Work

1. How to Conduct a Systematic
Search in PubMed
Robin Featherstone, MLIS Genevieve Gore, MLIS
Liaison Librarian (Medicine) Liaison Librarian (Medicine)
Life Sciences Library Life Sciences Library
Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/featherr

2. Objectives
By the end of today’s class, you will be able to:
3.Identify subject headings using the MeSH
Database
4.Construct a search strategy
5.Run your search using the PubMed Advanced
Search Builder
6.Contact a librarian for help

3. What’s a Systematic Review?
A review of a clearly formulated question that
uses systematic and explicit methods to identify,
select, and critically appraise relevant research,
and to collect and analyse data from the studies
that are included in the review.
From: Cochrane Collaboration (2012). Glossary: Systematic Review. Accessed Jan 6, 2011: http://www.cochrane.org/glossary/5#term423

4. Flow of Information Through the Different Phases of a
Systematic Review
From: Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-
Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(6): e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097

5. What’s a Systematic Search?
Systematic reviews of interventions require a
thorough, objective and reproducible search of a
range of sources to identify as many relevant
studies as possible (within resource limits).
From: Cochrane Handbook (2012). Section 6: Searching for Studies . Accessed Jan 9, 2011: http://www.cochrane-handbook.org/

6. How to Find Articles
1. Develop a research question
2. Develop a search strategy
3. Run the search in PubMed
4. Apply filters
5. Export references to a citation manager

7. Develop a Research Question

8. Scenario
You’re applying for a grant to support your
research on infections in arthritis patients
Think of a question related to this topic...

9. How questions influence search results
High =
lots of
articles Broad
Questions
Retrieval
(# of search
results)
Narrow
Questions
Low =
very few
articles
Low = mostly High = directly
irrelevant articles Relevancy relevant articles

10. Possible Questions
Broad:
• What is the prevalence of infections in arthritis
patients?
Narrow:
• What is the risk of respiratory infections for
rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with biologics?
Very Narrow:
• What is the rate of Caplan Syndrome for asbestos
workers in Northern Quebec between 1985 and 2005?

11. Develop a Search Strategy

12. Step-by-Step
1. Break your question into concepts
2. Identify subject headings for each concept
3. Identify text words for each concept
• Tips:
– Use a “target article” to help identify search terms
– Use a worksheet to keep track of your terms

13. Identify Concepts
Which concepts are contained in the question:
What is the risk of respiratory infections for
rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with
biologics?

14. Develop a PICO
Population P Patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Intervention
or Exposure I Biologics
Comparison C
Outcome or
endpoint
O Risk of respiratory infections
Type of question?

15. What is MeSH?

16. Which Subject Heading Explodes?
A. Bird Diseases B. Neutropenia

17. Identify Subject Headings
What are MeSH headings for these concepts?
Rheumatoid Respiratory Biologics
Arthritis Infection
Add appropriate subject headings to your
worksheet

18. Find MeSH Using a Target Article

19. Search Strategy
Concept #1 Concept #2 Concept #3
AND AND
"Arthritis,
"Respiratory Tract
Rheumatoid"[Mesh: "Biological Agents"[Mesh]
Infections"[Mesh]
Subject OR NoExp]
Headings
OR “Biological Therapy”[Mesh]
Text OR
Words
OR
OR
Blank worksheets: http://www.slideshare.net/featherr/search-strategy-worksheet

20. BREAK – 10 mins

21. Next: Identify Text Words
Why?
2.Not all citations have subject headings
3.Indexers are only humans (they make
mistakes)

22. Search Strategy
Concept #1 AND
Concept #2 AND
Concept #3
"Arthritis, "Respiratory Tract "Biological Agents"[Mesh]
Subject OR Rheumatoid"[Mesh:NoExp] Infections"[Mesh]
Headings “Biological Therapy”[Mesh]
OR
Text "rheumatoid arthritis"[Title/ “chest biologics[Title/Abstract]
Words
Abstract] infection”[Title/Abstract]
OR “chest infections”[Title/
OR Abstract]
"lung "biological agent"[Title/Abstract]
infection"[Title/Abstract] OR "biological
OR "lung agents"[Title/Abstract]
infections"[Title/Abstract]
OR

