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Asia-Pacific resources: 1. Compose

This page outlines a suggested process for conducting literature searches.

1. Define your topic/problem

  1. Precisely define your topic:
    • Don't include too many concepts
      • PREOPERATIVE ASSESSMENT FOR CHILDREN UNDERGOING BARIATRIC PROCEDURES
  2. ​​Define your potentialsearch terms:
    • Think about the individual parts that comprise the topic
      • PREOPERATIVE + ASSESSMENT + CHILD+BARIATRICS
    • Define the order of importance for the elements of the search
      • BARIATRICS
      • ASSESSMENT
      • PREOPERATIVE
      • CHILD
  3. Define yourscope:
    • Consider broadening or narrowing your search terms
      • PREOPERATIVE
        • Broader term =PERIOPERATIVE PERIOD
      • BARIATRICS
        • Broader term =OBESITY
        • Narrower term =BARIATRIC SURGERY
    • Consider the use of related oralternateterms
      • ANAESTHESIA = ANESTHETICS
      • CHILD = PAEDIATRICS
    • Once the terms are decided, be sure to include sub-topics when searching (see below) [inMedline, this is calledexplodingthe term]

2. Creating your search terms

  1. Subjectsversuskeywords:
    • Where possible, try mapping your search term to asubject heading
      • This will help yield the maximum number of results
    • Most health-related databases utiliseMedicalSubjectHeadings (orMeSH)
      • BARIATRIC PATIENT =BARIATRICS
      • PREOPERATIVE =PREOPERATIVE PERIOD
      • ASSESSMENT =PATIENT OUTCOME ASSESSMENTorTREATMENT OUTCOME
    • Check relevant articles for the subjects and keywords used to ascertainpotential additional terms
    • Usekeywordsas a way include terms where no comparable subject exists
  2. Spelling:
    • Many databases utilise American spellings
      • ANAESTHESIA =ANESTHESIA
      • PAEDIATRICS =PEDIATRICS
    • Some databases allow the use ofwildcards
    • Depending on the database, ? and * can be used to indicate optional characters
      • PAEDIATRICS =P?EDIATRICS

3. Building your search (once you've logged into a database)

  1. ​Build your searchincrementally (one step at a time)
    • ​BARIATRICS
    • BARIATRICSANDASSESSMENT
    • BARIATRICSANDTREATMENT OUTCOMEANDPREOPERATIVE PERIOD
    • BARIATRICSANDTREATMENT OUTCOMEANDPREOPERATIVE PERIOD​ ANDPEDIATRIC​S
  2. UsingBoolean search logicto expand/narrow your results
    • OR= expand the search results
      • PREOPERATIVE PERIODORPREOPERATIVE CARE
    • ​AND= narrow the search results
      • BARIATRICSANDPREOPERATIVE PERIOD
    • NOT= exclude certain terms
      • ​CHILDNOTADULT
    • Use brackets to prioritise the order
      • BARIATRICSAND(PREOPERATIVE PERIODORPREOPERATIVE CARE)

4. Limiting your search results

  1. ​Add your limitersincrementally (one step at a time)
  2. Use additional subject terms to limit your search
    • Start broad, then narrow your search
    • Be careful not to use terms that are too narrow, or that do not return many results in their own right
    • Broad term =HUMANS[this would eliminate articles about animals]
    • Narrower term =CHILD
  3. Limit your results to a particulardate range
    • Publication Year = 2000 to current
  4. Limit your search by language
    • Language = English
  5. Limit your search to a type of article
    • Publication Type = Review articles
  6. Limit your search by age range
    • Age Group = All Child
    • This can be used as an alternative to adding a limiting subject heading
  7. Focus your terms
    • Return results where the term is considered amajor pointof the article
    • This can be very useful when using generic terms that return a large number of results
  8. Use keywords tohighlightterms in the citation (or use CTRL-F to highlight terms in a result list)

The college acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging.

The college acknowledges and respects Māori as the Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa and is committed to upholding the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, fostering the college’s relationship with Māori, supporting Māori fellows and trainees, and striving to improve the health of Māori.

The college recognises the special relationship between the Pacific peoples of New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, and is committed to supporting those fellows and trainees of ANZCA, and improving the health of Pacific peoples.