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Literature Searching Tools

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When you are developing your literature search, it is a good idea to breakdown your question into component parts so that you can clearly identify the key elements that you need to look for. There are a number of tools that can help you to do this. We have developed some worksheets that you can use:

  • PICO – perhaps the most well-known tool; it can help you to develop a clinical question
  • CLIP – use this tool to help you to breakdown questions about health service management issues
  • ECLIPSE – another tool dealing with health service management issues
  • SPICE – this can help you to breakdown questions about social science issues

You can find the worksheets for these tools, along with more help on literature searching, on our website, in the Online Guides and Support section.

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