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Radiation Therapy: Professor Dillard's Assignment: DATABASE QUICK FACTS!

This guide will help students find resources for the poster project in Professor Dillard's course.

DATABASE QUICK FACTS!

Quick facts about specific databases used in RadiationTherapy research.

MEDLINE Complete

  • Searching: 
    • Boolean: AND, OR, NOT
    • Phrase Searching
    • Truncation
  • MeSH Thesaurus for subject terms

Screenshot of Advanced Search in MEDLINE Complete

 

 

PubMed

  • Access through library databases (will have Check for full text @ TX State option for articles)
  • Can also access the public version online – PubMed public access (will not have the option to check for full text at TX State)
  • Narrow results to specific types of Evidence-Based Research (e.g. clinical trial, meta-analysis, randomized controlled trial, systematic review)
  • Article Record:
    • MeSH terms for article listed at bottom of page.
    • Includes Similar articles
      • Scroll down to bottom of article record to see list
    • Includes “Cited by” articles that have cited the article
      • Scroll down to bottom of article record to see list
  • Searching:
    • Don’t use Boolean operator AND (database assumes the terms are connected by AND) or punctuation
      • If used, they disable PubMed’s automatic term mapping feature which maps keyword searches to MeSH terms.
    • Use Nesting for terms connected by Boolean Operator OR
      • Example:  (stroke OR cerebral vascular accident) treadmill walk

Basic search in the database PubMed for stroke treadmill walk

 

 

Cochrane Library

  • Collection of evidence-based medicine databases, including but not limited to:
  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) – top resource for systematic reviews
  • Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials –randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials
  • Systematic reviews mainly focus on interventions
  • Searching:
    • On search interface, click on Advanced Search
    • Use Boolean (AND, OR, NOT), phrase searching, truncation
    • After typing in search terms, if you click “Send to search manager” the database will list the search and number of results
    • Look up MeSH terms by click the “Medical terms (MeSH) tab and searching for term.
    • Limit search results (Content type, publication date, etc…) by clicking on “Search limits.”

Screenshot of Advanced Search in database Cochrane Library for stroke or cerebral vascular accident and treadmill and walk

 

Science Direct

  • Searching:
    • Commands:  AND, OR, NOT (must be captilized),
    • quotation marks
    • Use nesting clauses for terms connected by OR (patient safety OR quality of health care)
  • Year limiter:  Years must be entered in 4 digits (example 2013 - 2023)
  • Plural variants are included (a search for image would also return images)

Science Direct search for "data exchange" AND "data interoperability" AND ("patient safety" OR "quality of health care")