How to conduct a literature

search an overview
 What is a literature search?
a systematic and thorough search of
all types of published literature in order
to identify as many items as possible
that are relevant to a particular topic.
(Gash, 1999)
 Why do a literature search?
Increase your own knowledge of the subject
area
Help you identify work already done / in
progress that is relevant to your own
Prevent you duplicating work already done
(helps avoid accusations of plagiarism /
reinventing the wheel)
 Why do a literature search? contd

Help you avoid errors of previous research

Help you choose / design your own
methodology
Enable you to find gaps in existing research
and find a unique area for your own
(adapted from Hart, 2001)
 What kinds of literature?
materials in print format
materials in electronic format

Conducting a search in both formats may

require particular skills.
Consider how you will acquire / update
these skills.
 What do you search?
Print Electronic [Offline / Online]
Research articles Journals
Theses / dissertations Books
Monographs Monographs
Technical reports Archives
Books Medical reviews
Review articles Tech reports
Handbooks, manuals Theses/Dissertations
Encyclopedia
Dictionaries
Where do you search?

Print Electronic [Offline / Online]

Library CD-ROM collections

Personal collections Internet

 How to search?

Print Internet
Indexing databases Pubmed
Index Medicus
Literature aggregators
Catalogues Science Direct, Ebsco
Journals Directories DOAJ, Free
Medical Journals, IndMed
Books
Review Databases - Cochrane
Search Engines Google,
Google Scholar, Google Books
Journal sites JAPI, Lancet
Archives Institution, Personal
Medical sites WHO, BNF
Advantages of reviewing literature
Unresearched aspects of a topic will be
revealed.
The pitfalls of the studies can be identified
Find solutions to problems in the conduct of
research
Details of procedures, new(er) equipment,
software
Easier to design a study - dose of drugs,
animal models, number of subjects and
statistical methods used.
Advantages of reviewing literature
contd
Calculate the sample size of current study.
References can be found.
Groups working in similar areas can be
contacted for help.
Get tips for presentation of results
Compare the differences between your results
and others work
 When do you search?

Before starting to plan - to identify the

problem, to define the extent of the problem
Before writing the protocol - to design the
study
During the research - to trouble shoot
Before writing up to collect the latest
information, advances, literature on the topic
 What to do after you search?
Read all the abstracts carefully and decide
which ones may be useful.
Collect the full text article of those papers which
you think are important.
Take a photocopy and file them.
If the full text is not available make all efforts
to get them.
Lit.
search
 What to do after you search?
Make sure the title, names of authors, journal
name, volume, year, and inclusive pages are
visible after photocopying.
If it is from a book, photocopy all relevant
portions, including the first page to obtain the
edition, year of publication, names of editors,
publisher etc.,
If it is a large chapter, include the first and last
pages of that too.
 Summary
start exploring the literature as soon as possible!
define your topic, and its limit (time /geography
etc) & scope
list key words & phrases (remember synonyms /
alternative terms and spellings)
identify main search tools
acquire / update skills as necessary
list sources to be searched
 Summary
search for books, journal articles, conference
papers, theses, reports, statistics etc. Remember to
stay relevant.
keep careful records right from the start of your
search
dont forget the interlibrary loans service
dont disregard serendipity (browsing, scanning)
remember that the literature search is
a process rather than a product
if you need help, ask a librarian!
 Thank you

Gitanjali
 Kinds of literature : books
Books: textbooks / reference books / monographs /
treatises / anthologies (mostly print, some electronic)
tend to cover basic principles, facts and theories
with worked examples, case studies, exercises etc.
bibliographies useful for suggesting further sources
information likely to be 3 years older than
publication date
difficult to find useful books if topic is very narrow /
specialised (parts of a book might be useful though)
 Kinds of literature:
journal articles
likely to contain most recent material on a topic
often very specialised content
possible to trace how trends have changed
useful references at the end of articles
not all articles meet academic standards
mostly print but increasingly in electronic format
 Kinds of literature: theses
Theses & dissertations: PhD / MD / MS
important source of primary material (because
they should contain original work)
should meet minimum standard of quality
bibliographies / references can be useful
can be difficult to obtain
too specialised?
 Indexing and abstracting tools...
Some are in printed format, some are on CD-ROM,
but increasingly they are available online (ie via a
web browser).
Indexes provide sufficient information for you to go
on to find the full-text article (eg publication name,
article title, author(s), volume / issue numbers (or
date), and page numbers.
Abstracts provide similar details to an index, but
also include a brief summary of the article.
please be aware that abstracting and
indexing services do not give
immediate access to full text