2. Definition
The literature review is an overview of
significant literature on a particular topic. It
puts your own particular question in the
context of current and previous research.
http://peoplelearn.homestead.com
6. ASK
• Formulate your question or define topic
• Focused
• Quantitative - effectiveness of therapy
• Qualitative e.g. experiences, attitudes etc.
7. Types of clinical questions
• What is the most appropriate/accurate
assessment ? diagnosis/diagnostic tests
• What is likely course of disease? prognosis
• Which treatments are most effective ?
intervention
• What are the risks? Aetiology or causation
• Which preventive strategy to use? prevention
• What is the cost effectiveness of treatments?
• What are patient experiences/concerns?
Sept 2014
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library, UCT
8. PICO
(helps to define question)
Population – patient/s, problem
Intervention – treatment, therapy, exposure
Comparison – control group, not always present
Outcome – measurable, ideally quality of life or
clinical well being, also effect
Sept 2014
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library,
UCT
9. Question
Is relaxation training effective in
improving cardiac function and
recovery in patients with
ischemic heart disease?
Jan 2013
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library,
UCT
10. July 2012
M.Shelton, Health Sciences
Library, UCT
Population = patients with cardiac or heart
or ischaemic heart disease
Intervention = relaxation training
Comparison = no relaxation training
Outcome = improved cardiac function
PICO
11. Identify search terms,
keywords, synonyms etc.
Cardiac or heart or
cardiovascular disease;
relaxation training
July 2016
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library,
UCT
12. Search Strategy
(Cardiac OR heart OR
cardiovascular)
AND
disease
AND
relaxation
July 2016
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library,
UCT
13. Question is important
July 2014
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library,
UCT
– Plan search strategies
– Focus the search
– Recognize answers when we find them
– Appraise studies in terms of PICO
– Saves time
18. Struggling with keywords?
• Look for synonyms – use thesaurus
• Look for subject headings – CINAHL headings
MeSh in PubMed
• Alternative spelling (pediatric or paediatric)
• Local usage (operating room or theatre)
• Brand and generic names (Panado or
paracetamol)
• Abbreviations (TB or tuberculosis)
• Opposites (long needle, short needle)
20. Types of publications
• Primary studies – contain original data,
e.g. clinical trial, case report
• Secondary studies – evaluation of others
data, e.g. Books, UpToDate, systematic
reviews
21. Need information? Start here:
• Book? – Catalogue
• Overview? – UpToDate, ClinicalKey
• Recent peer-reviewed? - Journal article –
Medline, CINAHL, etc.
• Really stuck? – Google Scholar or Google
is last resort
24. Can you ?
• Find a book on COPD OR chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease
• Find an overview of COPD OR chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease
33. Databases
• Library database can be a platform for a variety of
resources in a specific discipline, e. g. Access
Medicine
• Database like UpToDate is a point of care resource
covering summaries of best information about clinical
conditions
• Library online databases are often indexes to journals in
a specific discipline, e.g.
Medline = index to medical journals
CINAHL = index to nursing and allied health
journals
34. Searching
“If you don't have time to read, you don't have
the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as
that.”
Stephen King, 1985
But…
“If you don’t have time to search the
databases properly, you don’t have the time to
read or the tools to write, nor will you have the
best evidence!”
