The document outlines key concepts and techniques for systematic searching in databases, focusing on formulating search questions, documenting searches, and utilizing various search strategies. It covers the emotional impact of feared animal stimuli on attention and suggests methods for conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The content includes guidelines on search term combinations, database selection, and quality standards for research processes.

1. Systematic Searching in Oslo
Workshop
Janneke Staaks
March 4, 2014
Universiteitsbibliotheek

2. Janneke Staaks
j.staaks@uva.nl
@jstaaks
Specialist Wetenschappelijke Informatie
Psychology
Child Development and Education
Anthropology

3.  Formulate search question
 Documenting your search
 Database selection
 (Combining) search terms
 Search techniques
 Workflow tools
3
Learning objectives

4. Formulate search question
Systematic searching in databases
Inclusion / exclusion criteria
Critical appraisal (validity / relevance)
Analysing data

5. 5
Search Technique
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/416909735

6. Abstract Using a visual search methodology we investigated the effect of feared animal
stimuli on attention. Our results confirmed the important role of emotion on
attention. All participants detected fear-relevant stimuli (snakes and spiders)
faster than neutral (mushrooms) ones against a background of fruits. In addition,
spider fearful participants were sensitized specifically to detect their feared
stimulus (spiders), compared to their fear-relevant but non-feared (snakes) and
neutral stimuli. However, for participants fearful of snakes there was no
significant difference in detection latencies between the feared (snakes) and the
fear-relevant but non-feared animal stimuli (spiders). The results from the
attention task were mirrored in the emotional ratings, which showed that spider
fear was highly specific, whereas snake fear was associated with a more
generalized enhanced evaluation of all negative stimuli. (PsycINFO Database
Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)
Key Concepts animal specific fears, attention measures, emotion measures, fear relevant
stimuli, feared animal stimuli
Subject
Headings
*Emotional Responses
*Fear
*Ophidiophobia
*Stimulation
Attention
Snake Phobia
link

7. snake phobia.ti,ab,id. 110
snake fear.ti,ab,id. 54
Ophidiophobia/ 297
1 OR 2 OR 3 373
Syntax

8.  Controlled vocabulary
 Subject headings, Mesh terms, Thesaurus etc.
 Ophidiophobia/
 Free text terms
 title, abstract etc. (may vary across databases)
 snake fear.ti,ab,id.

9.  *, ? en #
 fear* ADJ3 speak*
 speaking fears
 fearful of speaking
 fear of public speaking
 public speaking fear
 speaker’s subjective fear
Wildcards

10.  *, ? en #
 fear* ADJ2 speak*
 speaking fears
 fearful of speaking
 fear of public speaking
 public speaking fear
 speaker’s subjective fear
Wildcards

11. “A systematic review is a review of a clearly
formulated question that uses systematic and
explicit methods to identify, select, and critically
appraise relevant research, and to collect and
analyze data from the studies that are included in
the review”
11
Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
“Meta-analysis refers to the use of statistical
techniques in a systematic review to integrate the
results of included studies”
Moher, D., Liberati ,A,. Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D.G., The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The
PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(6): e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097

12. 12
Try this

13.  Reported number of results: 1.527 results
 Just ‘normal’ search terms: 18.564 results
 Just Subject Headings: 1.112 results
13
Tried this
So, what information would you like to have?

14.  (re)search question
 Databases
 Also: provider
 Search query
 Search terms
 Combinations
 Search results and retrieval date
 Other search techniques and sources
14
Logbook
Work in progress =>
notes and discussion points

15.  Copy-paste or screenshot into a text document
 MS Word
 Notepad
 Google Drive
 In the database
 Workspace (OvidSP; PsycINFO, Medline and ERIC)
15
Where

16.  PRISMA statement
 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and
Meta-Analysis
16
Quality standards
http://www.flickr.com/photos/performancesolutions/7251161908/

17. http://www.flickr.com/photos/performancesolutions/7251161908/
 PRISMA statement
 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and
Meta-Analysis
17
Quality standards

18.  Population, Intervention, Control & Outcome (PICO)
 Plus domain (diagnosis, prognosis, therapy)
 Dependent plus independent variables
 X causes Y
 X is correlated with Y
 Plus population
 Methodology
 Be practical
18
Search Strategy

19.  Medline vs Pubmed
 Embase
 Number of databases
 The usual suspects, plus..
 specialistic database(s)
 Citation tracking => Web of
Science/Scopus/Google Scholar
 Be practical
19
Database selection

20. 20
Case: Assessment in Art Education
http://www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/3813998921

