Responsible Literature Searching Guide

Background

When the first computer databases and search systems were developed in the late 1960s, librarians performed the majority of database searching. The librarians were trained on effective searching techniques, database structure, etc., and participated in ongoing training to update and refresh searching skills. In the mid-1980s, the National Library of Medicine and the database vendors developed user-friendly online search interfaces. With the new search interfaces, growth of personal computers, and access to Web, researchers and clinicians began to conduct more of their own literature searches. (Jankowski, 2008; Wessel, 2019)

The unforeseen death of a healthy research study participant in 2001 at a major university underscored the importance of performing a responsible and comprehensive literature search. Questions were raised about what constitutes a responsible search. While the researcher conducted a basic search in MEDLINE and recent texts, relevant published information was missed. (Jankowski, 2008; Steinbrook, 2002; Wessel, 2019; Wessel, Tannery, & Epstein, 2010)

Subject Expert Responsibilities

You, the researcher or clinician, are the subject expert. A focused question, based on a clear understanding of the research topic or clinical question is essential to responsible literature searching. As the subject expert, the researcher or clinician searches multiple information resources and databases and then critically appraises and determines whether the retrieved information answers the question being researched.

Responsible literature searching:

1. Requires knowledge of the structure, function, and limitations of UT Southwestern Library’s online resources, applicable primary/secondary/tertiary resources, and other web resources available for literature searching.
2. Requires critical appraisal to determine whether the retrieved information answers the research topic or clinical question.
3. Requires knowledge of tertiary literature, searching the major biomedical and drug information resources and databases when the research topic or clinical question is related to harmful exposures from medical interventions, particularly in the area of drug safety.
4. Requires locating primary literature, preferably from peer-reviewed journals.
5. Necessitates knowledge of common bibliographic database structural elements and application of the appropriate search methods (i.e., building blocks, pearl growing, parts of a citation) to retrieve the relevant primary literature.
6. Involves searching more than one bibliographic databases (i.e., core health sciences, subject specific, multidisciplinary) due to the unique coverage and indexing of the primary literature.
7. Includes consulting primary/secondary/tertiary and other web resources when completing an interdisciplinary search.
8. Includes consulting online and print tertiary sources and searching the appropriate drug, chemistry, and pharmaceutical databases when searching for drug or chemical information.
9. Involves the appropriate use of evidence-based practice (EBP) resources along with the major bibliographic databases. (The Library's Evidence-Based Practice Portal is linked below.)
10. Includes updating searches using current awareness tools.

(Health Sciences Library McMaster University, 2019; Wessel, 2019)

Librarian Support

The researcher/clinician subject experts can consult with UT Southwestern reference librarians to:

• Assist with developing research questions
• Discuss search strategies
• Suggest databases and other resources for searching
• Recommend methods to document search strategies
• Provide training on how to search and use bibliographic citation management software to manage your citations

For additional information on search techniques, consult this Guide’s Reference List or schedule an appointment with UT Southwestern librarians using the Ask Us form (linked below).

(Health Sciences Library McMaster University, 2019; Wessel, 2019)

References

Health Sciences Library McMaster University. (2019). The Researcher's Toolkit: The Research Cycle. Retrieved from https://hslmcmaster.libguides.com/research-toolkit

Jankowski, T. A. (2008). The Medical Library Association Essential Guide to Becoming an Expert Searcher: Proven Techniques, Strategies, and Tips for Finding Health Information. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Steinbrook, R. (2002). Protecting research subjects--the crisis at Johns Hopkins. N Engl J Med, 346(9), 716-720. doi:10.1056/nejm200202283460924

Wessel, C. B. (2019). Responsible Literature Searching for Research: A Self-Paced Interactive Program. Retrieved from https://cme.hs.pitt.edu/ISER/app/learner/loadModule?moduleId=8381&dev=false

Wessel, C. B., Tannery, N. H., & Epstein, B. A. (2010). Evaluation of a self-paced learning module to teach responsible literature searching for research. J Med Libr Assoc, 98(1), 82-85. doi:10.3163/1536-5050.98.1.020