Literature searching
Here you will find guides and tutorials to help you to develop your literature searching skills. For more help on using specific tools please see other sections.
Tools
Literature Search Plan (361KB) - this guide will help you to develop a literature search strategy by considering the key concepts and scope of your topic.
Literature searching overview and action plan (127KB) - introducing the 9 steps to successful literature searching and helping you to plan your own search
Use these tools to help you to identify your question and complete your literature search more effectively; complete the relevant worksheet to help you to breakdown your question:
- 6ws tool worksheet (MSWord, 14kb) - you can use this tool for any type of question
- sari tool worksheet (MSWord, 15kb) - this tool is particularly helpful for essay-type assignments
- pico tool worksheet (MSWord, 15kb) - use this tool to help you to identify the clinical question
- clip question tool worksheet (MSWord, 186kb) - use this tool to help you to breakdown questions about health service management issues
- eclipse tool worksheet (MSWord, 186kb)- use this tool to help you to breakdown questions about health service management issues
- spice tool worksheet (MSWord, 186kb) - use this tool to help you to breakdown questions about social science issues
MeSH on Demand - tool from Pubmed to help you to generate Medical Subject Headings (or thesaurus terms) from your queries.
Pubmed Search Strategies Blog - suggests keywords, Mesh terms and combinations to use in searches on Pubmed for a wide range of conditions and patient groups.
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) Systematic Reviews: CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care - overview of systematic review methods, includes a section on documenting the search process.
Prisma Statement - Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis, consists of a 27 item check list and 4-phase flow diagram indicating how to report a systematic review.
eTutorials
Overview of literature searching - complete our online tutorial and watch the video for an overview of the steps involved in literature searching
Getting Started - learn how to use library resources to find the information you need
Information Skills - develop your information skills to help you to search effectively
Check Your Skills: Get your plan - complete our etutorial to assess your own literature searching skills and find out how you can improve them.
Online Guides
See our blog, Information Skills for Health, for a range of articles to help you get to grip with literature searching:
Be Search Smart - series of articles introducing all the different elements of literature searching as well as hints as to how the Health Library can help you.
Training and information support
For more help and training contact