Searching the electronic literature improving the quality of results

Author(s): A Avenell & S Wallace

Description

Guidance is provided for literature searches of electronic databases, whether to provide quick answers to queries, or undertaking systematic reviews. Details of access to databases useful for the clinical biochemist are provided. The use of the operator terms AND, OR and NOT is discussed, together with text word searching, wild cards, suffixes and limit options. An example is provided of searching for studies reporting analytical evaluations of point of care testing for microalbuminuria in people with diabetes.