Mar 2015
36. Choose appropriate database
• Medline – main index to medical journals
• Cochrane Library – clinical trials and
systematic reviews of clinical trials
• CINAHL – nursing and allied health, PHC
• Africa-Wide – important for articles about
Africa or South Africa
• PsychINFO – psychology
• Scopus – includes Embase strong on
developing world
41. Boolean operators
AND - combine two or more
OR - synonyms
NOT - exclude words/subject
(heart OR cardiac) AND surgery NOT children
April 2013
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library,
UCT
42. More searching tips
To search for an exact phrase use quotation marks (“”)
“rural community”
Truncate a word (shorten to its root) to search all forms of that
word
allerg* for allergy or allergies or allergens or allergic
car* for caring or care
child* for child or children
Mary Shelton, Health Sciences Library
43. Types of studies – use filters
• Systematic review – review of all studies
using a pre-determined methodology
• Randomised controlled trials
• Cohort studies – follow group over time
• Case reports, series, case controlled
52. Medline
Database of references and abstracts on life
sciences and biomedical topics
• EbscoHost (good links to full text)
• PubMed (free, excellent search engine)
53. • Free platform
• 90% Medline records
• 8% out of scope articles from PubMed
Central, an open repository of NLM and
books from NCBI
• 2 % in process records which are not
indexed, i.e. last few months of new
additions
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library, UCT
59. In populations with a high prevalence
of HIV infection, how effective is male
circumcision for reducing HIV
acquisition in heterosexual men?
Population: populations with a
high
incidence of HIV
infection
Intervention: male
circumcision
Comparison: no circumcision
Question
63. Authors and citation tracking
Search by author’s name in
databases
Search for author in Google and
Google
Scholar for CV’s and
bibliographies
List of references at end of article
Cited references in citation indexes,
e.g. Scopus
and Google ScholarMay 2013
64. April 2013
M.Shelton, Health Sciences Library,
UCT
Scopus
• Citation index
• Includes content of Medline and
Embase
• Embase complements Medline with
references from Europe and
developing world
68. Life Sciences, Laboratory sciences
• Biological and Agricultural Index (via Ebsco)
• General Science Abstracts (via Ebsco)
• SciFinder (which includes Chemical
Abstracts)
• Medline
• Scopus (includes ScienceDirect citations)
• Springer Protocols
• Web of Science (incl. Biological Abstracts)
(find in A-Z list of databases)
69. Google
• Avoid Google Books – chapters are samples
of the book and not necessarily permanently
online
• Google is useful for government or NGO
material, guidelines, policy documents,
working papers, etc. Watch for .ac, .edu,
.gov, .org
• Google Scholar useful for very recent
material, cited references, similar articles (NB
settings to link to UCT)
70. Keep track of what you have done!
• Record which databases were searched
• Record search terms that were used
• Try to use similar search in each
database. Be consistent in use of search
terms and filters if applicable.
• How many articles were retrieved? How
many did not meet criteria? How many full
text were read? How many actually used?
71. RECORD SEARCH STRATEGY
Question /Topic Does training of caregivers improve outcome in rehabilitation of
stroke patients?
Main concepts/keywords/synonyms
Population/Problem: Stroke patients
Intervention/Issue: training of caregivers
Comparison: no training
Outcome/Evaluation: improved rehabilitation
Limits: Language English
Time frame: 2003-2014
All identified documents were examined and those that were relevant were retrieved
for inclusion in the review.
Reference lists of retrieved documents were hand searched to identify additional
publications.
A summary of the database searches that were performed is set out below.
72. Recording your search - template
• http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/c.php?g=182316&p=120100
3
73. Manage citations
• Keep bibliographic details of each item that
you read - author, title, place, publisher, year,
edition, journal name, volume part, page
numbers
• Familiarise yourself with Referencing style,
e.g. Vancouver
• Use citation manager like RefWorks,
EndNote to save citations, make notes, cite in
text and create bibliography – takes time to
learn
74. What is Vancouver Referencing?
• Recommendations of the International
Committee of Medical Journal Editors
(ICMJE) for publishing in medical
journals
• Style used in PubMed
• Website:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform
requirements.html
2016-07-19 Health Sciences Library, UCT
75. Vancouver
• In text uses a number, e.g.
In hemothorax, a test tube is
recommended.11
• List references in number order as
they appear in the text
• In the reference list journal names
are abbreviated and are not
italicised
• If more than six authors, list the first
six followed by “et al.” (reference
list)
• In the reference list, the first names
of the authors are abbreviated to
initials without full stops in between,
e.g. Al-Tamimi EK, Haub MD.
