Research Help
Need help with a literature review?
Your subject librarian can meet with you to help refine your search terms, advise on appropriate databases, discuss how to manage your search results, and consult on systematic or scoping review methods.
Book an online appointment here or contact ursula.ellis@ubc.ca.
If you're working on a systematic or scoping review, please complete this form:
woodward.library.ubc.ca/research-help/evidence-synthesis/
Workshops are regularly offered on a wide range of topics, including literature reviews and systematic reviews.
Key Resources
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Library Access browser extensionInstall to get easier, faster access to full text articles and ebooks.
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MEDLINE (Ovid) This link opens in a new windowPremier biomedical database with over 30 million journal articles in the life sciences. Similar to Pubmed in content, this Ovid interface facilitates structured searching and allows editing of search histories.
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Web of Science Core Collection This link opens in a new windowMultidisciplinary database of journal articles and conference proceedings, used for citation analysis of research. Includes access to EndNote Basic, a web-based version of EndNote.
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NCCPH PortalFind reports and resources from the 6 Canadian National Collaborating Centres for Public Health (Indigenous Health, Determinants of Health, Environmental Health, Public Policy, Infectious Diseases, and Methods and Tools)
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Canada Commons This link opens in a new windowThe Canadian Documents Collection includes research papers, reports, studies, policy papers & briefs, discussion papers, numbered series, working papers, political party platforms, evidence reviews, systematic reviews, economic evaluations and environmental scans.
Finding COVID-19 research
When searching Ovid MEDLINE or PubMed, there are COVID search filters you can add to your search to focus your results:
In Ovid MEDLINE, after searching for your topic, click the Limits link below the search box and check the "COVID-19" box, then the Search button:
In PubMed, click "Clinical Queries," in the Find section on the main page; then choose COVID-19.
The sources below are good places to find preprints, grey literature, and other COVID research not included in MEDLINE.
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Cochrane COVID-19 Study RegisterIncludes published journal articles, preprints, and clinical trial registry entries.
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WHO COVID-19 Research DatabaseIncludes journal articles, preprints, and other grey literature
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COVID-19 L-OVE from EpistemonikosPrimary studies, systematic reviews and other evidence syntheses. Sortable by PICO elements.
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Directory of resources related to COVID-19Compiled by EPPI-Centre - list of COVID research portals
Featured resource: Understanding Research Evidence videos from NCCMT
Quick explanations of review types, relative risk, NNT, types of reviews, odds ratios, confidence intervals, forest plots, clinical significance, and more. Produced by the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools.
Critical Appraisal Resources
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MetaQATCritical appraisal checklist from Public Health Ontario (tool starts on page 12 of the PDF). Useful for any research design.
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Clinical Evidence Made Easy by ISBN: 9781907904202Publication Date: 2014-05-15Second half of this book includes appraisal checklists for a variety of different types of evidence. -
Evidence-Based Practice Across the Health Professions by ISBN: 0729582272Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Related Guides
- Occupational and Environmental Health
- Health Statistics & Data
- Knowledge Synthesis: Systematic, Scoping & Other Reviews
- Indigenous Health
- Grey Literature for Health Sciences
- Global Health
- Patient-Oriented Research and Community-Based Research
- Health Care Administration
- Freedom of Information / Access to Information