WORKSHOP: Getting Organized for Research
- PRACTICE WORKSHEETGetting started on your projects on May 1st:
1. Define your research question
2. Analyse using a framework such as PICO
3. Identify which sources you may use
Questions?: Post them on this Google Doc
ACTIVITY ON May 5
Please use the above worksheet to guide the following steps:
- Discover search terms
- Create a logical strategy
- Refine the results
- Select relevant papers and save citations
- Save search strategy
- Search Strategy (OVID) Explained StrokeThis handout provides a line by line explanation of a structured search in Medline (Ovid). It demonstrates use of subject headings (MeSH), keywords, truncation, Boolean operators (AND, OR) to combine sets, and the application of Limits
- Medline Guided ExerciseThis tutorial provides step by step instructions for each stage of a structured search. It's intended to be a "guide on the side" - follow along or build your own!
- CINAHL Guided ExerciseThis tutorial provides step by step instructions for each stage of a structured search. It's intended to be a "guide on the side" - follow along or build your own!
- CINAHL TutorialsThese modules of 2-3 minutes each demonstrate the different search techniques and strategies for effective searching in CINAHL on the Ebsco platform. These techniques are transferable to other databases, both on the Ebsco platform and through other search engines.
Resources
BACKGROUND RESOURCES
Background information answers questions that elicit more information such as What, Why, How. Check out the different links to secondary sources that answer these questions.
GREY LITERATURE
This refers to information and research that is created and published by entities whose main business is not publishing. For example, government departments, health authorities, universities etc.
Validation studies of tests, measures, or surveys can provide valuable background information. Another useful tip is to find which research projects have used a similar tool to the one you will be using. See the following tutorials to learn the search methods in the different databases for finding these.
- Scales, Tests and Measures TutorialsThese short modules are under 5 minutes each and provide tips and techniques for finding tests and scales as well as their evaluation.
Research Help
Need help? Please don't hesitate to contact your cohort's librarian.
Your librarian can help with: developing your search; knowledge synthesis projects (literature reviews, systematic and scoping reviews, etc.); finding books, articles, and other information sources; managing your references and data; and more!
For quick research help, you can also contact Woodward Library via email and in-person, or use the AskAway chat service.
Rachael Bradshaw: Vancouver
Email me | Make an appointment with me
(604) 822-2884
Aubrey Geyer: Fraser Valley (Surrey)
Email me | Make an appointment with me
(604) 827-0578
Kristy Hancock: Northern (Prince George)
Background Information
- LWW Health LibraryIncludes sections for Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Language Hearing, Exercise Science, Exercise Science, Pharmacy, and Medical Education. To print pages and use self-assessment tools register an account with LWW Health Library
- AccessMedicineApproximately 40 e-books, including a clinical library (Harrison's Online, CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, and more), Lange Educational Library, a USMLE self-assessment tool, 50+ clinical cases, and various study materials including flashcards, notes, and multiple-choice review questions.
- Books@OVIDIncludes full text, references, updates, and graphics from several respected texts in medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. Search (or browse) one textbook, browse by subject area, or choose "search all". Color diagrams, charts, and illustrations are available as thumbnails or full graphics.
- Sage Research MethodsSAGE Research Methods Online is a web-based research methods tool created to support researchers and students as they explore relevant content across the social and behavioural sciences, covering quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods.
- ClinicalKeyClinicalKey provides access to FirstConsult, top journals, best-selling medical and surgical books, thousands of medical videos, millions of images, and much more content across 12 distinct content types.
- DynamedIncludes overviews and drug therapy recommendations for various medical conditions, drug information, and a drug interaction checker.
- Merck Manual of Diagnosis & TherapyIncludes diagnostic and therapeutic information in internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics, gynecology, dermatology, pharmacology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, rehabilitation, and a number of special subjects. Available online.
- MedlinePlus (Consumer Health)Freely-searchable consumer health information site linking to simple overviews, dictionaries, directories, organizations and news for ~750 topics.
- PEDroPEDro is the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. PEDro is a free database of over 23,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.
- PhysiopediaThe free comprehensive online reference written by physiotherapists for physiotherapists.
- SpeechBITECurated speech pathology intervention studies to support evidence based practice
Setting Up Automatic Alerts for New Research
On most academic databases, you can set up an alert that will notify you by email if new publications match a certain search you have run. You can do this from an existing saved search, or you can run a new search. You may want to run a more specific version of your main research searches (for example, searching your most crucial concept's keywords in title&abstract only, rather than all fields/multipurpose) to make sure that you're seeing relevant material and not flooded with maybe-matches. Note that setting up an alert with any platform requires you to set up a personal account (separate from your CWL) with that platform, the same way you would if saving searches.
- OVID (Medline and Embase):
- At the bottom of the search history, beside "Save All," is a link to "Create Auto-Alert."
- Give your alert a title; select a timeframe-- the default "On Database Update" will check for new papers every few days, but you can choose to get a summary of new items once a week; give your alert an email subject line that'll make sense to you.
- Select a report type (recommendation is an option that includes both records and a "display results" link).
- Click save!
- You can edit the alert from the "View Saved" link that takes you to your saved searches as well.
- EBSCOhost (CINAHL and PsycInfo):
- Above the search history, the "Saved Searches / Alerts" link is used both to save searches and to set up alerts.
- Name your search strategy something familiar!
- The default option to 'save search as' is "Save Search (Permanent)"; change this to "Alert"
- You can manage alerts in your EBSCO account's Folders, under "Saved Alerts"