Information Skills for Health

Many healthcare-specialist databases will allow you to save your search strategy ie your keywords and how you have combined them, along with your search results. This means that you can re-run your search. This is particularly helpful if you are completing a project over a period of time – you can re-run your search to pick up new items. It also allows you to tweak your search if you come across extra search terms – you can add them into your existing search rather than starting all over again. By saving your search results you will keep a record of the items you have used for your assignment, dissertation or research project. Use the Save options in healthcare databases to save your search strategy and search results You can learn more about the databases we offer you by going to the Online Guides and Support section of our website .

Many databases allow you to use filters to focus your search even more. Typically filters are located on the left-hand-side of the web page presenting your search results. You’ll often be able to filter your search results by selecting a specific publication date range or type of publication. Specialist healthcare databases will often also allow you to filter by patient characteristics such as age or gender. Use Filters to focus your search results Complete our etutorial Introduction to Literature Searching to learn more about when and how to filter your search results.

A thesaurus is a defined list of related terms used to describe content eg articles. In databases, articles are often “tagged” with a thesaurus term. You can search for the thesaurus term. The same thesaurus term will be used consistently across articles; thus even though the authors may have used different terms in their articles, the thesaurus term will be the same. By searching for a thesaurus term you should find articles on the same topic, even though the authors may have used different keywords or concept words. Icons of articles with some highlighted with a tag indicating they have the same thesaurus term You can learn more about the thesaurus in the Cinahl database by completing our etutorial Using a Thesaurus .

Many of our databases allow you to use advanced searching techniques to combine searches. This way you can build up the searches for your keywords using OR and then combine the different concepts using AND and NOT. Graphic listing several concepts leading to one set of results For example: Your first search for your first concept may include all your different keywords and phrases for kidney disease, using OR to combine them. Your next search might be for your second concept hypertension – you’ll need to identify all the relevant terms for hypertension and combine them using OR. You can then combine both these concepts using AND for example as search1 AND search2. You can learn more about how to combine searches by completing our etutorial Develop Your Search Skills

Some resources will allow you to combine your keywords in different ways. One of those ways is to combine terms using the word “not”. Venn diagram demonstrating exclusion of one search term You use NOT to exclude a specific term from your search results. For example you may be looking for “kidney disease” but you don’t want any search results relating to hypertension. By searching for “kidney disease” NOT hypertension you will exclude all the items with the search term hypertension. You can learn more about how to combine search terms by completing our etutorial Develop Your Search Skills .

Library Search includes an A-Z list of the ejournal collection available at Keele University. Note that NHS-subscribed ejournals are not available via the Library Search interface. There are a number of different ways to look for Keele ejournals on Library Search. This blog post will just give you one simple route. 1. Start at the Library Search home page. Click the more option on the top menu bar – this is represented by the 3 dots The top menu bar includes the more option represented by 3 dots 2. Select the Keele eJournals A-Z option. A range of extra options are presented - choose Keele eJournals A-Z 3. Keele eJournals A-Z search interface. You are then presented with the Keele eJournals A-Z search interface, You can either browse through the titles available alphabetically or enter your journal title into the search box and click search. Screen-shot of the Journal search interface, including an alphabetic list In this example I have en...

Some resources will allow you to combine your keywords in different ways. One of those ways is to combine terms using the word “and”. Venn diagram showing intersection where 2 search terms overlap You use AND to combine different concepts that mean different things. This helps you to narrow your search helping it to be more specific. For example you may be looking for “kidney disease” but only in relation to hypertension. By searching for “kidney disease” AND hypertension you are narrowing your search about kidney disease to only include items which also include the search term hypertension. Here’s a short animation from HEE explaining the use of AND: You can learn more about how to combine search terms by completing our etutorial Develop Your Search Skills .

Some resources will allow you to combine your keywords in different ways. One of those ways is to combine terms using the word “or”. Venn diagram showing the overlap of words that mean the same thing You use OR to combine words that mean the same thing. Authors may refer to the same thing using different terminology. To ensure that your search retrieves all the items relevant you should include a range of terms. For example someone may refer to “kidney disease” but another person may call it “renal disease”. Your search needs to return both sets of information, so you should search for items that contain either kidney OR renal disease. Here’s a short animation from HEE explaining the use of OR: You can learn more about how to combine search terms by completing our etutorial Develop Your Search Skills .

