Tutorial Class (2)

Searching Scientific Literature

Prof. Aida Mohey

Head of Community Medicine Department
2022/2023
Learning objectives
At the end of this practical session, student should be able
to:
1. Recognize literature search & review.
2. Identify the reasons for searching literature.
3. Apply Boolean operators as a search strategy.
4. Describe steps of conducting effective literature search.
5. Hands-on practice “Google” & “PubMed” search.
Review of
literature is
one of the
most
important
steps in the
research
process.
 Introduction
• In research, you have to find out what previous work
has been done in the concerned fields.
• So you start by searching for relevant fields. You can
gather information from published sources (text books,
journal articles, online resources, and even Wikipedia).
• In MEDICINE, for example, there is the online source of
abstracts of published papers such as PubMed.
• After you go throw with all the relevant sources, you
sum it up in a written form to what is called

Literature review
Literature search: objective
The main objective of a literature search is to
conduct a systematic and detailed search of
all types of published literature in order to
identify as many items as possible that could
be relevant to a specific topic.
 Student activity (1)
Small group work (5 minutes)

•Discuss what is a literature search?

•Discuss what is a literature review?
•What is the difference???
Searching Scientific Literature
Questions for discussion?
What is meant by????

• Search? Research? Review?

• Scientific?
• Literature?
• Reference ?
• Evidence ?
• SEARCH: The process of looking for
information using a search engine (google
scholar) or database (PubMed)

• RESEACH ‫ دراسة‬/‫ ب حثعلمي‬the systematic scientific

investigation to discover new knowledge.

• RE/VIEW ‫مراجع ة‬is formal assessment of

something with the intention of introducing
change, if necessary.
• Scientific:
Based on / characterized by the methods and
principles of science (scientific method).

• Literature: ‫( مادة علمية منشورة‬publications)

Scholarly (academic) work and Books published
on a particular subject.
• Reference ‫ مرجع‬: the use of a source of
information in order to ascertain
something.

• Evidence ‫ س ند‬/‫ دلي ل‬: the available number

of high quality information indicating
whether an observation is true.
 Organizing Information?
• The available published data are
enormous; therefore, choosing the
appropriate articles relevant to
your study in question is an art.
• It can be time-consuming, tiring and
can lead to disinterest if NOT
carried out in a step-wise manner.
 A literature Review
• A literature review is more than the search for
information. 
• Is an evaluative report of information that
found in the literature related to your selected
area of study.
• The review should describe, clarifies,
compares, summarize, and evaluate this
literature. 
 What are types of literature review?
oLiterature review – a key part of proposals, or theses
(academic degree)

oReview paper/article – a published article that synthesizes

the work that has been done on a particular topic.

oMini-literature review – an assignment that asks you to

explore a restricted number of publications in answering a
particular question. (your assignment)
 What is a Literature Search?
• A literature search is important step in
literature review.

• Literature search is
oa systematic and well- organized search
ofrom the already published data
oto identify a full extent of good quality
information on a specific topic.
These information may be found
 Purpose of literature review
1. Define and limit problem
 Develop familiarity with topic (improved understanding)
 Update the reader
 Limit search to a subtopic within larger body of knowledge
 Highlight gap in knowledge (research gap)
2. Avoid unintentional and unnecessary
Duplication (Novelty)
 Awareness of prior studies so as avoid unneeded
replication
 Replication is reasonable if it is needed to
 Verify prior results
 Investigate results that failed to be significant
 relate a problem to specific site / population
 Student activity (2)

Choose ONE correct answer

1.Which of the following statements best
describes scientific literature review?

A. A distinct summary for each research article that you

read.
B. A report that is based on personal opinion of the
reviewer
C. A comprehensive summary of a previous research
D. Not scientifically written report

C
2. Why is it necessary to conduct a scientific literature
search?

A. To improve knowledge related to specific topic.

B. To write an introduction to a thesis.
C. As a part of research proposal.
D. A and C
E. A, B and C

E
3. What is the purpose of reviewing the existing
literature in research?

A.To make sure you have a long list of references

B.Because without it, you could never reach the
required word-count
C.To find out what is already known about your area of
interest
D.To help in your academic studying

C
4. A literature review is a written summary of
the findings of a literature ________
A. Search
B. View
C. Proposal
D. Library

A
5. There are key components of a literature review;
describing, summarizing, clarifying and …………………
a literature. What is the missing term?
A. Citing
B. Coping
C. Paraphrasing
D. Evaluating
D
 State True (T) or false (F)
1. Literature reviews can lead to new scientific visions and highlight
gaps in knowledge.

2. Literature review does not identify areas of controversy about a

topic.

