Skip to main content

9 things every student should know about before starting a literature search

By

 Healthcare students will be expected to develop the right digital skills to help them to find good quality evidence. Whether you are presenting arguments in an assignment, researching for your dissertation or supporting a patient-care decision you need to be able to search effectively to find the right information.

We often refer to this type of searching as completing a literature search - that is running a search of the relevant literature such as guidelines, reviews and articles. 

We can help you to develop the right skills. There are 9 key steps that you can follow to help you to complete your literature search. Here is a (very) brief summary:

  1. Plan - create a plan of your search to help you to focus on what you need to look for and to make sure you don't forget anything.
  2. Breakdown your question - analyse your question and break it down into different parts so that you are clear on what you need to answer and what you should include.
  3. Identify search terms - from your question identify the keywords and phrases from the different elements of your question. Identify synonyms or alternatives that may be used. Identify as many that you can think of, and use a medical dictionary and thesaurus to help you. You'll use these words in your searches. 
  4. Combine your search terms - think how you can combine your search terms using boolean operators - words like AND, OR and NOT. You can combine search terms to focus your search, or combine terms to expand your search or to exclude certain results.
  5. Filter your results - you can use filters to focus your search results and exclude irrelevant content.
  6. Choose the right resource - make sure you search the right resources. You don't want to waste time searching the wrong type of content. You can choose resources that are specific to the topic you are looking for.
  7. Evaluate your results - once your run your research and have got a list of results, you need to evaluate these to check if they are good quality and relevant to your question
  8. Store your references - you need to keep the references of all the results that you choose to use. You'll often be asked to provide a bibliography and reference list.
  9. Refine and repeat - as you work through your plan and evaluate your search results you may find that you need to change your plan or add more search terms to it. This is perfectly normal - you're learning more about your topic as you search. You can refine your search plan and then repeat your searches to find more relevant information.

What can you do to develop your skills?

Complete our online tutorial Introduction to Literature Searching - You can complete your own search plan as you work your way through the tutorial.

Investigate all our Information Skills tutorials - We have a range of tutorials to help you through every step.

Watch our short video for a quick reminder of all the steps:


If you need more help, please get in touch with our training team.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Login to Library Search – step-by-step instructions for NHS staff

By
  Library Search is a discovery tool, allowing you to find items within the library collections. You can search Library Search without logging in to view books and ebooks available in our collections. By logging in to your library account on Library Search you can access a range of additional functionality, such as: Viewing details of your library account Submitting a request to hold a book for you Adding items to your e-bookshelf Saving searches Note that for NHS users logging in to Library Search does not give you access to full-text items. As an NHS member of staff you access online resources using your NHS OpenAthens username. Anatomy of a Library Card First let’s take a quick look at the most important components of your library card. Your library card and library card number give you access to print resources as well as library services. They confirm that you are a member of the library. Your name : this will be printed on your card, so you’ll know it’s yours!...
Post a Comment
Read more

Resource of the week #15: NICE Pathways

By
What is it? NICE Pathways are interactive flowcharts for topics and conditions Key Features You can use the main search box to look for your topic, or use the A-Z list to find a particular condition. You can also view broader topics and drill-down to individual flowcharts. Flowcharts include points of decision-making as a patient travels along the pathway or route to assessment, diagnosis and treatment. Each decision-box includes information and evidence detailing what should be carried out. How can it help you? The NICE Pathways tool can provide you with guidance and advice on topics and conditions. It can help you to assess your own services and apply NICE guidance and recommendations. How to access it? NICE Pathways are freely available on the Internet. Video Help Watch the video produced by NICE – How to use NICE Pathways – to learn more about how to navigate and find information.
Post a Comment
Read more

Install the Ebsco App for quick access to articles

By
 NHS staff can get quick access to articles from your NHS resources via the Ebsco mobile app. This app gives you access to a simplified version of the NHS Knowledge & Library Hub. Great features include: Simple search across multiple NHS resources Read articles and some ebooks Listen to text whilst on the go Bookmark links to articles Share articles with your colleagues To install the App Search your store for Ebsco Mobile Download and install the app To log in first select "Access with your institution" – search for your institution name. Check which institution name you need  from our web page Enter your NHS OpenAthens username / password. You will now be logged in. You can start a search, browse recently viewed content, link to full-text, bookmark content and share content. Watch the video tutorial from Ebsco for a quick demonstration of the app. Remember to log in as above.
Post a Comment
Read more