Have you been following the Search Smart series? How are you getting on? Don’t forget that you can re-check your skills at any time by completing our etutorial Check Your Skills . If you have tried any of the tutorials presented so far, don’t forget to let us know what you thought via our feedback form or leave a comment on any of the Search Smart blog posts.

Library Search includes the collection of ebooks available to our Keele University and NHS users. Note that not all the ebooks in the collection are available to all of our users. Follow these steps to find an ebook on Library Search: 1. Start by searching for the book title or topic that you want. Enter your text into the search box and select the “Search books and more” option. I have searched for the book “How to Read a Paper” Screen-shot of search results for book title "How to read a paper" Items matching your search terms will be returned. eBooks may appear in their own right as an entry in the results – you’ll see the text “Online Access” – but don’t click this link. An ebook may also occur when a title has the text “Multiple versions” next to it. This often means that we have both the print and online version of the book, or it can mean that we have multiple editions. 2. For the entry that you are interested in, click the book title. ...

Truncation is another great search tip that you can use on some databases. Truncation sysmbol * (asterisk) Using a truncation symbol allows you to search for multiple variations of a word that has the same root. The truncation symbol is usually an asterisk [*]. For example if you use the search term diabet* a search engine will look for words which have diabet as its root, such as diabetes, diabetic, diabetics. This allows you to search for multiple variations of a word in one go. For more practice using truncation complete our etutorial Develop Your Search Terms .

Some databases allow you to use wildcards in their search options. This means that you can search for multiple variations of a keyword in one go. Wildcard symbols ? (question mark) and # (hash) What is a wildcard? Using a wildcard is where you use a symbol to replace a letter or null in a keyword to find variations of that word. Typically you use a question mark [?] or a hash symbol [#]. This is most useful when you are looking for the British and American spelling of a word; for example p#ediatrics will find paediatrics (british spelling) and pediatrics (american spelling). Try our etutorial Develop Your Search Terms to practice identifying wildcard terms.

As part of your search plan you need to identify keywords and phrases that are related to your question. These are the search terms that you’ll use to search in the resources you’ve identified. Keyword button linked to more buttons to represent keyword alternatives Start with your question and identify the key words and phrases it contains. Then for each of those keywords / phrases try to think of synonyms or alternatives that mean the same thing. You may have groups of keywords based around the different concepts within your question. So for example if your question is about medications suitable for elderly patients with high blood pressure, you will have a group of search terms for blood pressure medications, elderly people and high blood pressure. The more search terms you use the more likely you are to identify all the information related to it, as different authors (of articles, reviews etc) may use different terms. Try our etutorial Develop Your Search Terms t...

Journal Removals – CK Global Homeopathy;  ISSN: 1475-4916; Package/Collection: Internal Medicine Extended. Transferred to another publisher. Recommended alternative – Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice Reproductive Health Matters;  ISSN: 0968-8080; Package/Collection: Obstetrics and Gynecology. Transferred to another publisher. Recommended alternative – Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Books Added – CK Global Botulinum Toxin in Facial Rejuvenation  (Coleman, Kate) 2nd ed; ISBN: 9780702077869; Package/Collection: Ophthalmology; New to CK;  https://www.clinicalkey.com/ dura/browse/bookChapter/3-s2. 0-C20170030434 Cellular Physiology and Neurophysiology  (Blaustein, Mordecai) 3rd ed; ISBN: 9780323596190; Package/Collection: Flex Only; New edition (replaces 9780323057097);  https://www.clinicalkey.com/ dura/browse/bookChapter/3-s2. 0-C20160042821 Gahart’s 2020 Intravenous Medications  (Gahart, Betty) 36th ed; ISBN: 9780323661386; Pac...

