Research Tutorials

To help students and researchers document, explain, and justify their search process — demonstrating transparency, reproducibility, and critical awareness of how information was located and selected.

Reporting your search strategies means describing how you searched for information, where you searched, and why you made the choices you did. This is an essential component of credible research because it:

• Ensures transparency — others can evaluate or replicate your work.

• Demonstrates methodological rigor — showing that your findings stem from systematic inquiry.

• Reflects critical thinking — revealing how your search evolved based on what you discovered.

When documenting your search, include:

1. Databases and Information Sources Used

   • Example: CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, Library Catalog (Primo VE)

   • Explain why each was chosen (subject focus, coverage, currency, etc.)

2. Search Terms and Keywords

   • List main concepts and their synonyms (e.g., health literacy, patient understanding, education).

   • Include Boolean combinations:

     • "health literacy" AND (patient* OR client*) AND (education OR intervention)

3. Filters and Limits Applied

   • Years, peer-reviewed status, age group, population, language, etc.

   • Example: limited to English, 2018–2025, scholarly journals.

4. Search Iterations / Adjustments

   • Describe how you refined or expanded searches.

   • Example: Initial search returned 600 results; added “AND hospital” to narrow scope.

5. Tools and Features Used

   • Controlled vocabulary (MeSH, CINAHL Headings), citation tracking (looking at what your sources used), related articles, etc.

   • Example: Used MeSH term “Health Literacy” to improve precision.

6. Results Summary

   • Record number of hits and number of items selected for review.(Share your search strategy & results from it)

   • Example: 

     Database	Search Terms	Filters	Results	Selected
     PubMed	"Health Literacy" AND "Patient Education"	2018–2025	612	18
     CINAHL	("Health Literacy") AND (Hospital OR Clinical)	English only	447	12

7. Reflections / Rationale

   • Explain challenges, changes in focus, or insights gained.

   • Example: Found overlap between “patient understanding” and “comprehension” — merged terms for better retrieval.