Welcome to the Systematic Searching Crash Course! This three session series with your librarian will hopefully be a jumpstart into your research for your APPE, class project, or other research interest.
We have recorded the Crash Course for easier reuse. You can find each video at the top of each session page above.
The objective of this crash course is to enable the student to systematically search the literature. A systematic search relies on fleshed out concepts, complicated search strings, and the use of multiple databases. By the end of this series of sessions, the student will be able to:
Construct a term harvesting spreadsheet where searches are developed and stored
Build a tested, completed search strategy
Translate the final strategy into multiple databases
Create a library of relevant scholarship to build a literature review
UT-5 Competencies addressed:
2.6.01 Identify, refine, and categorize the question(s) to be researched.
2.6.02 Develop a search strategy to retrieve pertinent information from appropriate sources.
2.6.03 Conduct a search using scholarly databases.
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Session |
Agenda |
Tasks to complete before next session |
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1 |
- Discuss systematic searching and what that means - Discuss document sharing and expectations - Begin exploring the research topic and begin developing our concepts - Demo from librarian on finding MeSH Terms and Keywords in PubMed |
- "Term Harvesting" tab in spreadsheet completed with appropriate MeSH Terms and Keywords from PubMed, within however many concepts that were agreed upon between researcher and librarian. |
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2 |
- Go over MeSH terms and Keywords for each concept - Build search strings for each concept and take note of quantity of results - Test our search strategy, determine weaknesses or gaps - Discuss logic of search translation - Demo from librarian on translating PubMed search into Scopus and Embase |
- Install EndNote 21 - "Translation" tab completed for Scopus and Embase, with result counts and dates of search noted. |
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3 |
- Work through translations together - Run our searches through PubMed, Scopus, and Embase - Export our results into EndNote and organize library - Reflect on how this crash course went! |
-Recap with your preceptor! |
Your work will take place in a spreadsheet. Once your preceptor has assigned you the Crash Course, you can begin with the recording at the top of the screen.
To download the spreadsheet:
Acknowledgement: This guide design was adapted from UK Medical Center Library LibGuide CSS Template and Documentation © 2024 by Lauren E. Robinson is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/X5YFA