Here are some steps to follow which will help you work out your search strategy:

1.  Consider putting your research question into a search framework, such as PICO

2.  From there, identify the 2-4 main concepts you need to search. (You won't need to use every element of the PICO. Often there is no C (Comparison) and the Outcome will come out of the results of your search).

3.  Brainstorm keywords and phrases as synonyms for each concept. (This will be an ongoing process as you learn more about your subject and do more reading). Remember to consider the following:

• scientific terms as well as common terms
• alternative spellings (US v UK)
• culturally specific terms
• abbreviations, acronyms and plurals

4.  Consider phrase searching (usually " ") and truncation symbols (most often *) to make your searching more efficient. (Some databases use different symbols and there are other techniques. Check our Database Help guide for specific instructions).

5.  Once you've come up with as many specific terms as you can find, join them with boolean operators:

• Taking one concept at a time, connect each term or phrase (synonym) with OR.
• Then connect these now big groups representing each concept with the AND operator to see where all the concepts overlap.

6.  Now consider the limits of your search and apply them. This may include such refinements as date of publication, geographical area, language, type of study. Do your search first, and then limit the final set of results.

It's a really good idea to document your searches so that you (or someone else) can reproduce them at a later date, and so your methods are open and transparent. Write down where you've searched, when you searched and what you searched, and how you combined your terms and selected the results.

Setting up a personal account in databases you frequently visit will really help with saving and documenting your searches. Once you sign in, you can save and organise individual records, and also save your search history which can be re-run, recorded or refined later. It's usually pretty obvious how to set up an account - click Sign In, or Log In or My Account, or check the help pages of the database you are using.

For more details about documenting your searches, have a look at the Document your search strategy section of the Systematic Review library guide.

For some great examples of how to document your searches, from the PICO to combining keywords, check out this eBook chapter: Foster, M. J., & Jewell, S. T. (2017). Identifying the studies: Case studies. In M. J. Foster & S. T. Jewell (Eds.), Assembling the pieces of a systematic review: A guide for librarians (pp. 99-123). Rowman & Littlefield.

In reviewing your searching, you might need to ask if you have:

• searched the most appropriate databases for your topic?
• checked for spelling mistakes or typos?
• used a comprehensive list of search terms appropriate to your search framework (eg. PICO)?
• used thesaurus terms/subject headings specific to each database?
• used combing operators (AND, OR) appropriately?
• added any new terms discovered while searching to all your database searches?

The PRESS Checklist for reviewing search strategies has been developed by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH). See the PRESS Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies: 2015 Guideline Statement

For further assistance, contact your Library Faculty Team.