Public Health: Introduction to Literature Searching

Before you begin, think about:

• Has this review already been published?
• Do you have a clear focused topic/question?

• Is your scope reasonable?
• Search several databases; limit to review articles

What type of review are you writing?

• e.g. narrative review, systematic review, background for a research article

• Check standards for the type of review you’re writing
• Look at reviews published in your target journal

Comprehensive Search

• Search multiple databases
• Search by topic
• Citation tracking for key articles
• How do you know you’re done?
• Red flags: look for patterns

• Subject specific database(s) and multidisciplinary database(s) 
  • e.g. PubMed or Ovid, PSYCInfo, CINAHL
• Identify concepts and search terms (subject headings, textwords)
  • Use a concept table to organize search terms
• Use Web of Science and Google Scholar
  • Related records in Web of Science
• Be conscious of saturation
  • All/most from single research group or perspectives
  • No recent publications

Document your search process

• Set up system before you start

• Use a concept table to organize search terms
• Track databases you search
• Track search strategies used
• Refine your searches

Do final searches

• Use refined strategy to search all databases
• Capture search as run (e.g. save in database or screen shot)

Manage what you find

• Create accounts in each database order to save results
• Use EndNote

• PubMed or Ovid
• Web of Science 
• CINAHL, PSYCInfo, etc.
• Endnote

Keep current

• Discover new articles on your topic as they are published

• Save final searches and set up alerts