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Database tutorials & search tips

Learn various search tips and how to use Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and BMJ Best Practice to find the best evidence for research in rehabilitation, sport and nutrition.

Plan your search

Before conducting your search consider the following:

  • Break your question into parts using a concept map such as PICO
  • Think about alternative terms for each concept (e.g. walk or gait or ambulate). Refer to a encyclopedia or dictionary, or the Scope Note within a health database (e.g. Medline)
  • Your search terms are not only based on your familiarity with the topic but by trial and error as well as practice

Search tips

  • Truncation replaces the end of a word, e.g. rehabilit* will find rehabilitate/s, rehabilitated, rehabilitation
  • Wildcard replaces letters, e.g. organi?ation will find organisation and organization (Wildcard symbol can vary between databases)
  • Double quotation marks keep words together e.g. "range of motion"
  • Join similar ideas or alternate terms with OR to broaden your search
  • Link different concepts with AND to be more specific
  • Use database limits to focus your search. Most will include language, gender, age, date or type of publication
  • Refine your search as you go. You may pick up further subject headings and keywords from other database

Database tutorials

Select 'Play' on image below to learn how to:

  • create a PICO concept map
  • conduct a comprehensive systematic search in Medline & CINAHL using both subject headings and keywords

Table of Contents and Menu available once you commence the tutorial.

This type of searching is also applicable to Embase, PsycINFO & AMED although these databases may use different Subject Heading systems.

Further step-by-step instructions:

Provides access to a number of high-quality databases such as:

  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
  • Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
  • Cochrane Clinical Answers

Cochrane Library Advanced Search

Contains intervention studies across the scope of speech pathology practice.

How to search SpeechBITE

Google Scholar searches scholarly literature across all areas of research. Learn how to set up Google Scholar preferences to find items held by La Trobe University Library when you are searching off campus.

Can't find the full text?

  • If no direct PDF link available, click on the 'Find Full Text' icon
  • If not successful, search for the title of the article or the journal via the library and follow the links to the full text (sometimes the article may only be in print copy in the Library)
  • If not held by the Library, request the article via Document Delivery Services  (this is a free service)

Save your search

Use your own personal folder to collect, store and export results. All the items you save to your personal folder remain in your folder until you remove them.

Citation searching

Cited reference searching lets you discover:

  • Who has cited a specific article
  • How many times it has been cited
  • Related articles
  • Citations of a specific author's articles

Available in Google Scholar as well as databases such as Web of science and Scopus.  Look for “Cited by” or “Times Cited” features.

Citation searching