Searching Medline

1
Searching Medline

• Samantha Johnson
• Academic Support Librarian

2
Objectives

• By the end of the session you will be able to
• understand the principles of literature searching
• develop an effective search strategy
• identify key information resources
• identify whether the full text is available
• request items not available locally

3
Finding known information

• Specific books or journal articles that you are
  aware of
• included on reading lists/lectures
• good for background information/general overview
• Use the Library Catalogue
• to find books ) search by BOOK or
• to find journals ) JOURNAL TITLE
• Use the A-Z ejournal list
• to find journals ) search by JOURNAL TITLE

4
Locating a reference

• To find out if the library holds a particular
  article search for the JOURNAL TITLE in the
  library catalogue or the A-Z ejournals list
• Irvine, L., et al. (1999) Advising parents of
  asthmatic children on passive smoking randomised
  controlled trial. BMJ. 318(7196)1456-1459.

5
Finding unknown information

• Require in-depth information on a specific
  subject area
• Current research articles
• Review of a particular subject
• Use a database to conduct a literature search
• Search 1000s journal titles in one go
• http//go.warwick.ac.uk/lib-medicine

6
Medline (OVID SP)

• Key medical database
• Covers over 6,000 clinical journals
• US bias so watch out for differences in
  terminology spelling
• MeSH headings help you to find the correct search
  term
• Pubmed
• Freely available version
• Same content (95)

7
Other medical databases

• Embase
• Indexes approx 5000 biomedical pharmacological
  journals
• European bias
• AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine)
• Indexes approximately 500 physiotherapy,
  occupational therapy, rehabilitation, podiatry,
  speech and language therapy journals

8
Other databases

• ASSIA
• Applied Social Sciences
• Community and social aspects of medicine
  healthcare
• PsycInfo
• Indexes psychiatric and psychological material
• Journal articles and book chapters

9
General science database

• Web of Knowledge
• Multidisciplinary
• Good for all subject areas
• Covers sciences, social sciences and arts
  humanities
• Available from 1970
• Citation searching

10
Starting the search process

• Assess the question
• Devise a search strategy
• Identify appropriate resources
• Use resources effectively
• Evaluate search strategy and results
• Manage search results (Endnote Web)

11
The Question

• Are there any RCTs available on the effect of
  passive smoking on children with asthma or
  bronchitis?

12
Devise a search strategy

• Identify the different ideas/concepts covered by
  your question
• Identify the keywords or phrases
• Identify any synonyms, alternative spellings and
  related terms
• Think about how you want to combine the search
  terms together
• Are there any limits that can be applied?

13
The Question

• Are there any RCTs available on the effect of
  passive smoking on children with asthma OR
  bronchitis?
• Concepts Passive smoking, asthma,
  bronchitis
• Limits RCTs, Children
• Combining OR

14
Developing a search strategy

• Are there any RCTs available on the effect of
  passive smoking on children with asthma or
  bronchitis?

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Limit Limit
Keyword Passive smoking Asthma Bronchitis RCTs Children
Synonym Smoking Respiratory disease Randomised controlled trial/s Pre-school child
Synonym Inhaled smoke Randomized controlled trial/s Adolescent
15
Combining keywords

• Combine terms using Boolean operators
• Asthma Passive smoking
• OR Bronchitis AND asthma
• (broadens search) (narrows search)

OR
AND
16
Limits

• Some databases have pre-defined limits
• Publication year
• Publication type
• Age group
• Use instead of search terms, e.g.,
• use the Adolescent (13-18 years) limit
• instead of adolescent/s, teenager/s, school
  children, youths, young adults
• All articles about this age group will have been
  indexed under the Adolescent limit

17
Putting the search together

• Search 1 Passive smoking
• Search 2 Asthma
• Search 3 Bronchitis
• Search 4 Combine Search 2 OR Search 3
• Search 5 Combine Search 1 AND Search 4
• Use Additional Limits Select criteria from Age
  Groups and Publication Type boxes

18
Medline Tutorialgo.warwick.ac.uk/lib-medtut

• Compulsory
• Need to enter student number to confirm
  completion
• Time to complete 30 mins
• Deadline 17 December 2010
• After deadline remains available for revision
  purposes

