HUBNET

Basic Searching/Tips Guide

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GATES SUBURBAN

CHOBKaleida Health Libraries

KALEIDA HEALTH LIBRARIESBGH Aaron HSL

Tel: 859-2878 Fax: 859-1527

Gates Kideney HSL Tel: 887-4848 Fax: 887-4347

Suburban HSL Tel: 568-6540 Fax: 568-3030

WHOB Emily Foster HSL Tel: 878-7304 Fax: 878-7547

DeGraff : Please call any Kaleida Library for assistance

As always, please fee free to contact Library Staff for consultation with strategies, to teach you how to search, do the search, or provide articles not available full-text.

Call any of the libraries for assistance.

Searching…where to start?

Go to HUBNET- This is a library subscription offered to you to allow you to search from work or home.

From Kaleida Libraries homepage: (Information about library services, online ability to request articles or searches, medical alerts, catalogue of library

resources, tutorials).

http://library.kaleidahealth.org or http://hubnet.buffalo.edu

<click> Go to HUBNETHubnet homepage:

Select Applications in order to search bibliographic databases. (These contain citation information, subject headings, usually have an abstract, and in some cases, link to the full-text article. (Medline is a database).

Select Subject Category to select databases by subject.

Select Publication Type to search specific types of sources (atlas,dictionary, etc.).

Choose a database

Each database covers a distinct body of information with some overlap.To select the right databases for the search question click on the

Information “I” for the explanatory note.

5 databases may be searched simultaneously.Depending upon your subject this may be advantageous or may retrieve many

inappropriate citations.

Simultaneous searching is useful when you have a unique term that is being searched as a keyword.

Consider searching in more than one database. A search on domestic violence will produce different references in Medline, CINAHL and PsycINFO.

This is different than searching databases simultaneously.

Overview of Search Options

Search options What you can search

Author: A specific author i.e., Smith HJ or Smith H

Title: An article title or title word

Journal: Documents in a specific journal

Search Fields Date, volume, page, institution, a word in a journal title, or abstract are some fields. <Click>on the icon for a full list.

Tools: Lists of subject headings and definitions.

Combine: Enables two or more sets to be combined. Further explanation on the following page.

Basic: A simple search (keyword/author)

Change Databases: For this search or for a new search.

Main Search Page: The main search page looks like this and offers the options described below.

Type

Here

These icons represent search options.

To start a search: Formulate a question.

Identify relevant parts of the question.

These parts become search components. The strategy may change as you search and discover terms more suited to the question.

Searching can be a learning experience. Evaluate retrieval by looking at the subject headings, subheadings, and keywords used in the citations.

It is best to type in one term at a time and then combine terms.

Type the term diabetes in the search box.

You will be linked (mapped) to a list of subject headings from the dictionary of search terms. Each subject heading has a definition, that you can review by <Clicking> on the “I”. (scope note)

These terms are more useful than they would first appear!

Explode and Focus

Explode allows you to include the more narrow, or specific terms, in relation to the main term. (This is an illustration of the tree structure.)

If you check Diabetes Mellitus and check Explode your selection will include all of the terms indented under Diabetes. see example below.

This is an opportunity to see other subject headings that might be a better choice.

Focus retrieves documents in which the subject heading is the major point, or “focus” of the article. This is a feature worth experimenting with, if you get unsatisfactory results.

When searching on a topic with little information restricting to focus might eliminate all results!

Subheadings: Scope notes, or explanatory notes, are also available for subheadings. <click> on “i”.

Subheadings vary according to the subject heading. You may select specific subheadings or select all.

Subheadings limit. When you are combining subjects, using the focus option, and using subheadings, you create many limits.

This is another time that you might need to experiment to avoid eliminating useful citations.

To add a second component to a search use combine

Type in the next term. In this example, it is Patient Compliance.

Selecting the Combine Searches icon enables two or more sets to be combined.

Shortcut: Type in the set numbers with an “and” “or” “not”. Example (1 or 2)

Boolean operators (AND OR NOT)

And limits (indicates that the results must have both terms)

Or broadens indicates that the results will have either or both terms. This is frequently used with synonyms or

“like” terms. This broadens a search. (i.e., physicians or doctors)

NOT narrows finds citations that contain the first word or phrase but not the second. This narrows a search.

