A list of physical therapy focused sources provided by the library.
A common framework for health related topics is PICO. A question framework will help determine the main elements of a search, identify some keywords, and set the basic search string structure.
| Letter | Question to select search term |
| P: Patient, Population, or Problem | How would I describe a group of patients similar to mine? |
| I: Intervention |
Which main intervention, prognostic factor, or exposure am I considering? |
| C: Comparison or control | What is the main alternative to compare with the intervention? This could be to compare another treatment option or doing nothing. |
| O: Outcome | What can I hope to accomplish, measure, improve, or affect? |
Example PICO: Does hand washing among healthcare workers reduce hospital acquired infections?
Problem: hospital acquired infection
Intervention: hand washing
Comparison: No hand washing; other solution, using face masks
Outcome: Reduced infection
The SPIDER question format was adapted from the PICO tool to search for qualitative and mixed-methods research. Questions based on this format identify the following concepts:
Sample
Phenomenon of Interest
Design
Evaluation
Research type
The WWH framework is an open, easy to use framework. Most questions can fit into this framework.
Who
What
How
The PICOT framework is similar to PICO, but adds in the element of time. It is useful for questions relating to education or health care.
Patient
Intervention
Comparison
Outcome
Time
The PIPOH framework is used for screening related questions.
Population
Intervention
Professionals
Outcomes
Healthcare setting
The BeHEMoTH framework is used for questions relating to theories.
Behavior of interest
Health context
Exclusions
Models or Theories
What if my topic doesn't fit into a framework?
Not every topic will fit neatly into a framework. If this applies to you, then you can either only use the parts of a framework that do fit or don't use one at all. The purpose of a framework is to separate your research question into different concepts. It is important to identify the concepts so you know what to search for. Please reach out to your liaison librarian if you need assistance identifying the main concepts of your question.
Search Terms
After finalizing your research question, you want to narrow down the question into searchable concepts. Using a framework will make it easy to identify which topics to search. To start your list of keywords you should develop a list of concepts, write down relevant keywords to search with, and possibly map concepts to controlled vocabulary. Relevant keywords can be identified by knowing a bit about the topic ahead of time. By doing some preliminary searching, you can find some example articles. The example articles will show what subject terms are applied to the article, and provide additional ideas for keywords to use.
Putting together a search string
A search string will generally look like:
(Topic A term 1 OR Topic A term 2) AND (Topic B term 1 OR Topic B term 2) AND (Topic C term 1 OR Topic C term 2)
If searching PubMed, the search string would look like:
(obesity OR overweight OR obese OR "morbidly obese" OR "Obesity"[Mesh] OR "Obesity, Morbid"[Mesh]) AND ("heart disease" OR "cardiac diseases" OR "heart disorders" OR cardiovascular OR "Heart Diseases"[Mesh]) AND (stroke OR "cerebrovascular accidents" OR "Stroke"[Mesh])
The search string above was developed for PubMed. When adapting the string for another database, you would replace the MeSH terms for the controlled vocabulary of the other databases used, if MeSH is not an option in the other database. You can search CINAHL and Cochrane with MeSH terms.
The search string above is also searching with keywords and MeSH terms. The MeSH terms will be searched in the MeSH field. The keywords will be searched in all fields, like the title, abstract, journal name, etc. You have the option to limit your keyword search to just particular fields, like only the title or abstract. If you use the second option, you will need to know the field codes for the databases you are searching and update them in the different search strings.
How to find EBSCO databases field codes (CINAHL, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, SPORTDiscus)
Field codes are database specific. To find the field codes for a particular database, first navigate to one.
1. Click on the Choose Databases link above the Find field
2. Click Detailed View in the resulting window.
3. Click the More Information link for the database
4. Click the Searchable Fields link
5. All the field codes are listed with detailed explanations of what they mean
Contact a librarian if you need assistance with using field codes.
The search string should be tested in a database to assess what results are being pulled. While reviewing the results, ask yourself these questions.
1. Am I seeing a lot of relevant results?
2. Am I seeing the amount of results I expected?
3. Am I getting too many articles that are not exactly what I wanted?
If you are unhappy with the results, you may need to modify the search string or add some search limits. If there are too many irrelevant articles, you will need to figure out which term you are using is causing those articles to appear. Try testing the search with and without the problem term. If you are happier with the results without the term, then it can be dropped from the search string.
The controlled vocabulary used in PubMed is called Mesh, Medical Subject Headings. You can locate MeSH terms by searching the MeSH database. MeSH terms can be used in other databases, such as CINAHL and Cochrane.
Begin at the MeSH Database
1. Enter one keyword for your first concept
2. Review the results, and click on the term that matches your keyword
3. You will now be on the MeSH record. The structure of a MeSH record is laid out starting with the MeSH term, followed by the scope note or definition of the term. The subheadings are the check boxes, which allow you to select sub-topics within your overall MeSH term. The entry terms are a list of synonyms and equivalent terms for that MeSH subject. The very bottom of a MeSH record has the thesaurus hierarchy. Any term above and to the left is broader in concept, and any term below and to the right is narrower in concept.
