LibGuides: Public Health: Health Sciences Research

Document what you do

You should always document how you have found information. Why? Because you may be asked how you found it, other researchers may contact you with questions, and you want to publish your result.

It is a good practice to remember to record:

What sources you searched
The date-s you searched and results (some databases are updated weekly)
The name-s of who developed and conducted the searches
The keywords used and the limiters

The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Committee on Standards for Systematic Reviews recommends to use at minimum these three databases:

Medline
PubMed
Cochrane Controlled Trial Register

In addition, search clinicaltrials.gov database for FDA regulated drugs or medical devices.

Keep track of your findings with RefWorks or Zotero.

Health Sciences Reviews

	Use to	Details	Pros	Cons
Literature Review	Acquire foundational knowledge on a topic	Findings can be in any order May or may not include comprehensive searching and quality assessment	Finds gaps in the research Prevents duplication of studies	Does not follow an established protocol
Integrative Review	Summarize both quantitative and qualitative literature to provide a complete understanding of a problem	Includes both experimental and non-experimental	Includes different methodologies Best to review evidence/point out gaps in the literature	Need to develop two quality criteria (quantitative and qualitative) which may take time Comprehensive but specific in scope
Meta-Analysis	Estimate effect magnitude Establish statistical significance of a study with different results	Focus on quantitative synthesis May be conducted independently or as part of a systematic review	Uses statistical methods to objectively evaluate, synthesize, and summarize results	Time consuming Need expertise in quantitative analysis
Rapid Review	Conduct a quick assessment of a very specific question	Usually tabular or narrative information. Completeness of findings is limited by time constraints	Uses a systematic review methodology but in a reduced time period	Some methodological shortcuts can introduce bias
Scoping Review	Assess of potential size/scope of available literature	Inclusion/exclusion parameters are included Identifies gaps in the research Usually includes ongoing research	Can critically evaluate existing evidence, but does not attempt to synthesize the results in the way a systematic review would	Can take longer than a systematic review
Systematic Review	Identify and synthesize all of the scholarly research on a particular topic, including both published and unpublished studies	Uses specific guidelines/protocols Inclusion/exclusion parameters are included May involve a meta-analysis	Conducted in an unbiased, reproducible way to provide evidence for practice and policy-making and to identify gaps in the research	More time-intensive than traditional literature reviews Usually conducted as a group
Umbrella Review	Find evidences when there are competing interventions for a condition	Focus on broad conditions This is a review of other reviews	Compiles evidence from a variety of reviews into one usable document	Time consuming