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Step 4: Search for Available Evidence (module 4)
Certificate Program for Professional Development Module
After completing this section, you should be able to search for and locate scientific publications using any one of several scientific databases. Before you search the literature it is important to plan ahead so that your questions are in place, the initial search terms are carefully selected, adequate time has been allotted, and revisions to the search strategy or terms can be made as needed. The search should be well documented to allow for continuation or additions at a later time.
Author(s)
Mark D. Geil, PhD ; Brian J. Hafner, PhD; Phil M. Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP
Description
After completing this section, you should be able to search for and locate scientific publications using any one of several scientific databases. Before you search the literature it is important to plan ahead so that your questions are in place, the initial search terms are carefully selected, adequate time has been allotted, and revisions to the search strategy or terms can be made as needed. The search should be well documented to allow for continuation or additions at a later time. There are two basic kinds of searches—the keyword search and the MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) search. The keyword search is the most common and involves the user selecting any combination of words or phrases that may be applicable and appropriate to the search. It can often produce too many results. MeSH terms are 24,000 library terms created and indexed by the National Library of Medicine. This allows the search to be more sensitive and specific, but does require a MeSH database such as PubMed/MEDLINE. Search tips are provided to guide you through this process.