower
 Use more specific search terms
 Add another concept
 Use less/no synonyms within a concept
 Use less/no truncation in textword searches
 Apply more limits
 Do not use the Explode feature
(only in CAB Abs, OVID MEDLINE)
Subject Heading
vs Keyword Searching
Subject Heading
Textword |Keyword
What is searched?
Search subject headings
assigned by indexer
Search word(s) in title, abstract
Advantages
Retrieves more relevant
results
Retrieves new topics in
literature + very specific topics
Enables use of Explode,
Focus features
Easier to learn and use
Enables retrieval abstract,
multi-faceted concepts
Disadvantages
New terms (eg. New
drugs) may not be in
subject headings yet
Often retrieves more irrelevant
records (word match)
Searcher must include
synonyms, plurals, spelling
variations in strategy
Search Mode
Depends on Task
PubMed Default or Advanced
 Need only the key articles on topic
 Topic covered by journals indexed in PubMed
CAB Abs Multi-Field
• Topic not covered in PubMed journals
• Need only the key articles on topic
• You do not need a comprehensive search
CAB Abs or MEDLINE Advanced
 Need a comprehensive, precise search
 Your topic is abstract, multi-faceted
Search Mechanics
 Boolean Operators
 AND, OR, NOT (see separate slide)
 Parentheses ( )
 Enclose synonyms for a concept in parentheses
 Search boxes in CAB Abs Multi-Field does automatically
 Exact phrase search
 Varies depending on database
 Many databases use quote marks “_” around a phrase
 Truncation
 Asterisk at end of word stem retrieves plurals, word
variants - therap* retrieves therapy, therapist, therapeutic
Boolean Operators
AND
OR
NOT
Connects
concepts
Connects synonyms or
similar terms within a
concept
Excludes all records
that contain the term
after NOT
Finds records with
EITHER or BOTH search
terms
Narrows search
Broadens search
Dementia NOT
Alzheimers
Finds records with
ALL search terms
Narrows search
Dementia AND
treatment
Dementia OR Alzheimers
Use with care
Textword Search
(OVID Multi-Field)
CAB Abstracts
CAB Abstracts Record
Textword Search
Multi-Field OVID
Find Review articles
in CAB Abstracts
Type the following in the search box:
Exp Reviews/ or meta-analysis/
Combine with your final subject search set using
AND
Subject Heading Search
(OVID Advanced)
CAB Abstracts
CAB Abstracts Record
CAB Abstracts Record
Subject Heading search (OVID
Advanced Search) searches this
part of record
Subject Heading Search
OVID Advanced
Purpose of
Subject Headings
Account for synonyms,
plural, alternate spelling
Increased Relevance
Purpose of
Subject Headings
Use the Explode function
Purpose of
Subject Headings
Retrieval of abstract,
multi-faceted topics
Getting Full-Text
Articles
E-Journals
Full-text Articles
SFX
SFX Citation linker
 Links database search results with full-text articles
 Indicates if item is available in print in UC Library
 Interlibrary loan link if UC Library not have online
or print
Interlibrary Loan
 Order articles UC Library does not have
 Journal articles desktop delivery 2-4 business days
 Must have email in library patron database
Full-Text Article:
Via Database SFX Link
I
Interlibrary Loan Link
on SFX in Database
Interlibrary Loan
Login
Interlibrary Loan
Journal Request
5. Save Search Strategy
http://www.library.ualberta.ca/uploads/HealthSciences/documents/OvidSP
SaveHistory.pdf
Save Search History
OVID
Save Search History
OVID
Save Search History
OVID
Save Search History
PubMed
Save Search History
PubMed
Save Search History
PubMed
6. Save and Format
References
Reference Management
Software Support
http://library.ucalgary.ca/citing-and-writing-health-sciences
7. Search
Reporting Standards
Why does reporting
the search matter?
 In reviews – literature search is the data
collection method
 If search incomplete or biased > quality,
conclusions of review in doubt
 Transparent, complete reporting assists
consumer of research in assessing quality,
validity of review
Best Practice
Reporting Standards
PRISMA
Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic reviews & Meta-Analyses
http://www.prisma-statement.org/history.htm
Cochrane Collaboration Handbook
http://www.cochrane-handbook.org/
Institute of Medicine Standards for Systematic Reviews
http://www.iom.edu/
Equator Network
http://www.equator-network.org/
Reporting the Search
in Methods section
 Describe all information sources searched
 Databases with dates of coverage, limits
 Grey literature sources
 Reference lists, hand searches
 Contact with study authors to identify additional studies
 Date last search done
 Full electronic search strategy
 One database > All databases
 …such that it could be repeated
 Flow diagram
PRISMA
Flow Diagram
8. Publish
Your Research
Publish Your Research
 Instruction to Authors
 Check online journal or Google journal website
 Journal impact factors
 Journal Citation Reports database
 LCR Open Access Author’s Fund
 Helps pay fees to publish in OA journals
How can I as a
librarian help you?
 As a Consultant … advise you on …
 Choice of databases
 Optimizing search strategies for your purpose
 Choosing & using reference management software
 In the future … as a Co-author …
 International Council Medical Journal Editors – Authorship
http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1author.html
 Develop, conduct reproducible search, minimize bias
 Document search strategies, archive references
 Report search in Methods section & flow diagram
 Review final draft article
Need Help? Contact
Lorraine Toews MLIS
Veterinary Medicine Librarian
Health Sciences Library
ltoews@ucalgary.ca | 403.220.3750
libguides.ucalgary.ca/vetmed
Health Sciences Library Information Desk
hslibr@ucalgary.ca | 403.220.6857
M-F 8 am – 4:30 pm (general help)
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