Week 3: Literature search

Question 1

Briefly describe Google Scholar

Answer 1

• largest data base
• links to google scholar author profiles
• links to pdfs and other relevant papers
• provides APA citation
• can create alerts

Question 2

Disadvantages of Google Scholar

Answer 2

• non selective: also access non refereed sources

- does not use Boolean operators for searching

Question 3

PsycINFO

Answer 3

• maintained by the APA
• behavioural sciences and mental health
• lists the psychological tests used by the study and other useful features
• more than 8 million cited references

Question 4

What are Boolean operators?

Answer 4

Search engine definers that help narrow your search

Question 5

AND

Answer 5

Narrows search and includes both terms; e.g. sleep AND health

Question 6

OR

Answer 6

Broadens search, and includes either item: sleep OR health

Question 7

NOT

Answer 7

Excludes term from a search

Question 8

NEAR/n

Answer 8

Looks for two search items within a specified number of words apart from each other

Question 9

PRE/n

Answer 9

Looks for one search term that appears within a specified number of words before a search term

Question 10

Wildcard ?

Answer 10

Replaces a single letter in the word

Question 11

Truncation

Answer 11

Retrieves variations of the search

Question 12

PubMed

Answer 12

• larger and more diverse than PsychINFO

- does not list the psychological tests employed by studies

Question 13

Describe a narrative/critical review

Answer 13

Aims to critically evaluate data on a topic by comparing and contrasting and coming up with a hypothesis or model.

Question 14

Strengths of a narrative/critical review

Answer 14

Enables argument formation, and deriving new insights from published findings

Question 15

Weaknesses of a narrative/critical review

Answer 15

Can be a reliance on weak evidence and exclusion of stronger counter evidence and literature can be covered unevenly

Question 16

Describe a systematic review

Answer 16

Adheres to strict searching guidelines, following rules to comprehensively and exhaustively review the literature, typically the effectiveness of a clinical intervention.

Question 17

Strengths of a systematic review

Answer 17

Ensures a thorough and balanced appraisal of the literature and can come to confident conclusions

Question 18

Weaknesses of a systematic review

Answer 18

Rigorous exclusion criteria eliminates relevant and good studies from consideration, and means conclusions may be based on unrepresentative studies

Question 19

Describe a meta-analysis

Answer 19

Looks at studies that have used the same methodology, and weighs these studies by sample size and analyses them using Bayesian stats to derive over all effect size

Question 20

Strengths of a meta analysis

Answer 20

• enables small, inconclusive studies to contribute to a common conclusion
• enables cost effectiveness of different treatments to be compared

Question 21

Weaknesses of a meta analysis

Answer 21

The need for common methodologies between studies can exclude studies with complex designs or ones that did not define all selection parameters

Question 22

At first pass of an article, look at:

Answer 22

• research question
• hypotheses
• key findings
• finding interpretation
• main conclusions

Question 23

At second pass of an article, look at:

Answer 23

• precise methods and theories tested
• holes in the methods
• holes in results
• acknowledged limitations