3. Literature reviews help scientists to understand how knowledge is

changing overtime.

T, F, T
4. Searching the available published data is time-consuming if carried
out systematically

5. It is important for a researcher to review the literature to identifies

like-minded researchers.

6. Literature review shows researcher’s skill at finding relevant

information.

F, F, T
COMPLETE the following statements
1. The available body of information indicating whether an
observation is true is called…………………………………
(evidence)

2. Sources can be used to build scientific knowledge of a topic

are…………… …………………………………………………….
(books), (journals), (government documents) and (the internet)

3. A literature review is a written summary of the findings of a

literature…………………………………………..
(search)
 Learning objectives
At the end of this practical session, you should be able to:
1. Recognize literature review & search.
2. Identify the purpose of searching literature.
3. Apply Boolean operators as a search strategy
4. Describe steps of conducting effective literature search.
5. Hands-on Practice “Google” search.
Advantages of a good search strategy

Increase the possibility of finding the most

relevant information

Reduce the amount of time spent on

searching.
1. Boolean Operators
Boolean terms

• Words that allow to combine terms to widen or

narrow your search, or exclude irrelevant terms.

• Highly useful in specifying a search and can be

used to facilitate a search more efficiently.
Define Boolean operators?
Key words – Terms – Concepts ‫مصطلح‬

E.g: A study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of

massage therapy on neck and shoulder pain
• The most common
Boolean operators
are (used in CAPS):
AND, NOT, OR,
NEAR, and ( ).
Match each Boolean term with its use
AND- OR- NOT

1. Allows you to combine two search terms that may be in the same
meaning.

2. Combines the search terms to produce a result that includes articles that
contain both terms.

3. Eliminates articles containing the 2nd term

OR, AND, NOT

Match each Boolean term with its figure

• AND B AND A

• OR C
OR B

• NOT A NOT C
AND Operator
AND Operator
cont..
OR Operator
•`
NOT Operator
Other search strategies
2. Truncation: use a symbol like (asterisk *) at the end of a word to replace
any number of letters ((alternate spelling)
Example: Teen*
• Teen, teens, teenager, teenagers, teenaged
• preven* would show search results for prevent, prevents, preventing, and preventative.

3. Wildcard: use 1 or more symbols (?) within a word to replace 1 or more

letters
Example: wom?n
• Women woman

4. Nesting: use “…” or (…)

Use parentheses to group related terms or search for an exact phrase
Example: “information literacy” and (malaria parasite)
Match each search engine function (symbol)
with its application
1. Allows you to search alternative A - Wildcards: ?
spellings

2. Allows you to search for an exact B – Truncation/alternate

phrase spellings: *

3. Can be used to
substitute for characters anywhere C - Nesting (Phrase or proximity
in a word phrase searching): “…” or (…)

1=B, 2=C, 3=A

Learning objectives
At the end of this practical session, you should be able
to:
• Recognize literature review & search.
• Identify the purpose of searching literature.
• Apply Boolean operators as a search strategy
• Describe steps of conducting effective literature
search.
• Hands-on Practice “Google” search.
Steps to finding information/document

5 Essential Steps:

1. Deciding what you are looking for

2. Deciding where to look for information
3. Knowing how to look for the information you need
4. Evaluating the information you find
5. Citing and listing your references
Deciding what you are looking for
Where to start?
• Develop a list of
keywords that describe
your interest in a
particular research area
 1. Deciding what you are looking for

• What are the key words in your topic? List them.

• Do you understand all the words involved? If not, consult an

encyclopedia or dictionary “Hyperemesis gravidarum”
 Student activity

• Search for “Dyspnea on exertion”.

Where to look for the information you
desire?
2. Where to look for the information you desire?

• Which search tools are needed?

Search engine
Databases
websites
 Database
• A database is an organized collection of structured information,
or data, typically stored electronically in a computer system
(filling).
• A database is usually controlled by a database management
system (DBMS).

• Example:
PubMed - a free search tool to over 19 million citations
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed
 Search Engine website

A program that searches documents for specified keywords and

returns a list of documents where the keywords were found.