Combine Searches icon

The term Patient Compliance was added. Then <typing> 1 and 2 produced this screen

Combining with “and”

# 1 # 2

#3

Set #1

Diabetes Set #2

Patient Compliance

Set #3 Includes Diabetes and Pt.

Compliance

These 491 citations will have information about diabetes and patient compliance

.

Limit to: Checking the boxes under the “Limit to” section will activate the limits.

Other limits offered in this database are activated by Clicking on the limits icon. Publication type, age, journal subsets are some of the options.

Note EBM Reviews: This will limit citations to those which are considered evidence-based by particular groups of experts.

A definition is available for each limit.

Clicking on Display allows you to see the citations, and full text articles. (If full text is not available online, the libraries will order the article for you.)

We’re getting there…

Back to the main search page of Medline

Additional limits available

Display

Full-text will be indicated above when it is available. The Unique Identifier helps us when we order articles for you.

Subject Headings:

Look for hints for additional search terms. The * indicates terms that are the focus of the article

To change databases: Return to the main page

<click> on change database to redo the search in another database.

Re-executing this search in CINAHL, the nursing and allied health database, did not require retyping as both databases consider these terms subject headings.

Re-executing the search in Cochrane requires retyping as it is a database that only uses some of the subject headings.

Medline and CINAHL, each revealed some unique citations.

All of these options are available from Results Manager

Click under Results Fields Result Format for the selections you want. Click on Action for Print, Email, or Save.

Print / Email / Save/ your citations

Some

suggestions...

If the term you are mapped to is not the one you wanted...

•Check a list of valid subject headings from the annotated or permutated list available under tools on the main search page.

•Try another term or use a keyword option. (Keywords are searched in the text of the abstract, title, or in the subject listing.) When viewing these citations, check the subject headings. Note the subject headings preceded by an (*) from citations you find useful. Modifying the search using these new terms might maximize your success.

•Using too many words/terms at once, can be limiting. It is often better to use one term/word/concept at a time, and then combine the sets you created. Less is often more.

Reminders:

All databases are not the same. Consider whether important journals to the subject are indexed in the database you are using, and whether journal articles are the best source for your need. In addition, consider the time frame. Sometimes the best information for your topic might not be in the most current literature.

Be creative. Sometimes a search needs to be done in several ways, using subjects, or a combination of keywords and subject headings.

As always, please fee free to contact Library Staff for consultation and assistance.

Not all information is found in a database. The next page suggests additional ways to find information.

Search QuestionAnalyze your question. Identify the relevant concepts. These concepts will become search components.

Source: InternetUseful for position statements,guidelines, and clinical trials. Government agencies offer a wealth of full text documents reflective of theirmission, laws, regulations, and epidemiological data. CDC, NIH, FDA, HHS, OSHA, and theCensus are some of the agencies to explore.Most professional societies and organizations have a web presence.The most reliable information isavailable when searching withinknown organizations.

Source: Bibliographic databases(Medline/Cinahl/Eric,etc.)Searching a variety of databases will provide a different slant on the same topic, as each database may include different journals or other materials.There is often a specialized vocabulary with definitions,which is useful to know to maximizeprecise retrieval.

GovernmentNIH, CDC

FDA, Census

Professional Associations

ANA

National OrganizationsAmerican Heart Assoc.National Cancer Instit.

Sources can be clues to other sources.

A search in Medline (bibliographic database) might suggest a position statement from a professional organization/ society (AHA/ACC)

A textbook might discuss a guideline or indicate a professional organization worth exploring further.

Source: TextbooksDefinition of the problem in its entirety. PresentsOverviews, comprehensive discussions andreferences. Be aware of the publication date.

There are categories of materials that offer specific types of information.

Encyclopedias Directories

Dictionaries Indexes

Handbooks Manuals

Circle of Professionalism develops as you search. You will develop a core of sources that lead to other sources within your core. These will often be references to books, journals or standards from professional associations, etc.

The key to finding information is being open to exploring all of the possibilities.