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BME1450: Biomaterials and Biomedical Research
Michelle Baratta Engineering & Computer Science Library Maria Buda Dentistry Library
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Session Objectives Focus, systematize your searches
Select best search tools Engineering and multidisciplinary resources Health sciences resources Organize search results
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Article Databases Good sorting functions
Many use controlled terminology Identify general or literature review articles easily Limit searches to specific treatments of topics: e.g., experimental, theoretical, applications, economic Advanced citation search features – identify significant papers, authors; track development of research through time
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Building A Search Strategy
Before you begin searching in a database, you will have: Defined the focus of your question Identified the key concepts Search strategy will change depending on: topic - resources used
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Search Strategy Now you need to find alternate terms for your key concepts: broader, narrower, related terms acronyms plural/singular, spelling variations - use the truncation symbol, usually * Now you need to find alternative terms for your key concepts: Synonyms or related terms (broader, narrower) (e.g. scientific and common name) Plural/singular forms (woman or women, region or regions) Spelling variations (aluminum or aluminium) Acronyms (MRI or magnetic resonance inmaging) Variations of a root word - using the truncation symbol (manag* = manager, managing, managed, management)
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Broadening your search
Concept #1 Concept #2 Concept #3
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PICO Clinical queries P = problem/population/patient I = intervention
C = comparison O = outcome
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Keywords searches titles, abstracts, subject headings problems
Typos in the database False drops You pick the wrong keywords you pick cancer, they use neoplasms, tumor, etc.
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Thesaurus Searching uses a built-in list of subject terms
terms are assigned no matter what keywords the author uses enables consistency Powerful way to search *only some databases use controlled terminology
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Improving the quality & depth of your research: strategies for a literature review
The search tools you use will greatly determine the quality and depth of sources you find One problem: no single database does the job
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So, which ones to use? A strategy:
Select 2 or 3 or even 4 likely databases Construct a search Use appropriate syntax, limits Use citation management software such as Endnote or RefWorks to manage citations, eliminate duplicates
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Identifying Quality Sources
Peer-reviewed journals Articles are critically evaluated by experts on the subject before it is published Journal Ranking ISI Journal Citation Reports database uses citation data to ‘rank’ journals No method is perfect
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When using citation data, beware..
Assumption of correlation between ‘peer esteem’ and ‘citation rate’ Simple count does not take into account context of citation e.g., “by misinterpretation of their own data, Smith et al erroneously suggest that…” Some of these tools exclude important engineering literature: preprints, tech reports, patents, conference papers
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Engineering Databases for biomedical/biomaterials research
Compendex Inspec IEEE Xplore SciFinder Scholar ACM Also multidisciplinary databases (ProQuest, Web of Science, Scopus)
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Start at: engineering.library.utoronto.ca
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Off-Campus login
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ProQuest Technology Research Database ProQuest Illustrata: Technology
ProQuest Illustrata: Natural Sciences NTIS Database (National Technical Information Service) Biological Sciences Can be searched simultaneously
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Which databases (that we discussed) allow you to search for review articles?
a) Compendex b) Scopus c) Web of Science d) A and C e) All of the above
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Which databases utilize controlled terminology?
a) Web of Science b) Scopus c) Compendex d) A and C e) All of the above
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Medical databases for biomedical/biomaterials research
PubMed Ovid Medline
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Start at: http://www.library.utoronto.ca/gerstein
Gerstein Science Information Centre
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PubMed PubMed @ U of T – includes links to UTL full-text holdings
MEDLINE = 5400 indexed journals from the U.S. and 80 other countries Plus other health science journals, e-books, e-resources Articles indexed using MeSH – Medical Subject Headings (for more efficient searching)
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PubMed
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PubMed
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Ovid Medline Can search one database or multiple databases at one time
Uses controlled vocabulary (MeSH for MEDLINE; Emtree for EMBASE) Limit searches Save searches, my workspace
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Ovid Medline (and more)
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What it the most appropriate database to find articles on adrenalin and heart rate?
a. MEDLINE b. EMBASE c. PsychInfo d. Film/TV Documentation Collection
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What is the most efficient way to search PubMed?
a. Basic search b. MeSH search c. MoSt search d. Google search
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UTL Catalogue You do not need the exact author, title
Searches electronic and print resources Searches the whole system or just a specific library
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UTL Catalogue
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RefWorks Importing citations from all databases
Create a citation list of the style you choose in a word document Write-N-Cite: creates bibliography as you write your paper Can share citations with your group
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RefWorks
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Questions
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Computer Science Library
Michelle Baratta Engineering & Computer Science Library Maria Buda Dentistry Library x4607
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