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Using Cochrane Library Part 3 of a 3 part course on Evidence Based Dentistry Compiled by Mick Draper The Cochrane Library aims to be a source of objective articles on health care interventions. Cochrane Library publishes systematic reviews of interventions either to compare interventions, or to increase the study size for a particular intervention to make results more reliable. Cochrane Library is a very useful first source of objective information for researchers and practitioners in all areas of clinical health science.
Logon to Cochrane Library
Alternatively open the Uni of Adelaide Library Catalogue Title search and type in
Click on Cochrane library [electronic resource].
Click on the Link to e-Resource.
At this point if you are outside The Uni of Adelaide network you'll be asked to confirm that you are a student or staff member, by providing your email login and password. You could also use your library barcode and LAST NAME in capitals. If you have difficulties with this authentication process there is help here. Public access to Cochrane Library from Australia Cochrane Library Guides Cochrane Library Databases There are 2 parts Protocols for reviews in preparation Other Reviews) Clinical Trials (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) Methods Studies Technology Assessment Search Example Begin by using a grid to define the Population or Patients, the Intervention of interest, any Comparisons with this intervention, and Outcomes desired. You don't have to include all of these factors in the analysis of your search.
This is a simplified grid, there are other terms you could use such as carious, decayed, decaying, childhood, teenager*, youth* etc. The search screen of Cochrane Library should look something like this.
Enter the terms from the first column of your grid, joined by OR logic. The database searches most singular and plural forms of each term by default. By typing cavities you will also search cavity. Type
To continue click on Search History.
Your current search history appears
Continue with the second column from the PICO grid by typing child OR adolescent OR adolescence
Notice that when you use Search History you can limit your searches by "product", record status, or date range.
To search fluoride toothpaste as a phrase you can either type fluoride NEXT toothpaste or enclose the phrase in double quotes "fluoride toothpaste". Typing in fluoride toothpaste without quote marks will be searched as (fluoride OR fluorides) AND (toothpaste OR toothpastes)
When you have entered all the column searches using OR logic, join those searches together using AND logic, and the set numbers.
The next stage of your search becomes
To view the results of the combined search click on the result.
The result from CDSR appears first.
You can scroll through the results and click on Record to read reviews.
You can use the side bar on the left of a record to find particular sections of the review, or to download the pdf.
Authors' Conclusions
Click on Back on your browser to return to the list of titles. Selecting and Saving Records
To save all the citations from a single database that is showing on the screen click on the Export All Results button.
Choose whether you want to include an abstract.
Mostly you'll want to save your results in EndNote. Click on Back on your browser then on the search result again to view records in Other reviews, Clinical Trials and other parts of Cochrane Library.
Search Limits
or particular parts of the records if you use the search box in the top right of the screen.
Saving Search Strategies
Click on Register in the top right of the screen.
Fill out the form and click on the Submit Registration button on the bottom left of the screen. Return to the Cochrane Library screen.
Give the search strategy a name and click on the Save Search Strategy button.
Running Saved Searches
Locate the appropriate search and click on Run.
You can run saved searches whenever you see the Saved Searches link. Using Advanced Search
Make sure that the search field under In: is the one you want.
Notice that Advanced Search provides the option to search All Text. This would find keywords or phrases in all parts of Cochrane records including the full text of systematic reviews. This will usually find more records but some of them (perhaps many of them) may not be relevant. You need to be very careful using Advanced search and the logic supplied. The search below will actually find hypersensitiv* OR (sensitiv* AND toothpaste*) This means that the search could find records with the keywords hypersensitive or hypersensitivity but not toothpaste!
A better option would be to use just the first search box and use brackets to ensure that your search logic is what you want.
You can also get access to All Text from the Search box near the top right of the screen.
MeSH Searches To search by MeSH click on the link.
Type in a single subject.
If the term you entered is a MeSH it will appear in a hierarchical list of Medical Subject Headings.
Notice that [+8] appears at the end on Dental Cements in the list. Notice that there is a [+1] next to Glass Ionomer Cements. This means that there is a more specific MeSH included under Glass Ionomer Cements. You can add 'Qualifiers' or subheadings to your MeSH search to make it more specific.
Click on the View Results button.
If you click in the box to the left of Go directly to Search History you'll see the results of your search in the Search History area and you can combine this result with others. In the search history below, the MeSH search for dental cements finds more references than the search using the All Fields search (#1), and the title, abstract, keyword search (#2).
When the MeSH and All Fields or MeSH and ti,ab,kw searches are combined using OR logic you can see that there are some records in each search that are not included in the other. Cochrane Library enables you to quickly get an idea of what reasonably objective research there is available on your topic. The database is small, so you might find nothing, especially if you are looking for Cochrane reviews. [This is covered in more detail in Part 2 of this course Using PubMed in Evidence Based Dentistry] When you use the option to import into EndNote you may be required to find the Cochrane Library filter in your filters folder. Scopus
When you open the Scopus database switch to Advanced Search as this gives you more room to enter your searches.
Scroll down the list of codes and double click on TITLE-ABS-KEY
This will set up a code for a search. Scopus requires phrases to be enclosed in double quotes. "fluoride toothpaste" AND (child* OR infant* or adolescen*) AND (caries or "tooth decay") AND (rct OR "randomi?ed controlled trial?" OR "systematic review" OR metaanalysis OR "meta analysis")
As well as finding citations, Scopus will find any other citations to articles in the database that cite those you have found with your search.
Select all the citations or individual citations you want to keep and add to list.
Click on My List when you have finished collection citations
Click on Select All.
Select a format that suits (abstracts)
When you click on the Export button this should open your EndNote software and you can import to your EndNote Library.
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