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Literature searching for your dissertation –finding the evidence
BSc Veterinary Nursing
October 2016
© Middlesex University
What will we be doing today?
• Refresh and review literature searching strategies;
• Spend some time carrying out your own
search;
• Search tips and citation searching
• What would YOU like to cover?
© Middlesex University
What do you want to cover?
• Finish this sentence: “By the end of today’s session I want to have covered/looked at/done…”
1. *
2. *
3. *
Presentation title | 3
© Middlesex University
Doing a literature review
• Aim is to comprehensively review what is known publically (published) on a subject –the “evidence base”
• Starting point for further research – “sets the scene” and/or application to practice
• Two parts: Thorough literature search
• Critical analysis of the findings
© Middlesex University
Planning your search
Think about:
• Areas of interest
• Keywords
• Scope of subject
© Middlesex University
Keywords
• Brainstorm – it will save you time later!
• Searching only one word for your concept will not necessarily bring you all the results. And sometimes none.
Not everyone uses the same terminology for the same idea.
• Use the worksheet if you like (it also helps you organise how to combine the terms with ‘AND’ or ‘OR’)
© Middlesex University
What exactly are you trying to find out? The PICO model
• Patient / population / problem
• Intervention
• Comparison
• Outcome
© Middlesex University
Planning your search -keywords
1. Pick out your concepts and separate them
—Cats, obesity, prevention, nurse’s role etc
2. Think of other words that are similar to your key words but represent the same concepts
—Feline, weight management, advice etc
© Middlesex University
Things to consider
• Synonyms
• US /UK spellings and terminology
• Old and new terminology
• Broader and narrower topics
• Acronyms and abbreviations
• Medical and everyday terminology
• Variations of words – use truncation (e.g. Obes* will search for obese, obesity etc)
© Middlesex University
Feline obesity
Felines
• Cats
• Ages?
• Breeds?
Obesity
• Overweight
• Weight management
• Healthy weight
• Weight loss
• Related conditions e.g. diabetes
Prevention /management
etc
• Diet
• Nutrition
• Food/feeding
• Exercise
• Advice
• Attitudes (owners, professionals)
What is the role of
the veterinary nurse
in prevention and
management of
feline obesity?
© Middlesex University
Over to you...
• Using the worksheet
• Briefly summarise your topic in the first box
• Narrow it down to some key words
• Swap with your neighbour – add some they haven’t thought of
Where to search?
© Middlesex University
Sources to search
• Summon
• Databases
• Google Scholar
• Individual journals specific to your topic
See the journals page on the VN library subject guide
© Middlesex University
Thinking outside the box
• Using literature from related fields (veterinary medicine and human nursing)
• Example – using CINAHL to find nursing literature on infection control to draw comparisons with VN article
© Middlesex University
• Widen your search
eg. Obesity OR overweight OR weight management
• Narrow your search
eg. Obesity AND Feline
Search tips
© Middlesex University
• Search for phrases (“”):
eg. “feline lower urinary tract disease”
• Broaden your search (*):
eg. prevent* (finds prevent, prevents, preventing, preventative etc)
Search tips
© Middlesex University
Limiting your search
• Date
• Peer reviewed
• Language
• Type of journal
• Type of article / study
• Research articles, animals (depending on database)
© Middlesex University
Keeping track of your searches
© Middlesex University
Getting full text of journal articles
• Regardless of where you’re searching…be logged into myUniHub and click on a My Library/My Study link first
• If you’re not lucky… REMEMBER – it won’t always be directly available to you – especially for dissertations
• Double-check (Summon/Google Scholar - versions)
• Google it!
— Researcher networks (e.g. ResearchGate, Academia.edu), contacting
authors
— Authors’ & institutions’ websites
• Inter-Library Loans
© Middlesex University
Citation searching
• Which articles have cited an earlier article
• Find articles on similar/related subject
• How many times an article has been cited
• Best journals in your field
© Middlesex University
Citation searching
• Allows you to move forwards and backwards in the literature
• Use Google Scholar, Summon or Science Citation Index
© Middlesex University
Citation searching - Summon
| 22
See articles
which cite this
one in Web of
Science / Science
Citation Index
Citing
articles in
Scopus
Mentions on
social
media,
blogs, news
sources etc
© Middlesex University
Distinguishing between primary andsecondary sources
• Primary sources – original research published by the researchers in peer-reviewed journals.
• Secondary sources – work that summarises, critiques or reviews primary research.
© Middlesex University
Critical appraisal – why?
• Part of your literature review!
• As practitioners ensures that your decisions are based on good quality research
• The more you read the easier it gets
• Saves time by being able to assess if a piece of research is of good quality and worth reading
• Develop the ability to make your own judgements on whether a research conclusion is valid
© Middlesex University
Need further help?
• 1:1 appointments bookable via the VN guide
• email Jo Wilson [email protected]
• Ask a Librarian https://unihelp.mdx.ac.uk/askalibrarian
• Drop in to the Study Hub (1st floor), Mon-Fri 9-5