1. Lost in translation...? Transferring bio-medical literature searches between databases and across interfaces Janette Camosso-Stefinovic Information Librarian University of Leicester

2. A forum for discussion Sharing ideas with peers Learning from others’ experiences

3. ‘Beyond MEDLINE’ Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) Often need to look beyond a single source for evidence to answer a clinical question Having identified relevant resources… Develop a search strategy in one database, to then adapt it for use in other databases

4. Time frame for searching 6 months ? 6 weeks ? 2 weeks ? 1 week ? 1 day ? 1 hour ?

5. Searching for different purposes The purpose / question will dictate the depth and scope of a literature search A question requiring a quick answer … … a systematic review Consider time, access, other constraints

6. A myriad of sources: Casting your net A myriad of sources... Where to start? Some sources bring different kinds of evidence together – one or two search terms suffice to get a broad picture At times, a more detailed search strategy may be useful to answer your question – many search terms, combined together

7. Searching different interfaces (platforms) Changes in access may mean having to transfer a search strategy from one interface… for example: EMBASE Ovid to another… for example: EMBASE Dialog

8. Oring (Boolean OR) The way search lines are ORed differs across sources: The Boolean ‘OR/’ shortcut is supported in MEDLINE and EMBASE (Ovid): or/1-5 In CINAHL (Dialog): 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5… In Cochrane CENTRAL: #1 or #2 or #3 or #4 or #5…

9. Searching different databases Even when searching databases via the same interface, databases may differ in underlying indexing structure Not always straightforward!

10. Getting into a MeSH! Indexing terms: similarities and differences - across MEDLINE (MeSH) and EMBASE (EMTREE) for example The case of gestational diabetes: preco-ordinated subject headings (Screenshot 1) Use the Notes to check the scope

11. Re-running versus starting from scratch Re-running a search (where possible)… What are the advantages? The disadvantages? Discussion (5 minutes)

12. An example from urology Differences in indexing between MEDLINE and EMBASE Sometimes an indexing term does not transfer across (Screenshots 2 - 4) Use ‘Map Term to Subject Heading’ function to identify suitable indexing terms (Screenshot 5)

13. Indexing reflects database scope Databases differ in scope (ERIC=education- related topics; BIOSIS=biological sciences and biomedicine) To some extent, indexing reflects this EMBASE - many indexing terms for drug administration PsycINFO - a variety of indexing terms for mental health topics, relationships, etc. If they are there, and are relevant, use them

14. Indexing changes over time New terms added continuously E.g. MeSH “Echinacea” introduced in 2000 New MeSH headings are not applied retrospectively to MEDLINE A search relying just on this indexing term would miss citations indexed before 2000 A good reason to include a mix of free text and indexing terms in your search

15. In the absence of indexing… Some databases have no underlying thesaurus… Sci Citations (Web of Knowledge) is an example Can only be searched using free text

16. Example from a Cochrane Review Title: Clarke M, Hopewell S, Juszczak E, Eisinga A, Kjeldstrøm M. Compression stockings for preventing deep vein thrombosis in airline passengers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD004002. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004002.pub2. Objectives: To assess the effects of wearing compression stockings versus not wearing them among people travelling on flights lasting at least four hours.

17. ‘Thought showering’ exercise Using the term… “ aeroplane” …as a starting point, list as many synonyms and quasi-synonyms as you can think of which could be useful in a search for this question.

18. Indexing and free text terms Good idea to use a combination of both BUT - Science Citation Index has no thesaurus to aid the searcher So, productive results will require skillful keyword searching Thinking of variant and synonymous terms would be essential to search this particular source effectively

19. Search strategy tailored to each database Note the different truncation symbols: aviation or aviator$ or airline$ or aeroplane$ (EMBASE) aerospace* or aviation or aviator* (Sci Cit Index) aerospace? OR aviat? OR airline? OR aeroplane? (Dissertation Abstracts Online) aviation OR aviator OR aviators OR airline OR airlines OR aeroplane OR aeroplanes (OLDMEDLINE: no truncation)

20. Relevant indexing terms in MEDLINE 1 AEROSPACE MEDICINE/ 2 TRAVEL/ 3 AIRCRAFT/ 4 AVIATION/ 5 TRANSPORTATION/ 6 (aviation or aviator$ or airline$ or aeroplane$ or aircraft$ or plane$ or flying or flight$ or travel$ or passenger$).ti,ab. 7 (long-haul or long haul or long-distance$ or long distance$ or non-stop…

21. Iterative searching Inserting newly uncovered terms into strategy (identified in 2 nd, 3 rd database searched, or spotted in relevant papers?) Thinking laterally / being creative Searching: at times as much an art as a science... Develop a network of experts you can call upon for advice

22. Ask! Part of a very useful search string, for socio- economic deprivation, provided by a colleague: 39. ((low or lower or less or poor or poorer) adj2 (socioeconomic or education:)).tw. 40. deprived communities.ti,ab. 41. minority groups/ 42. (Jarman adj3 index).ti,ab. 43. (Townsend adj3 index).ti,ab. 44. (Carstairs adj3 index).ti,ab. 45. poverty.ti. 46. or/1-45

23. Conclusion 1: Think PICO Plan before you begin: Think of your search question in terms of PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome) Keep your eye on the question: Refer back to your PICO throughout database searching, to stay on track

24. Conclusion 2: Look beyond a single source Don’t rely on one source of evidence, unless you need an overview (e.g. NLH SSE, Hitting the Headlines) If time allows, searching a number of sources is good practice It also serves as a ‘check’ For some types of research, it is expected

25. Conclusion 3: Be aware of differences... Between platforms - truncation, management of subheadings, etc. Between databases - searching functionalities, different indexing, scope... free text mapping, pros and cons of re- running strategies, running searches in 2+ databases concurrently Use ‘Help’ menu if unsure: changes which affect searching should be described there

26. Conclusion 4: Make use of indexing, don’t be blinded by it Don’t rely on indexing alone! Think of synonyms, alternative spelling, acronyms, new terminology recently introduced to the literature… Your collection of free text terms will serve as a ‘safety net’, and may be essential in some databases

27. Conclusion 5 Check the scope notes, if available Practice iterative searching: feed in useful terms you uncover along the way, to improve your strategy Be creative Think laterally Network: share your problems, and your solutions