4. Click "add to search builder" to have the term mapped to the MeSH field. Copy/paste this format into your term table.
5. Continue collecting MeSH terms for each keyword. Review the thesaurus at the bottom of the MeSH record to find other terms that you may not have added as a keyword. Keep in mind that not all terms will be available as a MeSH term. This is why you search with keywords and controlled vocabulary, to cover multiple methods of retrieving relevant articles.
6. Once complete, either map your terms with the other databases you will be using, or begin developing your search string.
The controlled vocabulary used in CINAHL is called CINAHL Subject Headings. You can locate terms by searching the thesaurus.
Begin at CINAHL
1. Click on CINAHL Subject Headings in the top navigation bar.
2. Enter one keyword for your first concept. Use either the "term begins with" or "term contains" option.
3. Review the results, and check the term that matches your keyword. CINAHL provides a definition of the term by hovering over the little speech bubble to the right of the term.
4. The selected term will appear on the right, with the option to include all subheadings, explode the term, or use the term as a major concept.
5. Click "search database" to have the term mapped to the subject heading field. Copy/paste this format from the search box into your term table.
6. Continue collecting terms for each keyword. Review the thesaurus to find other terms that you may not have added as a keyword. Keep in mind that not all terms will be available as a subject heading. This is why you search with keywords and controlled vocabulary, to cover multiple methods of retrieving relevant articles.
7. Once complete, either map your terms to the other databases you will be using, or begin developing your search string.
The controlled vocabulary used in PsycINFO is called APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms. You can locate terms by searching the thesaurus.
Begin at PsycINFO
1. Click on APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms in the top navigation bar.
2. Enter in one keyword for your first concept. Use either the "term begins with" or "term contains" option.
3. Review the results, and click on the term that matches your keyword. You will see a definition of the term, plus broader, narrower or related terms.
4. Check the term, including the option to explode the term or use the term as a major concept.
5. Click "add" to have the term mapped to the indexed term field. Copy/paste this format from the search box into your term table.
6. Continue collecting terms for each keyword. Review the thesaurus to find other terms that you may not have added as a keyword. Keep in mind that not all terms will be available as a subject heading. This is why you search with keywords and controlled vocabulary, to cover multiple methods of retrieving relevant articles.
7. Once complete, either map your terms to the other databases you will be using, or begin developing your search string.
The controlled vocabulary used in Academic Search Complete is called subject terms. You can locate terms by searching the thesaurus.
Begin at Academic Search Complete
1. Click on Subject Terms in the top navigation bar.
2. Enter one keyword for your first concept. Use either the "term begins with" or "term contains" option.
3. Review the results, and click on the term that matches your keyword. You will see a definition of the term, plus broader, narrower or related terms.
4. Check the term, including the option to explode the term.
5. Click "add" to have the term mapped to the indexed term field. Copy/paste this format from the search box into your term table.
6. Continue collecting terms for each keyword. Review the thesaurus to find other terms that you may not have added as a keyword. Keep in mind that not all terms will be available as a subject heading. This is why you search with keywords and controlled vocabulary, to cover multiple methods of retrieving relevant articles.
7. Once complete, either map your terms to the other databases you will be using, or begin developing your search string.
The controlled vocabulary used in SPORTDiscus is called Thesaurus terms. You can locate terms by searching the thesaurus.
Begin at SPORTDiscus with Full Text
1. Click on Thesaurus in the top navigation bar.
2. Enter one keyword for your first concept. Use either the "term begins with" or "term contains" option.
3. Review the results, and click on the term that matches your keyword. You will see a definition of the term, plus broader, narrower or related terms.
4. Check the term, including the option to explode the term.
5. Click "add" to have the term mapped to the indexed term field. Copy/paste this format from the search box into your term table.
6. Continue collecting terms for each keyword. Review the thesaurus to find other terms that you may not have added as a keyword. Keep in mind that not all terms will be available as a subject heading. This is why you search with keywords and controlled vocabulary, to cover multiple methods of retrieving relevant articles.
7. Once complete, either map your terms to the other databases you will be using, or begin developing your search string.
Truncation
Truncation allows you to search root words with various endings.
Example
osteopath* will search for results of osteopath, osteopathy, or osteopathic
Wildcards
Wildcards work similar to truncation, but are used at the beginning or the middle of a term.
Example
wom*n will search for results of woman and women
Proximity searching
Proximity operators allow you to search for words within a certain proximity of each other.
Example
breast NEAR/2 feeding will locate the word breast within two two words of feed. It does not matter their order.
*TIP*
Symbols and syntax for advanced searching options will differ from database to database. You can find the correct option to use in the database help section or by contacting a librarian.
Advanced Searching in Google Scholar Tips
You can use an OR between double quotes to search for phrase variations:
Example: “bacterial|viral infections|diseases”
You can broaden your search strategy by using proximity operators AROUND(n) instead of the space in such a quoted phrase
Example: “bacterial|viral AROUND(3) infections|diseases”
Search hedges are pre-made search strategies for searching common topics, often publication types or study designs. They are combined with a general topic search to refine your results.