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Advanced Literature Searching For Health

4.1 Reviewing your results

How do you know your search is working?

The best way to see if your search is working, is by looking at the results! Things to keep in mind when you are looking at the results:

  • Are your results relevant? (look at the title and abstract to see if papers are relevant)
  • Will the papers help you answer your question?

If the answer to both of these questions is no, it's time to re-visit your search.

Activity

Nat is trying to answer the question 'Are patients with gestational diabetes more at risk of preterm birth?' Have a look at Nat's search strategy and then answer the question below:

1. gestational diabetes.mp 14,468
2. diabetes.mp 609,522
3. Diabetes, Gestational/ 10,691
4. Diabetes Mellitus/ 116,822
5. 1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4 609,522
6. premature birth.mp 16,481
7. preterm birth.mp 16,402
8. Obstetric Labor, Premature/ 13,277
9. 6 OR 7 OR 8 36,387
10. 5 AND 9 1,859

See Nat's revised results in the table below:

1. gestational diabetes.mp 14,468
2. Diabetes, Gestational/ 10,691
3. 1 OR 2 16,339
4. premature birth.mp 16,481
5. preterm birth.mp 16,402
6. Obstetric Labor, Premature/ 13,277
7. 4 OR 5 OR 6 36,387
8. 3 AND 7 1,112

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