AAPM&R-RPC: Resident’s
Research Packet
Searching the Literature, continued
Planning Your Search
If the
database you are using is charging a fee, always remember the Golden Rule of
Literature Searching: Search Time Is Money. Know what you want and how to get it before
you actually begin the search, because time spent aimlessly navigating a
search program can be very expensive. The next few paragraphs provide some
tips for effective search planning.
Identify Keywords
Make a
list of the important keywords you will use to conduct your search. For
example, a search on total hip arthroplasty in arthritis patients might use
keywords such as these:
Many
databases (especially Medline) have their own lists of keywords. Take the time
to read these lists and convert your keywords to those the database will
recognize. You can also specify author names, journal titles, institution
names and other items to focus your search.
Identify Limiting Strategies
Know how
to limit your search appropriately. You can combine search keywords to arrive
at a specific set of articles. To use the example above, the keyword “hip
arthroplasty” may yield hundreds of articles. If, instead, you specify
“hip arthroplasty” and “osteoarthritis,”
you will narrow the search to more closely approximate your area of interest.
You can
also focus your search in other ways. Most search programs will allow you to
search subsets of articles, such as “review articles only,” “English
language only,” or “human studies only.”
Design your search expressly to meet your particular needs.
If you
are using a free service, you may want to do a large search to establish a
comprehensive reference file. Hundreds of references can be downloaded onto a
floppy disk in a relatively short time.
Read the Manual
Find out
exactly how to use the search services available to you so that you don’t
have to spend too much time figuring them out while on line.
Decide How to Take Your Search Home
Once
you’ve identified your list of articles, you’ll need to take that list
with you. Most library-based search systems let you print your list right at
the terminal. This isn’t always desirable, especially if your list is long
or if you want to print abstracts as well. Many search programs give you the
option of dumping your whole list onto a floppy disk. This is faster and you
can then go to another computer to edit and print your list as desired.
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