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Database Searching

Introduction

Welcome to our Database Searching Library guide, where you will be able to follow an evidence based or research topic through the various stages of searching. This includes formulating a search strategy, running the search on a number of databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and many more, refining the search and organizing the results with a citation management tool. 

For additional questions on database searching or on any other library/research related matter, please Ask Us! Research Informationists are available to assist you with conducting your literature searches for evidence based practice, research projects, and systematic reviews.  Additional training materials and workshops are available through our Library Classes.

Table of Contents

Sections Content
Choosing a Topic This page describes how to identify an answerable question or topic, whether it's a clinical question (using PICO format) or a research question
Search Strategy This page explains how to create a search strategy, from picking the key concepts, and identifying the keywords and terms, to how to combine all those terms using Boolean Operators (AND, OR, and NOT)
Database Comparison This chart compares many common biomedical literature databases, including features and functionality
Running the Search This page describes how to actually conduct a search in each database, including notable differences in platforms
Refining the Search This page describes how once an initial search is conducted in a database, how you can narrow the results by adding filters and limits (eg. publication date, language, publication type)
Citation Management This redirects to our Citation Management guide, which explains the software programs and tools available to manage and save your results (eg. EndNote, Mendeley)