Library Search is a discovery tool, allowing you to find items within the library collections. In this blog post I’m going to look at how you can use the filter options to focus your search results. Here is an example search – diabetes type 1 and teenagers – and the search results. Search Results presented in Library Search, filter options on the left-hand-side The filter options are all on the left-hand-side of the screen. The filter options may depend on the type of items returned by your search. Typically you can filter by: Full-text availability Resources Type Date (usually publication date) Subject – subject headings available will depend on your results Library – if print items are included in your results Range of filter options presented for this set of results Be aware that restricting your search may bias your results. Be clear on why you are using the filters. Here are some options that you might want to consider: 1. Include res...

You need to make sure that you use the right resource in order to find the right type of information that you are looking for. Wide range of icons representing different types of resources You can use healthcare-specific resources to search for healthcare information. You might want to try different resources depending on the type of information you want – primary research, systematic reviews, guidelines, established information etc. By concentrating on selected resources you are more likely to find the information you need and more quickly too. To learn more about different types of resources complete our etutorial Select the Right Resource .

PICO is a tool that you can use to help you to create a clinical question. This type of question applies to the assessment of interventions used for specific patient groups. Patient – who is the patient or patient group? What is their condition / disease? What are the patient characteristics, such as gender or age? Intervention – what is the intervention or treatment? Comparison – what is the intervention being compared against? For example another treatment, a placebo or nothing Outcome – what outcome is expected to change and is being measured? Once you have identified the different elements you can then formulate your question more clearly. This will help you to identify the keywords you will need to use in your search strategy. Coloured buttons representing the elements of PICO If you would like to practice creating PICO questions you can try our Using PICO Quiz . To learn more about how to breakdown your question, complete our etutorial Identify Your Question...

SARI is another tool that can help you to breakdown your question into smaller components. You use it to prompt yourself to think around the question you are being asked. Subject – the main topic that you will cover in the assignment Aspect – the features, characteristics or points that you are asked to look at Restrictions – any limits that you are given in your assignment, such as a word count, or limit to the topic Instructions – any instructions you need to adhere to, for example how to format the assignment, whether to present, discuss, compare etc any aspects of the assignment This is a particularly useful tool for helping you to breakdown assignment questions. Once you have broken down your question it will be easier to identify your keywords and help you to focus on the elements you need to address. Coloured buttons representing the SARI tool If you would like to practice using the SARI tool, try our Using SARI Quiz . For more help in learning how to b...

Health Library News: Get more out of Clinical Key by attending a Clinic... : Elsevier are running a series of webinars to help you to make the most of Clinical Key . Clinical Key is a clinical search engine tool ...

The 6Ws (and 1H) is a tool that you can use to breakdown your questions or assignment. You use it to identify the various aspects of your question. The 6Ws and 1H are: What? – what is the main topic of the question Where? – is the question located in a specific setting? This could be a healthcare setting such as primary care or an acute care setting; or it may be a geographical location Who? – who is the question talking about. This may be a particular patient group defined by their condition, or defined by their characteristics such as age or gender etc. It might also include a particular group of healthcare professions When? – when or at what time dos the question relate to? For example do you need to look for up-to-date current information or have a historical perspective? It could also relate to a specific step in a process, for example a step in the patient journey Which? – which might help you to decide on a list of things to identify, compare or look at Why?...

When you get your assignments or dissertation topic you need to take some time to analyse exactly what you are being asked to do. Don’t jump in and start searching straight away. Try to breakdown your question so that you are sure you know what information you need to search for and how you can answer the question. This helps you to focus your search and stops you wasting time looking for irrelevant information. There are a number of tools that can help you and we’ll go through some of them in the next few blog posts. Question breakdown represented by a single question mark icon being split into 4

If you have inadvertently created more than 1 personal account on an ebsco database (such as Cinahl or Medline), you can now merge those accounts, so that you only have the one account. You usually create a personal account in order to save articles, searches and alerts. Users who have personal folders associated with two accounts are now able to merge them into one chosen account. Users who have more than two accounts can repeat the process until all accounts are merged into one. Benefits to merging personal user accounts: You will need to remember only one set of login credentials. All saved articles, searches, alerts, images, videos, etc., will be stored in one folder location. Once accounts are merged, the account that contained the data that was merged into the target account is permanently removed. To merge your accounts: Full details on how to merge your accounts is available on the Ebsco help page . Note that you will need to have the userid/ password fo...