23. PRISMA Checklist for Reporting Systematic Reviews
#7) Describe all information sources (e.g.
databases with dates of coverage, contact with
study authors to identify additional studies) in
the search and date last searched.
#8) Present full electronic search strategy for at
least one database, including any limits used,
such that it could be repeated.
From: PRISMA Statement for Reporting Systematic Reviews (2012). PRISMA Checklist. Accessed Jan 10, 2011: http://www.prisma-statement.org/

24. Run the search

25. PubMed Advanced Search Builder

26. How to Search
• Start with your first concept
– Search for the subject headings first
– Then search text words
– Combine these synonymous searches with OR
using your search history
• Repeat for your second, third, and subsequent
concepts
• Finally, combine large search results set with
AND

27. How to Search
Concept 1 Concept 2
Search #1 = Search #6 =
Search #2 = Search #7 =
Search #3 = Search #8 =
Search #4 = Search #9 =
Search #5 = #1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 Search #10 = #6 OR #7 OR #8 OR #9
Search #11 = #5 AND #10
Results

28. Demo

29. Search Strategy
Concept #1 Concept #2 Concept #3
AND AND
Subject
Headings "Arthritis, Rheumatoid“ "Respiratory Tract "Biological Agents"[Mesh]
[Mesh:NoExp] Infections"[Mesh]
OR
“Biological Therapy”[Mesh]
OR
Text
Words
"rheumatoid “chest biologics[Title/Abstract]
arthritis"[Title/Abstract] infection”[Title/Abstract]
OR OR “chest
"lung
infections”[Title/Abstract] "biological
infection"[Title/Abstract] agent"[Title/Abstract] OR
OR OR "lung infections"[Title/ "biological
Abstract] agents"[Title/Abstract]

30. Applying filters

31. Example Filters
1. Date of publication
– only studies conducted between 2005 and 2010
2. Participants or subjects
– only children 6 to 12 years of age
3. Publication language
– only materials written in English or French
4. Research design
– only clinical trials

32. Apply Filters
Apply to your combined search result set:
– English & French Language
– Publication Year: 2001 – Current

33. Available to McGill students, faculty, staff.
Export References to a Citation
Manager
Available to McGill students, faculty, staff.
Information and workshops:
http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-using/endnote

34. Citation Managers
What they do:
– Identify and remove duplicate references
– Format your bibliography
– Organize references into groups
– Share your references with colleagues
– Automatically find full-text articles
– Provide location for article screening
Information and workshops:
http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-using/endnote

35. Next steps

36. Moving to EMBASE
• Retain as much of your original strategy as
possible
• Recognize that subject headings will be
different (or non-existent)
• Keep track of your search terms using new
worksheets

37. Next steps
From: Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-
Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(6): e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097

38. Recap
• How would you describe a systematic search?
• To find your subject headings, use ________
• To run your search in PubMed, use the
_______

39. Where to go for Help
Robin Featherstone Genevieve Gore
Liaison Librarian Liaison Librarian
Life Sciences Library, Life Sciences Library,
McGill University McGill University
514-398-4475 ext. 514-398-3472
09844 genevieve.gore@mcgill.ca
robin.featherstone@mcgill.ca

40. Resources
Systematic review guidelines:
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions
http://www.cochrane-handbook.org/
PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)
http://www.prisma-statement.org/statement.htm
Systematic Reviews: CRD’s Guidance for Undertaking Reviews in Health Care
http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/SysRev/!SSL!/WebHelp/SysRev3.htm
IOM (Institute of Medicine). Finding what works in health care: Standards for
Systematic Reviews
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Finding-What-Works-in-Health-Care-Standards-for-Syste
Systematic Reviews: A Guide to Library Resources at McGill
http://wikisites.mcgill.ca/systematicreview/index.php/Main_Page
Citation management:
Getting help with EndNote
http://www.mcgill.ca/library/library-using/endnote/help/

41. Questions
Robin Featherstone, MLIS Genevieve Gore, MLIS
Liaison Librarian (Medicine) Liaison Librarian (Medicine)
robin.featherstone@mcgill.ca genevieve.gore@mcgill.ca
Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/featherr