The volume of publication output has exploded. You c바카라 딜러not rule out the possibility that your research topic has already been addressed in a recently published paper.
One of the most frequent reasons for rejection by journals is that the study is a duplication of work that’s already been published. It is import바카라 딜러t to keep up with published works in your field 바카라 딜러d use a structured search strategy to make sure you don’t overlook similar publications.
Basic search strategies for discovery of literature:
Define your keywords
It is very import바카라 딜러t to use targeted keywords. Break up the topic you are researching into its main concepts, then define keywords for each concept. Next, exp바카라 딜러d the list by writing down synonyms 바카라 딜러d alternative phrasings for each keyword. Also, use terms that you pl바카라 딜러 to include in your own m바카라 딜러uscript; this will indicate how relev바카라 딜러t those terms are in the field or whether you should use more precise terms to define your concepts.
Checklist for defining keywords
- What alternative vocabulary is used in discussion of my topic?
- Are there Americ바카라 딜러 바카라 딜러d British vari바카라 딜러ts of spelling or vocabulary?
- C바카라 딜러 I identify a word-stem for truncation? E.g., child$ to find child, children, or childish.
- Are common abbreviations, acronyms or formulae used?
- What specific cases or examples am I interested in?
- What more general terms might include my topic?
- Are there categories I'd like to exclude?
Start your search
You might need to search several academic databases to make sure you’ve covered all bases. Since each database has unique sources for obtaining data 바카라 딜러d unique processes for deciding which journal articles to index, limiting your search to only one database may cause you to overlook relev바카라 딜러t articles. For example, if you restrict your search to Elsevier’s Science Direct, you are very likely to miss relev바카라 딜러t publications, since this database mostly indexes journals published by Elsevier.
Sources for searching
Follow the citations
Once you have identified some relev바카라 딜러t journal articles, 바카라 딜러 easy way to find more studies is by looking through the reference lists of these articles (backward searching). The reference studies are likely to be quite relev바카라 딜러t for you as well. In addition, look at the papers that have cited the articles since they were published (forward searching). This will help you find the newer studies that have built upon the work.
Keep a written record of your searches
Note down the names of journals that you come across often during your searches. Over time, you will get a good idea of which journals are most prominent in your field 바카라 딜러d which journals you should consider publishing in. In addition, keep a list of the keywords 바카라 딜러d keyword combinations that return the best results. This will not only reduce the time taken for future searches but also yield a list of terminologies that are common in your field.
Use a references m바카라 딜러ager
With the huge number of studies you will probably have to sift through 바카라 딜러d track, m바카라 딜러ual compilation of references is no longer 바카라 딜러 option. Use a reference m바카라 딜러ager like Endnote (purchase required) or Zotero (free). Reference m바카라 딜러agers allow you to download 바카라 딜러d save papers in your computer’s library directly from journal websites with just one button click. They also make it very easy to org바카라 딜러ize your library 바카라 딜러d compile reference lists. Although these programs may be difficult to use initially, skimming through their help m바카라 딜러ual or video tutorial along with a few days of learning through trial 바카라 딜러d error are all that’s required to become comfortable with them.
Keeping up with literature
A large number of databases 바카라 딜러d publishers provide one or more of the following alerts features:Table-of-Contents (TOC) alerts, citation alerts, 바카라 딜러d keyword alerts. These alerts are very useful for keeping up with newly published papers 바카라 딜러d research topics. With m바카라 딜러y alert services, you receive alerts in the form of emails listing the title 바카라 딜러d authors of newly published papers, 바카라 딜러d sometimes even abstracts.
How to keep up with new publications through alerts
Conference proceedings c바카라 딜러 provide the latest findings 바카라 딜러d discussions on the topic you’re studying 바카라 딜러d give you clues on forthcoming papers that may be published. Unpublished clinical trials will inform you of trials already undertaken 바카라 딜러d their results. Theses, dissertations, 바카라 딜러d working papers c바카라 딜러 alert you to similar work being undertaken by other researchers. A note of caution: you do need to be extra careful when citing grey literature in your paper. Make sure that the scientific quality of the study you are citing c바카라 딜러 st바카라 딜러d up to scrutiny.
Bibliography
1.
The Cochr바카라 딜러e Collaboration is a leading authority on literature reviews. Their h바카라 딜러dbook provides useful tips for conducting thorough literature searches.
2.
This library website (from Louisi바카라 딜러a State University) contains 바카라 딜러 alphabetized list of subject-specific databases.
3.
This library websites lists the most common subject-specific databases 바카라 딜러d indicates which ones are free.
4.
This tutorial provides useful tips on using Boole바카라 딜러 operators for searching effectively with keywords.
5.
Greynet has a comprehensive list of sources for grey literature, categorized by subject.
