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1. Identify a research question. For example: "Does the use of warfarin in elderly patients recovering from myocardial infarction help prevent stroke?" 2. Consider which databases might provide information for your topic. Often PubMed or CINAHL will cover a wide spectrum of biomedical issues. However, other databases and grey literature sources may specialize in certain disciplines. Embase is generally comprehensive but also specializes in pharmacological interventions and even lesser-known databases such as Ageline can be good sources for geriatric issues. 3. Select the major subjects or ideas from your question. Focus in on the particular concepts involved in your research. Then brainstorm synonyms and related terminology for these topics. 4. Look for the preferred indexing terms for each concept in your question. This is especially important with databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, or Scopus where headings within the MeSH database or under the Emtree umbrella are present. For example, the above question's keywords such as "warfarin" or "myocardial infarction" can involve related terminology or subject headings such as "anti-coagulants" or "cardiovascular disease." 5. Build your search using boolean operators. Combine the synonyms in your database using boolean operators such as AND or OR. Sometimes it is necessary to research parts of a question rather than the whole. So you might link searches for things like the preventive effects of anti-coagulants with stroke or embolism, then AND these results with the therapy for patients with cardiovascular disease. 6. Filter and save your search results from the first database (do this for all databases). This may be a short list because of your topic's limitations, but it should be no longer than 15 articles for an initial search. Make sure your list is saved or archived and presents you with what's needed to access the full text. 7. Use the same process with the next databases on your list. But pay attention to how certain major headings may alter the terminology. "Stroke" may have a suggested term of "embolism" or even "cerebrovascular incident" depending on the database. 8. Read through the material for inclusion/exclusion. Based on your project's criteria and objective, consider which studies or reviews deserve to be included and which should be discarded. Make sure the information you have permits you to go forward. 9. Write the literature review. Begin by summarizing why your research is important and explain why your approach will help fill gaps in current knowledge. Then incorporate how the information you've selected will help you to do this. You do not need to write about all of the included research you've chosen, only the most pertinent. 10. Select the most relevant literature for inclusion in the body of your report. Choose the articles and data sets that are most particularly relevant to your experimental approach. Consider how you might arrange these sources in the body of your draft. Page 2
Elsevier's Research Academy - Elsevier's Research Academy is an online tutorial to help with both the research and writing process. Additional tools allow writers to navigate the journal allocation and peer review process. Research4Life Training Portal - Research4Life allows users to download handouts and other materials for every step in the writing process. It also contains several interactive modules pertaining to the lit review and writing processes. Coursera: Science Writing - While primarily a continuing education resource (sometimes requiring payment), the options on this website allow users to engage in feedback for their work with scientific writing. UNC-Chapel Hill's Writing Center: Scientific Reports - UNC's Writing Center provides many tools for writers. Among them are materials geared toward the science disciplines such as this handout which focuses on language development for research reports. Style and Format for Scientific Journals - This handout focuses on the structure, format, and style of writing research reports. Particular attention is given to how each section of a paper is to look. Formatting Scientific Reports - This brief guide focuses on the official IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, And Discussion), detailing the general procedure for articulating a research report. Writing a Journal Manuscript - Springer Nature's guide to drafting a manuscript for a journal details the writing and publishing lifecycle and highlights important areas such as the placing of tables and figures within your draft. Basic Statistical Reporting for Articles Published in Biomedical Journals: The Statistical Analyses and Methods in the Published Literature (The SAMPL Guidelines) - This component of the Equator Network shows one preferred method for describing data and statistics in your research. Scientific Writing Research Guide - a Duke University guide similarly formatted to this one. It provides a provides help for writers experiencing difficulties with writing successfully coherent prose within their research reports.
Consider the PICO Format: Population/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome Focus on defining the Population or Problem and Intervention (don't narrow by Comparison or Outcome just yet!) Example:"What are the effects of the Pilates method for patients with low back pain?" Tools & Additional Resources:
2. Scope the LiteratureA "scoping search" investigates the breadth and/or depth of the initial question or may identify a gap in the literature. Eligible studies may be located by searching in:
When searching, if possible, translate terms to controlled vocabulary of the database. Use text word searching when necessary. Use Boolean operators to connect search terms:
Example:Search: pilates AND ("low back pain" OR backache) Tools & Additional Resources:Download a Boolean worksheet (PDF) 3. Refine & Expand Your SearchExpand your search strategy with synonymous search terms harvested from:
Example:(pilates OR exercise movement techniques) AND ("low back pain" OR backache* OR sciatica OR lumbago OR spondylosis) Tools & Additional Resources:As you develop a final, reproducible strategy for each database, save your strategies in a:
4. Limit Your ResultsUse database filters to limit your results based on your defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. In addition to relying on the databases' categorical filters, you may also need to manually screen results. Example:
NOTE: Many databases allow you to filter to "Full Text Only". This filter is not recommended. It excludes articles if their full text is not available in that particular database (CINAHL, PubMed, etc), but if the article is relevant, it is important that you are able to read its title and abstract, regardless of 'full text' status. The full text is likely to be accessible through another source (a different database, or Interlibrary Loan). Tools & Additional Resources:
5. Download CitationsSelected citations and/or entire sets of search results can be downloaded from the database into a citation management tool. If you are conducting a systematic review that will require reporting according to PRISMA standards, a citation manager can help you keep track of the number of articles that came from each database, as well as the number of duplicate records. Example:In Zotero, you can create a Collection for the combined results set, and sub-collections for the results from each database you search. You can then use Zotero's 'Duplicate Items" function to find and merge duplicate records.  Tools & Additional Resources:6. Abstract and Analyze
Example:Covidence is a web-based tool that enables you to work with a team to screen titles/abstracts and full text for inclusion in your review, as well as extract data from the included studies. Tools & Additional Resources:
7. Create Flow DiagramThe PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram is a visual representation of the flow of records through different phases of a systematic review. It depicts the number of records identified, included and excluded. It is best used in conjunction with the PRISMA checklist. Example:Example from Navarra, A.-M. D., Gwadz, M. V., Whittemore, R., Bakken, S. R., Cleland, C. M., Burleson, W., … Melkus, G. D. (2017). Health Technology-Enabled Interventions for Adherence Support and Retention in Care Among US HIV-Infected Adolescents and Young Adults: An Integrative Review. AIDS and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1867-6 Tools & Additional Resources:8. Synthesize & Report ResultsThere are a number of reporting guideline available to guide the synthesis and reporting of results in systematic literature reviews. Example:It is common to organize findings in a matrix, also known as a Table of Evidence (ToE). Tools & Additional Resources:Steps modified from:Cook, D. A., & West, C. P. (2012). Conducting systematic reviews in medical education: a stepwise approach. Medical Education, 46(10), 943–952. |
