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Reiterates Derek’s slide 7, http://www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling/student-learning/assets/ppt/PHD.Skills.Event/PHD.Skills.Lit.Reviewing.2013.pps

These elements of the systematic review process can be applied to any literature search:

1. Ensure you record your search terms, where you searched (database name, record the search engine used, library catalogue used etc) and the date

2. Set of stages:

• Identify what you need to search for information about

• Develop your search strategy (identify keywords, identify resources to search)

• Evaluate results (may need to refine your searches)

• Record results of interest

• For items of interest ensure you record all the information you would need to cite and reference the resource correctly

3. Ensuring you record your search strategies, will ensure that you can rerun and update your searches at a later stage in your PhD.

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Reiterates Derek’s slide 9, http://www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling/student-learning/assets/ppt/PHD.Skills.Event/PHD.Skills.Lit.Reviewing.2013.pps

A clearly defined research question will help with planning your search strategy.

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Example -Generating alternative terms

Prior to searching any resource, look at your topic and think about:

-what are the keywords/phrases in my topic

-think about alternative keywords that represent each of these key topics

In this example:

1. Spices – what spices will I investigate? What spices do I know of now?

2. Microorganisms – will I use broad terms e.g. fungi, bacteria? Am I looking a specific microorganism or all microorganisms involved in food spoilage?

3. Food spoilage – alternative terms? What kind of spoilage?

4. Inhibit/kill – what is the effect of the spice, antimicrobial etc?

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Planning your search strategy there are some tips that can be used when searching the web, library catalogues and databases.

The aim is to help you maximise the number of relevant results retrieved.

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Different researchers may report on the same concept using different keywords or phrases. Controlled vocabulary allows us to draw all these alternative ways of reporting the concept together under a single word or phrase. The list of words or phases that are used are pre-defined, and database indexers need to ensure consistency in how they determine which controlled vocabulary terms to assign to an item in the database.

Example of a controlled vocabulary for Back Pain in PubMed

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=mesh&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=68001416&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Mesh.Mesh_ResultsPanel.Mesh_RVDocSum

Review the MeSH record for Back Pain in PubMed, look at:

-the definition of the term

-Sub-heading options

-Entry terms (rich resource for search terms)

-MeSH trees at the end of the record. Terms above Back Pain could be used to Broaden the search, terms indented below Back Pain can be used to narrow the search.

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Boolean operators:

-can be used in web search engines, library catalogues and databases to help you combine search terms

AND

-use to link keywords/phrases for different concepts together

-narrows the focus of your search

-you are indicating to the database/catalogue/search engine you only want results retrieved that contain the keywords/phrases linked by AND.

-In the example only articles containing both phrases are retrieved. Articles containing “drug addiction” but which don’t mention teenagers are excluded. Articles containing teenagers but which don’t mention “drug addiction” are excluded.

Phrase searching

-Inverted commas are used around drug addiction –to force the database/catalogue/search engine to search for the exact phrase

OR

-use to link keywords/phrases for the same concept together

-broadens your search

-you are indicating to the database/catalogue/search engine you want results that contain either term connected by OR

-In the example articles retrieved may contain the phrase teenager or adolescent or both terms

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Truncation & Wild Cards

Always check in a database/library catalogue/search engine if they allow truncation or the use of wild cards, and if so, what symbols you can use.

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Following from slide 5.

MeSH = Medical Subject Heading, the controlled vocabulary heading in PubMed

Decided to search for antimicrobial agents in Thyme and Oregano which may impact on E. Coli

• Terpenes: MeSH heading for essential oils

• Carvacrol: present in the essential oil of Origanum vulgare (oregano), oil of thyme, oil obtained from pepperwort

• Origanum: MeSH heading for oregano

• “Thymus Plant”: MeSH heading for Thyme

• “Marsileaceae”: MeSH heading pepperwort

• “Escherichia coli”: MeSH heading for E.coli

Combine searches:

Note the use of () to nest searches.

Order of search priority:

*search is read from left to right

*identifies anything enclosed in brackets, these searches run first

*identifies anything linked by AND, these searches run next

*identifies anything linked by OR, these searches run last

Search 1: ("Terpenes"[MeSH] OR carvacrol[TIAB])

Search 2: ("Origanum"[MeSH] OR "Thymus Plant"[MeSH] OR "Marsileaceae"[MeSH]))

Search 3: Search 1 AND Search 2

Search 4: Results of Search 3 AND "Escherichia coli"[MeSH]

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Library Website: Catalogues

• Look at the various library catalogues. Determine which ones are of interest to your research.

• Stella Search allows you to search across the libraries print and electronic books & journals.

On the Library website: Databases & E-Books

• Review the list of library databases and identify key resources that you might use to support your research

• Remember your research topic may demand that you explore resources available for other disciplines. The Subject Tab, will help you identify resources by broad subject area.

• If you are unsure of what resources to use, ask your subject librarian or the duty librarian.

Library Website: Subject Guides

• Provides contact information for your subject librarian

• Subject Librarians usually list a short list of key resources for that subject area on the subject page

Endnote

• Reference manager software which allows you to store all your references in one location.

• Endnote can be used in conjunction with Word to assist you with citing and referencing information correctly

• Installing Endnote information is available from these webpages, along with other support information

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Visiting other libraries: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/using-library/other-libraries.php

ALCID Card: Enables access to the collections of participating libraries, but without borrowing rights, and subject to their rules and regulations. ALCID cards are available for registered students reading for higher degrees

MusicPAL: Music PAL facilitates access to music information and materials available across a broad range of libraries and archives throughout the island of Ireland. Member libraries collaborate to provide easy access to music resources held in their collections (though without borrowing rights, and subject to their rules and regulations). Trinity College Library Dublin is a participant. (http://pathwaystolearning.ie/)

Letters of Introduction: Letters of introduction are available to access other libraries from the Duty Librarian.

These are available to all members of Trinity College Dublin to aid admission to any library. However, Trinity College Library Dublin cannot guarantee acceptance by the other institution.

Letters of introduction can only be used to consult individual, identified resources, not currently available in Trinity College Dublin Library.

Inter-library Loans http://www.tcd.ie/Library/using-library/inter-library.php

An Inter-Library Loan is a request from one library to another for an item on a reader's behalf. €8 per request for students

Forms are available at the counters in each library:

• Orange – photocopy of an article/book chapter

• Yellow – book loan

• Green -thesis

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Links for further support:

• Duty Librarian: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/using-library/duty-librarian.php

• Subject Librarian: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/support/subjects/index.php

• Library Website: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/

• Graduate Information Literacy Module: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/support/skills-training.php

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