Harvard
• In text uses author and date, e.g. In
hemothorax, a test tube is
recommended (Van der Welden, 2013).
• List references alphabetically by author
• In the reference list journal names are
given in full and are italicised
• If more than eight authors, list the first
eight followed by “et al.” (reference list)
• First names may be abbreviated to
initials and there are full stops in
between, e.g. Al-Tamimi, E.K. & Haub,
M.D.
2016-07-19 Name, Health Sciences Library, UCT
76. Vancouver - in text citing
• Citations in the body of your paper are
indicated by numbers, e.g. Johnson²
asserts that …. OR, Johnson (2) asserts
that ...
• When citing the same reference for the
second or subsequent time, re-use the
same number you have assigned to that
reference in the first time.
79. 6 or more authors
• List only the first six authors followed
by ‘et al’ or ‘and others’
Zweigenthal L, Puoane T, Reynolds L,
London L, Coetzee D, Alperstein M, et
al. Primary health care: fresh perspectives.
Cape Town: Pearson-Prentice Hall;
2009.
80. Journal reference - online
Sliwa K, Anthony J. Risk assessment for
pregnancy with cardiac disease—a global
perspective. Eur J Heart Fail[Internet].
2016;18(5):534-6. DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.522
(Abbreviate journal name as per PubMed)
81. Online journals
• ICMJE requires that you indicate date
accessed and url
• This is not required for undergraduate
course at UCT
2016-07-19 Name, Health Sciences Library, UCT
82. Vancouver Referencing Guides
• Vancouver Referencing Guide
http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/vancouver
• Vancouver quick guide – copies in library
http://www.medical.lib.uct.ac.za/sites/defa
ult/files/image_tool/images/42/HSL%20Va
ncouver%2027032014-Web.pdf
83. Appraise
• Does it answer my question?
• Does it provide context or background for
my research?
• Authority -who is the author?
• Methodology of research –bias?
• Validity of findings
• Opposing views
• Gaps in research identified
84. Write up your review (Apply)
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion
85. Introduction
• Introduce your question/topic/research
against background of existing research
• Describe search strategy
• Criteria used for appraisal and comparison
of literature
86. Body
• Identify themes
• Identify trends
• Identify opposing views
• Identify time line if appropriate to show
development of research
90. Exercise – create reference in
Vancouver style
Title: Human embryology and
developmental biology
Edition: 5th
Author: B.M. Carlson
Publisher: Mosby
Place: St Louis
Date: 2014
2016-07-19 Name, Health Sciences Library, UCT
91. Answer
1. Carlson BM. Human embryology
and developmental biology. 5th
ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2014.
2016-07-19 Name, Health Sciences Library, UCT
92. Exercise – create reference in
Vancouver style
Title of article: The gynaecological
subspecialties: advances in women's health
Journal name: South African Medical Journal
Authors: Z. Van der Spuy, S.Dyer, J. Jeffery,
L. Denny
Volume: 102
Part:6
Pages:419-421
Date:2012
2016-07-19 Name, Health Sciences Library, UCT
93. Answer
2. Van der Spuy Z, Dyer S, Jeffery
S, Denny L. The gynaecological
subspecialties: advances in
women's health. S Afr Med J.
2012; 102(6): 419-21.
2016-07-19 Name, Health Sciences Library, UCT
96. Readings
1. Aveyard, H. 2014. Doing a literature review in health and
social care : a practical guide. Maidenhead : McGraw-
Hill/Open University Press.
2. Aveyard, H. 2015. A beginner’s guide to critical thinking
and writing in health and social care. Maidenhead,
Berkshire : McGraw-Hill/Open University Press.
3. HSL Undergraduate Guide
http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/healthundergrad/home
4. Literature Review. Curtin University. Library Guide.
http://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/content.php?pid=343
975&sid=2817815 includes template for recording
searches
5. Vancouver Referencing Guide
http://libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/vancouver