Step-by-step guide: How to approach a search

By: Intekhab Hossain and Mariam KamelLast updated: Apr. 2015

Introduction

Pubmed got you down?Searching for information on a specific topic can seem daunting if the first place you search is in PubMed. A better strategy is to begin your search broadly (eg. Google, Wikipedia) and then narrow down to specific databases (eg. Pubmed, OVID). This way, you will have a basic understanding of the topic before delving into the specific details.

STEP 1: BROAD SEARCH to get background knowledge

1. Explore the topic using Google search and read a few of the pertinent resultant websites.

***NOTE: Googling is NOT a poor strategy to finding information. It is often thought that we can only find valid information in scientific articles. However, for basic information, a Google search is a good way to build a foundation, after which, you can learn more about the topic through scientific articles.

2. Wikipedia is also a great resource for background knowledge. If an article is locked (symbolized by the following icon on the top right of the article: ), it is a good sign that the information in the article is legitimate and only very specific individuals can edit it. For the most part, Wikipedia is reliable. In case of uncertainty, you can always refer to the original source (by clicking on the superscript that follows) and verify the information.

***NOTE: The references at the bottom of Wikipedia articles are valuable primary resources (e.g. articles) that you may want to consider exploring.

STEP 1: BROAD SEARCH to get background knowledge

STEP 2: NARROW SEARCH to get specific details on the topic

1. Create a search strategy using a keyword table (see Table on next slide for an example)

a. Establish your research questionb. Determine the main concepts of your research question. These

will be your key words. c. Brainstorm as many synonyms or alternate terms as you can

that describe each main concept of your search question. These will go under the keywords.

d. Utilize asterisks to search for any word with the letters before the *. This broadens the search. For instance, student* will search for student and studentS and eval* will search for evaluate, evaluation, evaluations, etc.

e. Combine terms using the Booleans AND / OR.– AND: both terms must be in the result. – OR: either of the terms must be in the result.

Example: What are effective stress coping mechanisms for university students?

STEP 2: NARROW SEARCH to get specific details on the topic

Keywords Stress Cop* Student* Universit*

Synonyms Tension Deal* with Undergraduate College

Anxiety Manag* Graduate Academ*

Strateg* Pupil

Reduc*

Thus, the search term would be: (stress OR tension OR anxiety) AND (cop* OR deal* with OR manag* OR strategy* OR reduc*) AND (student* OR undergraduate OR graduate OR pupil) AND (university* OR college OR academ*)

2. Determine the appropriate database to search on (see guide “List of databases for specific topics”) [e.g. PsychINFO for psychology topics]

3. Perform the search, using the search term created in Step 2, on each of the databases (see guides “PubMed, OVID, and Web of Science”; similar methods can be applied to all databases)

STEP 2: NARROW SEARCH to get specific details on the topic