LibGuides: A Guide to Conducting Reviews: How and Where to Search?

Develop a search strategy:

A comprehensive search should include a combination of subject headings (e.g. MeSH) and a wide range of keywords/phrases for each concept of the research question. Not all databases have subject headings.

Search tips:

Look for synonyms in dictionaries/thesauri
Enclose phrases between quotations
Make use of Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
Apply text mining (search for useful keywords/phrases or subject headings in a few most relevant articles to your topic)
Examine search strategies in existing related systematic reviews

Search sources:

The World Wide Web/Internet – Google, specialist websites, Google Scholar
Bibliographic databases

– Subject specific e.g. Education—ERIC: Education Resources Information Centre

– Multidisciplinary e.g. Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science

Handsearching of specialist journals or books
Grey literature* e.g. CORE, GreySource, OpenDOAR, Open Grey, Policy Archive, WorldWideScience
Contacts with experts
Citation checking

* Grey Literature tutorial from University of Toronto

Core databases to search when undertaking rigorous reviews:

Agricola This link opens in a new window Produced by the National Agricultural Library, Agricola is a bibliographic database covering all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines, and containing citations to journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, dissertations, government documents, reports, patents. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1700-
CABI Digital Library This link opens in a new window Published by CAB International, CAB abstracts indexes journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, dissertations, reports, patents in agriculture and the applied life sciences. Subjects include plant science; animal science; pathogen, pest, parasite, and weed management; human health and hygiene; food science; and agricultural engineering. Availability: Bibliographic citations and selected full-text Date Coverage: 1910 to present
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window A multidisciplinary database that provides full-text access to hundreds of electronic journals, plus books and reference works, published by Elsevier and its subsidiaries. 754 of the journal titles are accessible from volume 1. Subjects covered include physical sciences, engineering, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences and humanities. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1923 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present
Web of Science This link opens in a new window Web of Science, an authoritative and multidisciplinary citation database, allows searching of core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Includes current and retrospective coverage dating to 1900. Also features "cited reference" search capabilities. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1900 to present

ABI/INFORM Collection This link opens in a new window ABI/Inform Complete is a business database, that provide access to titles related to business and financial information, management techniques, business trends, management practice and theory. The database includes scholarly journals, trade journals, newspapers, dissertations, working papers, business periodicals, annual company reports, market research reports and more. Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1912 to present
Business Source Ultimate This link opens in a new window Offers access to peer-reviewed, full-text journals and other resources that provide historical information and current trends in the business world. Features reports, company information and company profiles. Bloomberg.com is also searchable through Business Source Ultimate. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: - - - -
EconLit With Full Text This link opens in a new window EconLit, the American Economic Association database, is the primary source to economic literature. Contains nearly 600 English journals and many non-English journals in economics & finance. Includes journal articles, books, book reviews, dissertations, and working papers. It covers all fields of economics including economic theory, econometrics, economic forecasting and much more. Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1969 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present

APA PsycINFO This link opens in a new window Citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations in the field of psychology. This database, provided by the American Psychology Association (APA) covers the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines, such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, etc... Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1887 to present
Education Research Complete This link opens in a new window A comprehensive database covering scholarly research and information relating to all areas of education. Topics covered include all levels of education from early childhood to higher education, and all educational specialties. It also covers curriculum instruction, policy, administration, and related social issues. It includes journal articles, conference papers, books and monographs. Availability: Bibliographic citations and full-text Date Coverage: ---- provides full text for more than 2,000 journals back to 1936, and includes conference papers, books and monographs back to 1972.
ERIC This link opens in a new window Sponsored by the US Department of Education, is the national bibliographic database of education literature. Consists of two files: Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). Covers journals and unpublished documents. Contains citations to research reports, teaching guides, conference papers, books and journal articles. Availability: Bibliographic citations and selected full-text Date Coverage: 1966 to present Hints: ERIC's EDs are available in Full Text on microfilm/ Audiovisual section / Jafet Library
JSTOR This link opens in a new window JSTOR, a digital library for scholars, researchers and students, provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines including business, economics, humanities, medicine, mathematics, science, and social sciences. Library's subscription includes the following collections: Arts & Sciences, Business, Global Plants and Life Sciences. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1665 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present

IEEE Xplore Digital Library This link opens in a new window Provides full text access to IEEE and IET journals, magazines, transactions, conference papers, and active standards. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1872 to present
Knovel This link opens in a new window A digital collection of engineering books selected from more than 30 leading publishers and professional associations. It contains hundreds of full text of reference works and handbooks as well as interactive tables, graphs and equations. Subjects covered include: chemical engineering, civil engineering, oil and gas engineering, environmental engineering and much more. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: Varies
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present
SpringerLink This link opens in a new window An integrated platform for books, journals, and other materials published by Springer. Includes more than 173,000 titles from every scientific discipline (computer science, medicine, public health, engineering, mathematics, life sciences, etc.) and many social sciences discipline (education, history, political sciences, psychology, etc.) 481 of the journal titles are accessible from volume one. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1832 to present
Web of Science This link opens in a new window Web of Science, an authoritative and multidisciplinary citation database, allows searching of core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Includes current and retrospective coverage dating to 1900. Also features "cited reference" search capabilities. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1900 to present

Global Health This link opens in a new window A bibliographic abstracting and indexing database dedicated to public health. It consists of journals, reports, books and conferences that contain over 3 million scientific records, Availability: Full-text Date coverage: 1973 - present
Global Index Medicus This link opens in a new window International platform and virtual space for collection, organization, dissemination and access of reliable health sciences information. It provides access to biomedical and public health literature produced by and within low-middle income countries. GHL searches simultaneously regional and global indexes Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: Updated regularly
MEDLINE (Ovid) This link opens in a new window A bibliographic database produced by the US National Library of Medicine. It indexes a large number of international biomedical journals covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary, preclinical sciences, and allied health sciences. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1946 to present
PubMed This link opens in a new window Bibliographic database that provides access to over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals in medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences, including both basic biomedical sciences and clinical practice. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1946 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present