19
Medline tutorial

• Advice and help in creating a search strategy
• Explains the search features unique to Medline
• Quizzes at the end of each section
• Ability to complete a live search

20
Document Supplyhttp//go.warwick.ac.uk/lib-docsup
ply

• Request material not available at Warwick
• Complete a Document Supply form and obtain
  authorisation from Department
• Select Secure Electronic Delivery (SED) for
  journal articles
• Allow up to 14 days for delivery

21
Further Help

• Email Samantha.A.Johnson_at_warwick.ac.uk
• Ext. 22427 or Tel. [phone]
• Visit the main library and speak to a member of
  staff
• Check the library web pages at
• http//go.warwick.ac.uk/lib-main

22
Usernames and passwords

• Your University username and password allows you
  to access all of our electronic resources

23
Accessing library resourcesfrom off-campus

• After registering for a University username and
  password go to on your own or work PC
• Library Homepage gt Subject Resources gtOff campus
  access page gt Athens setup
• and follow the instructions
• This will set a cookie on your PC and allow
  automatic login to the electronic resources
• Virus checkers sometimes delete cookies, so you
  may need to re-set it

24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
Search techniques

• Useful search techniques include
• Free Text searching
• Thesaurus or controlled language searching
• Truncation
• Wildcards
• Note These apply irrespective of the database
  you are using. Read the search hints and tips to
  find out what is possible.
• The following slides are based on the OVID
  software (Medline, Embase and CINAHL)

28
Free text searching

• Allows you to search the database using words of
  your choice
• If your word appears in a document it is returned
  as a hit
• You need to think of and list all the different
  ways different authors may express a particular
  concept in order to retrieve papers that express
  that concept
• Can seem easy but may be missing vital articles
• Retrieves lots of articles but many may not be
  relevant

29
Controlled Vocabulary Searching

• You select terms or are directed to terms that
  have been predetermined using a subject index or
  thesaurus
• A preferred term will index all articles on that
  subject regardless of how the subject has been
  described in the article
• Provides an efficient way of finding articles on
  a particular concept that has been described in
  different ways.
• Mapping software matches the search terms used by
  the searcher with the controlled vocabulary terms
  used by the indexer.
• Eg Stroke maps to Cerebrovascular accident

30
Using a Thesaurus

• MeSH headings are arranged in a hierarchy or tree
  structure
• Indexers always assign the most specific terms
  available.
• If an article discusses several terms, or a more
  specific term does not exist, the indexer will
  assign a more general term.
• The tree structure allows for flexibility when
  searching.
• Identifies where a particular term fits within
  the tree
• Allows you to select narrow or broader terms that
  might better match your search requirements

31
Free text or thesaurus terms?

• Use a combination of controlled vocabulary and
  free text searching to comprehensively search a
  topic.
• Subject Headings may remain unassigned
• Indexing error
• New concept

32
Exploding and Focusing

• Explode search terms
• the search term, plus all the narrow terms
  contained in the tree below, will be searched
• saves you from having to search each term
  individually
• Focus search terms
• ensures that the main topic of the retrieved
  articles will be that of the selected subject
  heading
• makes retrieved articles more relevant

33
Subheadings Scope notes

• Subheadings
• used to focus or qualify MeSH terms by
  pinpointing some specific aspect of the subject
  headings you are using
• Can narrow the search too much/too early
• Scope notes
• provides additional information about indexed
  terms
• can include when the term was first indexed, how
  the term is applied in the database, used-for
  terms and see-terms, and other information
  relevant to your search.

34
Truncation

• Truncation allows you to search for alternative
  endings to words.
• The most frequently used symbols for truncation
  are the asterisk and the dollar sign
• For example you could use diabet to find
  diabetes or diabetic.
• Note it is always worth checking the search hints
  or tips for each particular database to find out
  what symbols are used for truncation and how they
  may be used.

35
Wildcards

• Wildcards allow you to find variant spellings.
• It is especially useful for finding
• American and English variations
• Retrieving plurals.
• The most commonly used symbols for wildcards are
  ? and .
• For example womn will find woman or women and
  p?diatric will find paediatric or pediatric.
• N.B. Check the database searching hints and tips
  or help to find out what symbols are used.