Literature Searching

Try an initial search and review the results. How relevant are your results? It is not uncommon that you will not get the search results you are hoping for on your first attempt. Be prepared to try different search strategies or databases and modify or revise your search until you find what you're looking for.

Too few articles:

• Make sure you are using the Boolean operators correctly or that the Boolean logic you are using makes sense.
• Adjust your keywords or subject terms – check to determine if the ones you are using are too narrow for your topic question or if you need to broaden your search by considering adding related topic concept terms using the Boolean OR.
  • Look at the subject indexing or keywords used in relevant articles.
  • Examine the “Complete Record” of a relevant article for clues for constructing your search (additional subject headings, keywords, etc.)

Too  many articles

• Make sure you are using the Boolean operators correctly or that the Boolean logic you are using makes sense.
• Adjust your keywords or subject terms – check to determine if the ones you are using too broad for your topic question.
  • Try adding another concept from your topic question using the Boolean AND to narrow the focus or refine your search.
  • Consider using quotation marks (if the database permits) to limit the search to specific phrases.
  • Use available database filters such as age, gender, publication type, scholarly articles/peer reviewed, or a date range limit.