Literature Searching

Overview

Students and researchers in the health sciences are often required to conduct literature searches for a number of reasons including identifying appropriate studies and methods to include in a literature review manuscript. Understanding the basics of database searching can allow you to effectively and efficiently find the information you need. This guide takes you through the process of developing an advanced, robust literature search in PubMed

While the guide is based on searching in the PubMed database, the strategies can be applied appropriately to other databases, such as Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, etc. (see search syntax for more information on search translation). For more information on searching in other databases, attend Lane's Literature Reviews Beyond PubMed: Crafting Effective Searches in Other Databases course.

If you're interested in conducting a systematic review, please visit Introduction to Systematic Reviews

Research Services

Literature or reviews of a systematic nature is a value-added service available for current members of the Stanford Medicine community. To qualify for the service, the project lead and point-of-contact to Lane must be a Stanford affiliate.

Lane Medical Library staff can help you with your search strategy creation, collaborate on systematic reviews and other knowledge syntheses, provide guidance on documentation, processes, and tools, among others. Reviews or projects the team can help you with include but are not limited to:

  • Systematic Review
  • Meta-Analysis
  • Literature Review for Grant Application
  • Thesis or Dissertation
  • Course Assignment
  • Scoping Review
  • Book Chapter
  • Thesis Report

If you are interested in collaborating with a Lane Medical Librarian on a review project, please submit a literature search request.

Data management and sharing is a component of Open Science, which aims to make scientific research more transparent and accessible. Proper data management and sharing benefit you as an individual and the research community as a whole. Lane's data service provides: 

  • Best practices related to data management and sharing
  • Assistance in complying with requirements related to the management and sharing of research data (e.g. from a publisher or funder)
  • Consultations related to research data management, data security, data publishing, data curation, and long-term preservation
  • Workshops and classes related to best practices in data management and sharing

For more information, visit the Data Management and Sharing guide or contact data librarian John Borghi (jborghi@stanford.edu). 

Research metrics measure the impact of a scholar, article, book, journal, or research institution. Metrics can be informed through different approaches, such as citation counts, that can add to a broader understanding of impact. Lane's research metrics service assists with:

  • Understanding, measuring and using bibliometrics and other statistical analysis of publications 
  • Using alternative metrics (also known as altmetrics) 
  • Common tools for assessing research impact
  • And more!

For more information on research metrics, visit the Research Impact guide or contact Research Communications Librarian Lily Ren (lren@stanford.edu).

Lane Librarians can help you with the authoring and publishing of your manuscript such as:

  • Learn about unique author identifiers and how to create an ORCID ID
  • How to find journals relevant to areas of research/interest for possible submission
  • How to find journal impact factors
  • Help find instructions for authors
  • Explore alternate publishing models including open access journals
  • How to verify citations

We also provide discounted Open Access author processing fees. For more information, visit our Understanding Open Access guide.