21.  Size and coverage
 Years of coverage,
languages
 Database usability
 Field search, special search syntax, subject headings,
number of titles that you can export to reference manager
software, etc.
 Database sustainability
 Bibliographies > catalogues (including discovery services)
21
Database selection

22. 0
5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
25,000,000
ERIC CINAHL PsycINFO Embase Medline
Databases

23. 23
Search Terms
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/416909735

24.  General - specific
 ethnic minority or Asian
 physiological measures or cortisol
 Synonyms and related terms
 social phobia or social anxiety or blushing
 Acronyms
 Major Depressive Disorder or MDD
Search terms

25.  Spelling
 US – UK: behavior or behaviour
 Single - plural: child or children
 Verb tenses: cry, crying or cried etc
 Opposites
 fertility or infertility
 Historical language
 Changes in DSM
Search terms

26. child*
boy*
girl*
adolesc*
26
Children 0-23
infan*
baby
babies
toddler*
preterm*
prematur*
postmatur*
perinat*
postnat*
neonat*
newborn*
new-born
pediat*
paediat*
kid
kids
teen*
young*
youth*
minors*
under ag*
underag*
juvenile*
prepubescen*
prepuberty*
preadolesc*
student*
school*
classroom*
nursery
kindergarten*
preschool*
elementary education
primary education
K-12*
K12
secondary education
junior high*
highschool*
college*
undergrad*
tertiary education
postsecondary education
universit*

27. 27
Combining search terms
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/416909735

28. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
RCT & SR
Diabetes
Depression AND AND
Effect of interventions for major depressive disorder
(..) in patients with diabetes mellitus
213.000 titles 17.000 titles 165.000 titles

29. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
Depression Diabetes RCT & SR
Effect of interventions for major depressive disorder
(..) in patients with diabetes mellitus
213.000 titles 17.000 titles 165.000 titles

30. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
RCT & SR
Depression
Diabetes
336 titles
213.000 titles 17.000 titles 165.000 titles
Effect of interventions for major depressive disorder
(..) in patients with diabetes mellitus
RCT & SR
Depression
213.000 titles 17.000 titles 165.000 titles

31. • Serial
31
Combinations

33. • Serial
33
Combinations

36. 36
Apply and repeat
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/416909735

37. Extra: Searching for Subject
Headings
 UvA PsycINFO thesaurus demo
 Don’t explode

38.  OvidSP
 EBSCO
 Proquest
 Pubmed
Other Publishers
Ophidiophobia/ OR snake fear.ti,ab.
(MH "Ophidiophobia") OR TI "snake fear"
OR AB "snake fear"
SU.EXACT("Ophidiophobia") OR
TI ("snake fear") OR AB ("snake fear")
Ophidiophobia[mh] OR "snake fear"[tiab]

39.  PsycINFO
 Medline
Other databases
Ophidiophobia/ OR snake fear.ti,ab,id.
Phobic disorders/ OR snake fear.ti,ab.

40. 40
Reference Manager Software
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/416909735
Refworks
Reference Manager
Endnote

45. Reference manager software and
systematic reviews
 Step 1: Export all references into folders
 One folder per database
 Most databases have a limit (500 titles per export)
 Step 2: Copy the content into one folder
 Step 3: Deduplicate
 Let the software make a selection..
 ..but check the duplicates yourself!
 Use sort and compare page numbers

46. And then..
 Assessment options
 Cochrane handbook: “should be done by at least two
people, independently”
 Export to excel
 Remove Author name and/or Journal title
 Work with folders or keywords to keep track of your
progress

48. 48
Extra
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/416909735

49. Update
 Logbook
 Rerun the previous year
 Consult your librarian
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beth19/4721798240

50. Complementary Search Strategies
 Citation tracking
 Web of Science and Google Scholar (cited by..)
 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
 Authors
 Hand searching
 Journals
 Conference proceedings
 Consulting experts

51. File drawer problem
 Statistics
 Unpublished research
 Contacting authors
 Clinicaltrials.gov
 International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) from
the World Health Organization (WHO)
 Grey literature
 Dissertations
 Conference Proceedings
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdennis/11948643

52. More information
 Cochrane handbook
 http://handbook.cochrane.org/
 Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (York)
 Database (critical assessment)
 Guidance (Book: Systematic Reviews: CRD's guidance for
undertaking systematic reviews in health care)
 Campbell collaboration
 Prisma Statement
 www.prisma-statement.org
https://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/6486005213

53. More information
 Search filters
 Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis
Review Group (CCDAN)
 Cochrane or Campbell Library
 Search filters – study design or focus
 Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
 InterTASC Information Specialists' Sub-Group Search Filter
Resource
https://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/6486005213