AAPM&R-RPC: Resident’s
Research Packet
Searching the Literature, continued
Performing Your Search
Having
followed all of the above tips, you should find that your search proceeds
easily. However, you may not always get exactly the results you desire. You
may have to change your keywords, check different years, change databases or
vary your search in other ways to find the papers you need. Local library
personnel are often well versed in search strategies and are usually happy to
help.
The Second Round
Your first search is often only a starting point for
further explorations of the literature. A second search is necessary to
thoroughly investigate the literature. Here’s how to do it easily.
First, check the bibliographies of the most appropriate
papers or books you’ve read for citations that seem pertinent to your area
of interest, and look up those papers. Next, see if anyone in particular has
written a great deal in the area of your interest. If so, get a complete
listing of what they have written to be sure you haven’t missed anything
worthwhile. Finally, you can use the Science Citation Index (SCI) to find further articles. For the best
papers you’ve already looked up, SCI tells you who has cited that paper in
subsequent publications, giving you an additional set of pertinent articles.
SCI is generally available in book form, but it may be found on-line at some
progressive institutions.
Don’t Be Shy
with Your Librarian
The real expert, and the
person who can save you an immense amount of time, is your librarian. Before
starting your search, ask a librarian to help you refine the search and,
perhaps more importantly, teach you how to use the search computer. A
librarian can save you much frustration in trying to figure out simple things
like logging on to a system, as well as more complicated issues, such as
limiting searches or downloading your references onto computer disks.
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