Planning and conducting a literature search

Developing and focusing your research question

Planning your search strategy before you start searching, can help you to formulate the question you are trying to answer, plan the concepts you are searching for, and think of keywords to use. But remember searching is an iterative process so you may change things later on! Use this form to help you plan your search.

Getting an NHS Open Athens Password

If you work for the NHS you can get an NHS Athens password which enables you to search databases and find the full text of journal articles e-books which have been subscribed to for the NHS: https://library.nhs.uk/knowledgehub/

Keeping records of your searches

When you search for information it's useful to keep a summary of what you've done, both to remind you where you looked and what you searched for. It will also aid you later when writing up. Use this form to keep a record of:

The places you've searched
The dates you did the searches
The date range of your search
The keywords you used

Managing the references you find

Reference managing or bibliographic reference software is designed to enable users to input, manage, and format lists of references. It enables you to insert references into documents you're writing and then with a touch of a button will format the bibliography. There are several different bibliographic reference software packages including Endnote, RefWorks, Mendeley and Reference Manager. Check which your local academic/health library supports.

Acknowledgments

This resource was collated by Christine Keen, RSS Hub Leicester and Partners

Created: February 2019 Last Updated: November 2024