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Searching the Literature

Choosing a Database

Choosing the right database is essential for finding relevant, high-quality literature for any project. Your topic, profession, and purpose can help you determine which database(s) to use for your project. Use the tabs below to learn more about some of our popular databases.

PubMed is one of the most commonly used databases for health sciences and biomedical searching. Its broad content coverage and widespread use - which ensures frequent updates - make it a good choice for many search projects. Visit the PubMed page of this guide for a how-to search!

Strengths

  • Indexes MEDLINE and other peer-reviewed biomedical literature.
  • Ability to combine keyword searching and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH, controlled vocabulary).
  • Free and publicly accessible.
  • Offers straightforward advanced searching options and filters.
  • Supports additional discovery through "Cited By" and "Similar Articles" areas.

Limitations

  • Training and significant practice are required to become a proficient searcher in PubMed.
  • Does not include citation metrics or impact analysis.
  • Limited coverage of nursing and allied health, when compared to CINAHL.
  • Users must create an account to email articles or save them for long-term use.
  • Lacks substantial administrative, HR, business, etc. content.

Links for PubMed

Summa offers access to the CINAHL database through the EBSCO interface. CINAHL focuses its content on nursing and allied health content, but does index much of the same content as PubMed. Also similar to PubMed, CINAHL employs the use of a controlled vocabulary with its CINAHL Subject Headings. Visit the CINAHL page of this guide for a how-to search!

Strengths

  • Indexes a wide variety of peer-reviewed nursing and allied health journals and content.
  • Includes non-article content like care plans, patient education materials, and poster abstracts.
  • Combines CINAHL Subject Headings with keyword searching for comprehensive search capabilities.
  • Allows PICO(T) searching (this is a new feature!).

Limitations

  • Users often find the new EBSCO user interface less intuitive and user-friendly than the old version.
  • Smaller overall content coverage when compared to PubMed, especially for clinical trials.
  • Users must create an account to store articles for long-term use.

Links for CINAHL

Web of Science is another searchable database frequently used by researchers. Uniquely, it offers information about articles' and journals' impact through citation metrics. It is particularly useful for identifying the most impactful research in a particular area or demonstrating a researcher's impact for tenure.

Strengths

  • Indexes very diverse, interdisciplinary content: it is not limited to biomedicine.
  • Tracks citation and impact metrics at the article, journal, and author levels.
  • Includes grey literature like conference proceedings and posters.

Limitations

  • Does not use a controlled vocabulary.
  • Relatively limited coverage of books and grey literature.
  • Poor data export capabilities - especially when it comes to citations.
  • Users must create an account to store articles for long-term use.

Links for Web of Science

Google Scholar is Google's database-style search engine that indexes scholarly literature across disciplines and publication types. While its search interface is lacking, it often comes in clutch for locating hard-to-find citations or alternative means of access for an article. Visit the Grey Literature page of this guide for more information on using Google Scholar.

Strengths

  • Broad coverage across disciplines: it is not limited to biomedical or health sciences content.
  • Features some citation tracking and impact metrics.
  • Includes websites and other material not normally indexed in academic databases.
  • Includes grey literature.
  • Can export citations in the ideal EndNote file format.
  • Free to use.

Limitations

  • Does not connect with Summa's subscriptions or full-text finding tools.
  • Quality of content varies greatly.
  • Does not use a controlled vocabulary.
  • Poor search interface/advanced searching and filters.
  • As a result of poor searching capabilities, results can be of wildly varying relevance.
  • Result ranking and sorting is unclear and limited.
  • Limited transparency in indexing and coverage.

Links for Google Scholar

UpToDate, managed by IT&S at Summa, is a point of care information resource geared toward providers. This platform summarizes information about treatments, diseases, and more. While it can be used for background information or to answer a clinical question, it is generally not recommended as a searching tool for research applications - a traditional database would be a more appropriate choice.

Strengths

  • Supports clinical decision making at the point of care.
  • Provides evidence-based summaries and treatment recommendations.
  • Links patient education information.
  • Frequently updated by subject matter experts.
  • Offers calculators, information about drug interactions, etc.
  • Provides references, which are linked for full-text access.

Limitations

  • Not suitable for most research applications.
  • Not ideal for searching for current literature on the topic - it provides a summary of the literature instead.
  • Challenging to access off-site or off the network - reach out to IT&S for assistance.

Links for UpToDate