1. Fishing for pearls…..
How to get the most from your literature
search.
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
MEDICAL LIBRARY
Isla Kuhn
Deputy Medical Librarian
Medical Library
8. Tools – Boolean Logic
AND – to narrow the search by combining different
topics
eg
“physiotherapy” and “stroke”
Both terms must be present in the results.
StrokePhysiotherapy
9. Tools – Boolean Logic
OR – to broaden your search, by combining similar
terms
eg
“stroke” or “cerebral-vascular accident”
Either term can be present in the resulting set
of articles.
Cerebral-vascular
Accident
Stroke
10. Tools – Boolean Logic
NOT – to restrict your search so that it does not
contain a particular term
eg
“physical therapy” not “manual therapy”
The first, but not the second, term must be
present.
Manual
Therapy
Physical
Therapy
11. What are the public health issues for malaria and other
parasitic disease in south east Asia?
1st
Term
Or Or
AND
2nd
Term
Or Or
AND
3rd
Term
Or Or
12. What are the public health issues for malaria and other
parasitic disease in south east Asia?
public health
AND
malaria OR parasitic disease OR bilharzia OR ??
AND
south east Asia OR Vietnam OR Laos OR Thailand OR ???
13. #1 public health
#2 malaria
#3 parasitic disease
#4 bilharzia
#5 #2 or #3 or #4
#6 south east Asia
#7 Vietnam
#8 Laos
#9 #6 or #7 or #8
#10 ???
18. Where else to look?
• Websites:
• WHO? UNICEF? MSF? Red Cross/Red Crescent?
Dept for International Development?
• http://delicious.com/ilk21/international-public-health
• (or get Google to do the hard work….)