Examples
• Google
www.google.com
• Yahoo
www.yahoo.com
• Google scholar
• https://scholar.google.com/
The Google search engine

This is the Google search engine. Type your

query into the Google Search box and click on
the Google Search button.
Search results on Google

This is how Google presents the

results of your search. Follow the
links to the websites you wish to
visit.
Before you click to view the page

Evaluating Web pages skillfully requires you

to train your mind to think critically, even
suspiciously by asking a series of questions
that will help you decide how much a Web
page is to be trusted.
Before you click to view the page
• Domain name/URL 
• Is the domain extension appropriate for the content?
Government sites look for gov, mil
Education or academic sites look for edu, ac
Non-profit organizations look for com, org, net, tv
Google search tips
• . Com ✖︎
• . Edu ✔︎
• . Gov ✔︎
Before you click to view the page
• Domain name
• Country code look for :
Au (Australia)
Za (south Africa)
Sa (Saudi Arabia)
Uk (United kingdom)
us (United States of America)
 fr (France)
Country codes no longer tightly controlled but can still
indicate where the page originate from.
Choose ONE correct answer
Which term best describes the following statements?

A collection of information organized in such a way that a computer can

quickly select desired pieces of data”?
A.Database
B.Search engine
A program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns
a list of documents where the keywords were found?
A. Database
B. Search engine
Which term best describes the following statements?

A collection of information organized in such a way that a

computer can quickly select desired pieces of data”?
A. Database
B. Search engine
A program that searches documents for specified keywords
and returns a list of documents where the keywords were
found?
A. Database
B. Search engine
Which of the following is NOT a search engine?
A. Google
B. PubMed
C. Yahoo
D. Google scholar
Which of the following is NOT a search engine?
A. Google
B. PubMed
C. Yahoo
D. Google scholar
Which extension is NOT useful for locating
trustworthy academic (science) information?
A. .com
B. .gov
C. .Edu
D. .ac
Which extension is NOT useful for locating
trustworthy academic (science) information?
A. .com
B. .gov
C. .Edu
D. .ac
Knowing how to look for the information
you need
 Steps to finding information/document

3.Knowing how to look for the information you need

Example: Research question:

In patients with conjunctivitis, does
antibiotic treatment compared to no or
delayed treatment reduces severity and
duration of conjunctivitis?

Important keywords
Conjunctivitis, antibiotics
Student activity
• Search for “ Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus”
Student activity
• Search for “ Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus”
Evaluating the information you find.
4. Evaluating the information you find.
o Before deciding whether or not to
incorporate what you have found into your
literature review

You need to evaluate the information of the

source

To make sure that they contain information

which is valid and relevant.
 Criteria for evaluating resources
FIVE basic criteria for evaluating information from any
sources.

1. Accuracy 9‫لدقه‬99‫ا‬
2. Authority‫لكاتب‬99‫ا‬
3. Objectivity9‫لموضوعيه‬99‫ا‬
4. Currency 9‫ليه‬99‫لحا‬99‫ا‬
5. Coverage9‫لتغطيه‬99‫ا‬
 Questions to ask:
Accuracy -Is the information reliable (trusted)
The -Is the information error-free (grammar,
reliability,
truthfulness spelling)?
, and
correctness -Is the information based on proven
of the
information facts (e.g statistics, experiments)?
al content.  
-Can the information be confirmed by
other reliable sources?
 Questions to ask:
Authority -Who is the author?

-Does he or she have the

qualifications to speak/write on
that topic?

-Is the author affiliated‫لى‬99‫نسبا‬99‫ي‬

with a reputable university or
organization in this subject field?
 Questions to ask:

Objectivity -What is the intended purpose of

the information (inform? teach?
entertain? enlighten? sell? persuade?)?

-Is the information facts or

opinions?

-Is the information biased9‫منحازه‬

(point of view)?
 Questions to ask:
Currency
The timeliness of
-When was the information published?
the
resource.   Informa -Is the information current or out-
tion is current and
updated dated?
frequently
 Questions to ask:
Coverage/relevance -Does the information meet
your information needs?

-Does it provide basic or in

depth coverage?
If you doesn’t get all you
desired, redesign your
search strategy and try
further more.
Student Feedbacks
 A question for discussion??????

Why it is important to evaluate the

sources before incorporating the
information into your literature ?
Enumerate the 5 basic criteria
for evaluating information from
any sources.
Which of the following is NOT an indicator of
accuracy when evaluating the accuracy of
information retrieved from a literature?

A. Reliable.

B. Error-free

C. Based on proven facts

D. Meet the information needed

Which of the following is NOT an indicator of
accuracy when evaluating the accuracy of
information retrieved from a literature?
A. Reliable.

B. Error-free

C. Based on proven facts

D. Meet the information needed

Which of the following criteria should NOT be
considered in evaluating the objectivity of the
information retrieved from a literature?
A. The intended purpose of the information.

B. Out-dated information

C. Opinions

D. Biased information
Which of the following criteria should NOT
be considered in evaluating the objectivity of
the information retrieved from a literature?

A. The intended purpose of the information.

B. Out-dated information

C. Opinions

D. Biased information
Acknowledging and Listing Sources
Thank
you