www.unisa.edu.au/cahe Defining your search strategy You have a
question.now what?
Slide 3
Define the terms To develop a search plan, identify the main
concepts of the topic and the relationships between the concepts.
Break your topic into several parts to make it more manageable. For
example: What is the effect of computer-based cognitive
rehabilitation (CBCR) on improving cognitive functions in patients
with stroke? Concept 1computer-based cognitive rehabilitation
Concept 2cognitive function Concept 3stroke These concepts become
the keywords you will use to search for information. It may be
necessary to consult encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and
other resources to find the most appropriate keywords, particularly
for finding scientific and technical names. Adapted from UniSA
Library Online Tutor 2
Slide 4
Make a list Remember to include similar words (synonyms) or
alternative spellings, complete names or abbreviations, scientific
or common names. Adapted from UniSA Library Online Tutor 3
ConceptKey words 1: computer-based cognitive rehabilitation
E-rehabilitation, computer based rehabilitation, cognitive
training, cognitive therapy, computer assisted therapy 2: cognitive
function Cognition, cognitive function, cognitive 3: stroke Stroke,
apoplexy, brain infarction, cerebrovascular disorder,
cerebrovascular accident, CVA, transient ischemic attack, TIA
Slide 5
Combine keywords to search Searching using a string of search
terms (e.g. typing in a sentence) is not an effective search
strategy when it comes to databases. Think about how your keywords
relate to one another, and use OR, AND or NOT as appropriate. OR,
AND and NOT are often described in searching jargon as Boolean or
Logical Operators or Connectors. Adapted from UniSA Library Online
Tutor 4
Slide 6
OR When you combine keywords using OR your search will find
items containing either one or both of your keywords. This is often
illustrated using diagrams like the one below: So use OR to make
your search broader, and to combine words with similar meanings. 5
Stroke OR cerebrovascular disorder
Slide 7
AND When you combine keywords using AND your search will only
find items containing both of your keywords 6 Computer assisted
therapy AND stroke AND cognitive function
Slide 8
NOT When you combine keywords using NOT your search will only
find items containing the first key word but not the other What
could be some problems with this? 7 Stroke NOT traumatic brain
injury
Slide 9
Peer Reviewed Databases Fees may be required to access full
text copy of the article indexed in the following databases:
MEDLINE / PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed CINAHL
http://www.ebscohost.com/cinahl/ PsychInfo
http://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/index.aspx Embase
http://www.elsevier.com/online-tools/embase 8
Slide 10
Other EBP resources The following databases allow free access
to EBP resources Cochrane Library http://www.cochrane.org/ TRIP
(Turning Research Into Practice)
http://www.tripdatabase.com/index.html NIHS (National Institute for
Health Research) http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/crdweb/ OT Seeker
http://www.otseeker.com/ 9
Slide 11
Other EBP resources PEDro (The Physiotherapy Evidence Database)
http://www.pedro.org.au/ PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
Bandolier http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/ National
Guideline Clearing House http://www.guideline.gov/ Speech Pathology
Database for Best Interventions and Treatment Efficacy (speechBITE)
http://www.speechbite.com/ 10
Slide 12
Searching for different forms of a word Most databases allow
you to use a symbol to search for all words beginning with a
particular base. These are called truncation symbols and may vary
depending on the database software (?, *, $) e.g. typing learn*
into the Cochrane Library database would find learn, learns,
learner, learners, learning Another symbol, usually called a
Wildcard, may be used to search for alternative spellings or forms
e.g. typing organi?ation would find both organisation and
organization typing wom?n would find both women or woman 11
Slide 13
12 Search number Search terms 1 E-rehabilitation OR computer
based rehabilitation OR cognitive training OR cognitive therapy OR
computer assisted therapy 2 Cogniti* OR cognitive function* 3
Stroke OR apople* OR brain infarction OR cerebrovascular disorder
OR cerebrovascular accident OR CVA OR transient isch?mic attack OR
TIA 41 AND 2 AND 3
Slide 14
Evaluate and refine search results After using the search
statement in a database you need to: display the search results on
the screen evaluate these results to see if they adequately match
your topic If you found relevant articles congratulations! 13
Slide 15
Did you find too many references? Narrow your search or make it
more specific: add another concept or keyword to make it more
specific add limits to your search, e.g, to a particular language,
years of publication or peer reviewed restrict your search to
specific fields, for example, the title or the abstract 14
Slide 16
Do you need more references? Broaden your search: Are you using
alternative keywords and synonyms, including alternative spellings?
15 e.g. instead of using chocolate, use confectionary Have you
tried using truncation or wildcards to capture all forms of your
keyword?