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Diving for pearls…..How to get the most from your literature search.

Isla Kuhn

Reader Services Librarian

Medical Library

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

Google will give me everything I need (if/when wikipedia fails me)

A. True

B. False

True

False

50%50%

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

Compiling the bibliography to my dissertation will be the easy bit

A. True

B. False

True

False

50%50%

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

a) introducing the research topic, with an explanation of why the subject was chosen for study,

b) reviewing relevant literature and showing how this has informed the research issue,

c) explaining how the research has been designed and why the research methods being used have been chosen (methodology),

d) outlining the findings,e) analysing the findings and discussing them

in the context of the literature review,f) concluding, andg) references

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

a) introducing the research topic, with an explanation of why the subject was chosen for study,

b) reviewing relevant literature and showing how this has informed the research issue,

c) explaining how the research has been designed and why the research methods being used have been chosen (methodology),

d) outlining the findings,e) analysing the findings and discussing them

in the context of the literature review,f) concluding, andg) references

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

introducing the research topic

• clarifying the question

• setting parameters

reviewing relevant literature

• Identifying keywords and synonyms

• Structuring your search strategy with boolean logic

• Identify relevant sources (and then search them!)

References

• DON’T plagiarise!

• Don’t lose marks through sloppy references

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

introducing the research topic

• clarifying the question

• setting parameters

reviewing relevant literature

• Identifying keywords and synonyms

• Structuring your search strategy with boolean logic

• Identify relevant sources (and then search them thoroughly!)

References

• DON’T plagiarise!

• Don’t lose marks through sloppy references

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

introducing the research topic

• clarifying the question

• setting parameters

reviewing relevant literature

• Identifying keywords and synonyms

• Structuring your search strategy with boolean logic

• Identify relevant sources (and then search them!)

References

• DON’T plagiarise!

• Don’t lose marks through sloppy references

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARYWhy reference?

• Showing how widely you’ve read around the subject;

• Demonstrating your understanding of the context and research up to this point;

• Highlighting points of view that differ to yours;

• Backing up your own points of view.

• http://theuniversityblog.co.uk/2012/07/24/need-references/

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARYFrom Topic to Results

• Topic -> question -> keywords/synonyms

Effect of chocolate in prevention of heart disease

...”Is consuming chocolate effective in reducing risk of heart disease?” ….

Themes / PICO

…………………keywords???.... synonyms???........................

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Is consuming chocolate effective in reducing the risk of heart disease?

P –problem / patient?

I – Intervention?

C – Comparison?

O – Outcome?

Synonyms?

From Topic to Results

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

Is consuming chocolate effective in reducing the risk of heart disease?

P – heart disease

I – chocolate

C –

O – prevention

From Topic to Results

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

Is consuming chocolate effective in reducing the risk of heart disease?

P – heart disease / heart failure / cardiovascular disease / coronary disease

I – chocolate / cocoa / cacao

C –

O – reducing risk / prevention /

From Topic to Results

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

Which will give you most hits (a more SENSITIVE search)

A. coronary disease AND heart failure

B. coronary disease OR heart failure

C. coronary disease NOT heart failure

A. B. C.

33% 33%33%

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From Topic to Results:Boolean Logic

OR – to broaden your search, by combining similar terms

eg

“exercise” or “physical activity”

Either term can be present in the resulting set of articles.

Cerebral-vascular Accident

Stroke

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Which will give you better hits (a more SPECIFIC search)?

A. coronary disease AND chocolate

B. chocolate OR heart failure

C. coronary disease NOT chocolate

D. risk AND chocolate

coro

nary dise

ase A

ND c...

choco

late O

R heart failu

re

coro

nary dise

ase N

OT ch...

risk AND ch

ocolate

30%

10%

50%

10%

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

AND – to narrow the search by combining different topics

eg

“physiotherapy” and “stroke”

Both terms must be present in the results.

StrokePhysiotherapy

From Topic to Results:Boolean Logic

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

Which will give you best hits (most SPECIFIC search)?

A. coronary disease AND chocolate AND risk

B. (coronary disease OR heart failure) AND chocolate AND risk

C. chocolate AND risk AND coronary failure

D. risk AND (chocolate OR cocoa) AND (coronary disease OR heart failure)

A. B. C. D.

25% 25%25%25%

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From Topic to Results:Boolean Logic

NOT – to restrict your search so that it does not contain a particular term

eg

“physical therapy” not “manual therapy”

The first, but not the second, term must be present.

Manual Therapy

Physical Therapy

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

Is consuming chocolate effective in the prevention of heart disease?

P – heart disease OR ???

AND

I – chocolate OR ???

AND

C –

AND

O – prevention OR ???

From Topic to Results

WARNING: do you need a direct comparison between intervention & comparison??

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• Databases

• Web of science

• Pubmed

• ???

From Topic to Results

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• EndnoteWeb (to manage your references)

• LibrarySearch (to get hold of the articles)

From Results to References

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http://wok.mimas.ac.uk

http://www.myendnoteweb.com

http://www.pubmed.gov

From Results to References

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARYSearching – Do’s & Don’ts

• Don’t try to do the whole search in one line

• Don’t imagine that your first attempt will get all the articles you need

• Don’t give up!

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARYSearching – Do’s & Don’ts

• Do think of alternative ways of talking about your topic

• Do learn from your hits and your misses

• Do remember that you still have to critically appraise each article

• http://www.twitjc.com/ Twitter Journal Club

• http://www.casp-uk.net/ CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme)

• Do ask for help

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARY

http://tinyurl.com/p2library12 http://tinyurl.com/whatdiduthink

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARYMEDICAL LIBRARYHelp!

Isla Kuhn

Reader Services Librarian

Medical Library

Box 111

Addenbrooke’s Hospital

email: ilk21@cam.ac.uk

phone: (01223 3) 36750

web: http://library.medschl.cam.ac.uk

Thank you.