Before heading off to the databases, it is important to have a search strategy in mind and to understand how that strategy might change with the different databases you search. Key components of excellent searching include:
One strategy for accomplishing items 1 & 2 is the PICO method. By defining each element in the PICO acronym, you can easily create a focused question and generate appropriate keywords. It can also help you to understand how to use search string logic to appropriately combine keywords and concepts into an efficient but complex search.
If you would like assistance in creating an efficient search strategy or workflow, please contact the librarians via medlib@unlv.edu and we'd be happy to schedule a time to meet with you.
There are a number of resources, both free and purchased by the library, that are focused on finding systematic reviews, evidence-based guidelines and clinical trials.
There are thousands of databases that index journals based on subject or topic. The library subscribes to hundreds, but here is a list of some of the most well-known and content-rich databases for the health sciences.
Good for: Researching medicine, biomedical sciences, and allied health subjects.
Contains: Index of scholarly articles.
Good for: Researching a wide range of topics in science, social science, arts, and humanities.
Contains: Citations to scholarly journal articles and conference papers.
Dates covered: 1900-present.
Good for: Researching peer-reviewed scientific, medical, technical, and social science literature.
Contains: Index to literature.
Dates covered: 1960-present.
Good for: Reliable, evidence-based medical information available at the point of care.
Contains: Clinical overviews, medical books and journals, drug information, procedure videos, clinical calculators, patient education handouts, practice guidelines, clinical trials, and MEDLINE® citations and abstracts.
Good for: Researching dental and oral sciences.
Contains: Full-text and abstracts of journals, books, monographs, magazines, and trade periodicals.
Good for: Researching nursing and allied health topics.
Contains: Index of nursing and allied health literature.
Dates covered: 1982-present.
Good for: Researching nursing and allied health topics.
Contains: Index of journals.
Dates covered: 1985-present.
Good for: Researching complementary, integrative health and alternative medicine.
Contains: Articles.
Good for: Researching psychological literature.
Contains: Journal articles, books, and dissertations.
Dates covered: 1800-present.
Good for: Researching education.
Contains: Journal articles, book chapters, and educational reports.
Dates covered: 1966-present.
