3. Search for literature
For broad help with building your literature search visit our HDR Literature Review Plan.
Click on the tabs below to find out more on searching for literature.
Choose where to search
You will need to select appropriate databases to your research question. The databases you use will depend on the subject area and your individual topic. Be sure to select databases that contain known journals in your subject area. You can check the journal's homepage to see where it is indexed.
You can find recommended databases for your subject area on our Resource Guides.
Your Scholarly Services Librarian can also help you identify suitable databases to use.
Develop your searches
You will need to develop advanced searches for each database. Each database will require searches to be structured differently and you will need to develop individual searches for each of these.
Consider using field searching and searching only in the Title, Abstract, Keyword and Subject Heading fields.
Reviewing search strategies from published systematic reviews in your area, and any journals you wish to publish in can inform the development of your search.
Any key papers should be citation searched in a citation database. We recommend Scopus or Web of Science.
Test your searches
You can test your searches by checking to see if key known articles in your research area are returned in your search results.
The PRESS EBC Assessment Form can be helpful for reviewing and testing your search for errors.
Document your searches
Your searches should be reproduceable as your searches are an important part of your research method. This means it is important to document your searches. Documenting your searches in enough detail enables appropriate reporting of the search methodology for publication, and verification.
We recommend documenting:
- The date of the search
- The database
- Time period/years covered by search
- The words used and how these were combined in the search
- Any database filters for example language
- The number of research articles identified
Export your results
EndNote can be used to collate and store your references of your search results. You can import the references of your search results into EndNote.
If you are the sole reviewer for screening you can use EndNote and create groups to screen your results and remove duplicates. This paper provides an overview of using EndNote to manage your screening.
Note
Be sure to check the literature to see a review hasn't already been undertaken for your question!