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Nursing and Allied Health: Systematic Literature Searching

Guide to NUS Libraries' Resources for Nursing

Introduction to Systematic Literature Searching for Nursing students

NUS Libraries Medical/Science Resource Team has created a series of short videos (SPOC- Small Private Online Courses) for NUR4101/4104B to develop and upskill the students’ search methods, to prepare them for Systematic Review(SR) project/assignment.

Through this programme, students will have the opportunity to attend a small private online courses at their own time and pace, work on their individual topics. They will learn how to use the library resources for their  project/assignments.

The SPOC is made up of the e-Learning Component as follows:

  1. Exploring Your Topic (4 parts)
  • This series of videos shows the typical process of a systematic review, and where searching fits in the big picture. PRISMA flow diagram, PICO framework and other library resources had been introduces to help generating research topics.
    • Part 1 – Introduction to the Systematic literature searching
    • Part 2 -  Look for research topics that interests you!
    • Part 3 – Introduction to preliminary/scoping search
    • Part 4 – Conduct preliminary/scoping search
  1. Selecting Sources (2 parts)
    • This series of video introduce the library subscribed databases for subject specific topics. Detail on the core databases such as PubMed(Medline), Embase and Cochrane which are recommended in Cochrane Handbook can be found in this series of video.
      • Part 1 –Introduction to the sources of information
      • Part 2 –Introduction to the databases
  1. Constructing Search Strategies (4 parts)
    • This series of video introduce basic concepts in building searching strategies, such as free-text (natural language) searching, phrase searching, truncation and Boolean logic. Combining free-text/keyword search with controlled vocabularies ensure the comprehensiveness of the search strategies.
      • Part 1 – Apply Booleans/Syntax​
      • Part 2 -  Introduction to constructing search strategies​
      • Part 3 – Replicate the Search - ​Controlled Vocabulary​
      • Part 4 – Search for MORE -Keywords/Synonyms/Alternative Terms​
  1. Managing Search Results – EndNote (8 parts)
    • This video shows how to manage all the citations (or references) you retrieve from the bibliographic databases (PubMed, etc). Once you import the references into EndNote, you can review and weed out those that do not meet your inclusion criteria. Cite while you write will be mentioned in this video as well.
      • Part 1 – Introduction to EndNote
      • Part 2 -  Export citations from PubMed
      • Part 3 – Export citations from Embase
      • Part 4 – Export citations from Cochrane
      • Part 5 -  Export citations from CINAHL
      • Part 6 – Export citations from Scopus
      • Part 7 – Finding & Removing Duplicate
      • Part 8 – Cite While You Write (CWYW)

 

******Search Template for documentation  - Please complete this document before attending the group consultation with the librarians.

HS talks on Systematic Review

How to Use the PICO Method to Form a Clinical Question (YouTube)