ClinicalKey This link opens in a new window Provides the most current clinically relevant evidence-based answers, expert commentary, MEDLINE abstracts and select third-party journals. It gives access to books, journals, videos, procedures, and images. (previously MDConsult) Users are prompted to add exception to access the database. Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Coverage: Current
Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window A collection of six databases that contains different types of independent high quality evidence for health care decision making: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Health Technology Assessment Database, NHS Economic Evaluation Database: Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Coverage: 2012 to present
EMBASE This link opens in a new window A biomedical and pharmaceutical database indexing articles from over 3,500 international journals and conference abstracts in the following fields: drug research, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, toxicology, clinical and experimental human medicine, health policy and management, public health, occupational health, environmental health, psychiatry, and biomedical engineering / instrumentation. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1947 to present
MEDLINE (Ovid) This link opens in a new window A bibliographic database produced by the US National Library of Medicine. It indexes a large number of international biomedical journals covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary, preclinical sciences, and allied health sciences. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1946 to present
PubMed This link opens in a new window Bibliographic database that provides access to over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals in medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences, including both basic biomedical sciences and clinical practice. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1946 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present

CINAHL Ultimate This link opens in a new window CINAHL® Ultimate is the definitive resource for nursing and allied health research, providing full text for more of the most used journals in the CINAHL index than any other database - with no embargo. It covers more than 50 nursing specialties and includes quick lessons, evidence-based care sheets, CEU models, and research instruments. Availability: Full-text
ClinicalKey for Nursing This link opens in a new window A comprehensive online resource for nurses offering authoritative information, helping nurses find evidence-based answers to clinical questions, provide better patient care, educate patients, and stay informed of new developments in nursing. Users are prompted to add exception to access the database. Availability: Full-text Coverage: Current
Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window A collection of six databases that contains different types of independent high quality evidence for health care decision making: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Health Technology Assessment Database, NHS Economic Evaluation Database: Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Coverage: 2012 to present
MEDLINE (Ovid) This link opens in a new window A bibliographic database produced by the US National Library of Medicine. It indexes a large number of international biomedical journals covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary, preclinical sciences, and allied health sciences. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1946 to present
PubMed This link opens in a new window Bibliographic database that provides access to over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals in medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences, including both basic biomedical sciences and clinical practice. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1946 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present

CABI Digital Library This link opens in a new window Published by CAB International, CAB abstracts indexes journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, dissertations, reports, patents in agriculture and the applied life sciences. Subjects include plant science; animal science; pathogen, pest, parasite, and weed management; human health and hygiene; food science; and agricultural engineering. Availability: Bibliographic citations and selected full-text Date Coverage: 1910 to present
Food Science and Technology Abstracts This link opens in a new window Provides access to abstracts of the world's food science, food technology, and food-related human nutrition literature. The database includes journals, patents, books, conference proceedings, reports, theses, standards and legislation. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1969 - present
PubMed This link opens in a new window Bibliographic database that provides access to over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals in medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences, including both basic biomedical sciences and clinical practice. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1946 to present
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window A multidisciplinary database that provides full-text access to hundreds of electronic journals, plus books and reference works, published by Elsevier and its subsidiaries. 754 of the journal titles are accessible from volume 1. Subjects covered include physical sciences, engineering, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences and humanities. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1923 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present

ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window A multidisciplinary database that provides full-text access to hundreds of electronic journals, plus books and reference works, published by Elsevier and its subsidiaries. 754 of the journal titles are accessible from volume 1. Subjects covered include physical sciences, engineering, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences and humanities. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1923 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present
SpringerLink This link opens in a new window An integrated platform for books, journals, and other materials published by Springer. Includes more than 173,000 titles from every scientific discipline (computer science, medicine, public health, engineering, mathematics, life sciences, etc.) and many social sciences discipline (education, history, political sciences, psychology, etc.) 481 of the journal titles are accessible from volume one. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1832 to present
Web of Science This link opens in a new window Web of Science, an authoritative and multidisciplinary citation database, allows searching of core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Includes current and retrospective coverage dating to 1900. Also features "cited reference" search capabilities. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1900 to present

Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window A multidisciplinary database, covering a wide array of subject areas ranging from astronomy, biomedicine, engineering, health, and literacy to mathematics, women's studies, zoology and more. The database includes magazines, peer reviewed and scholarly journals, trade publications, newspapers, reports, books and videos. Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1890 - present
JSTOR This link opens in a new window JSTOR, a digital library for scholars, researchers and students, provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines including business, economics, humanities, medicine, mathematics, science, and social sciences. Library's subscription includes the following collections: Arts & Sciences, Business, Global Plants and Life Sciences. Availability: Full-text Date Coverage: 1665 to present
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window A multidisciplinary database that supports research in more than 160 subject areas covering arts and humanities, business and management, health and medicine, science and technology, and social sciences. It includes scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, market reports and videos. Availability: Full-text and bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1905 to present
Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus, launched in 2004, is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivers a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes citation tracking tools. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1823 to present
Web of Science This link opens in a new window Web of Science, an authoritative and multidisciplinary citation database, allows searching of core journal articles, conference proceedings, data sets, and other resources in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Includes current and retrospective coverage dating to 1900. Also features "cited reference" search capabilities. Availability: Bibliographic citations Date Coverage: 1900 to present

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