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Albert S. Cook Library

Searching for Evidence in the Health Professions

Search Like a Pro

Sample Topics and Searches

Your topic is: "How effective is hand washing at preventing infections?" Your search should contain terms for hand washing and terms for infection. The following search will work in most any database!

("handwashing" OR "hand washing" OR "hand disinfection" OR "hand sanitization")

AND

("infection" OR "infections" OR "spreading disease")

Your topic is: "What kinds of programs exist to address gun violence in schools?" Your search should contain terms for gun violence and for schools. Again, the following search will work in most any database!

("gun violence" OR "gun law" OR "gun laws" OR "firearm" OR "firearms" OR "active shooter" OR "active shooters")

AND

("elementary school" OR "elementary schools" OR "middle school" OR "middle schools" OR "high school" OR "high schools" OR "K-12" OR "K 12" OR "grade school" OR "grade schools")

D: Document Your Searches

icon of letter dWhy Document?

Documenting your search process will help you remember what you did and make your search transparent and reproducible.

Use a spreadsheet or document to capture:

  • Databases searched
  • Keywords used
  • Controlled Vocabulary used
  • Filters applied, such as language or date

In addition to the above type of documentation, you may also wish to use a citation management program, like Zotero or Mendeley. This will help you capture, store, and organize the sources you've chosen to read. It will also help you cite them later, by incorporating them into your manuscript or paper in the citation format of your choice.

Exercise 4: Document

Choose one of the templates below or create your own to capture your search history in your selected databases. Add as many sections or rows as necessary.