This is a quick tutorial using each of the major databases to find research articles on interventions for dyslexia. When you're ready to search yourself, use the databases links below. If you want a more in depth explanation of subject headings, go to the box below.
The following databases and search engines are all excellent tools with which to look for research articles. A video tutorial for using these tools to find CSD research is above.
If you enjoy using AI-powered search engines, here’s a list for you:
More web resources recommended by Dr. Christodoulou for finding evidence.
When you search with keywords, you are trying to find words that authors have used in their titles and abstracts or somehow otherwise appear in the article's entry in a database. Therefore you need to brainstorm all of the possible ways authors could refer to your concept:
"endurance" OR "physical fitness"
"education" OR "training" OR "school" OR "learning"
You can also search using subject headings. Subject headings are keywords assigned by the databases to describe the concepts in an article and to try to take some of the guesswork out of the job of coming up with keywords. Try searching with subject headings and see how your results differ from searching with just keywords.
Still unsure about subject headings? Watch this video for another explanation as well as tips on how to find them.
Every database calls them different names and handles how they're assigned differently:
The databases also each create their own list of standardized subject headings and use different labels to indicate when a term is a subject heading, as opposed to a keyword. So you will not be able to use the same search across databases. The keywords will most likely stay the same, but your subject headings will need to be translated for each database.
A note of caution: subject heading assignment is not always perfect, and not all articles in PubMed are assigned MeSH terms. Given the fact that you want an exhaustive search when completing a scoping or systematic review, it would be best to include both MeSH terms and keywords in your search to prevent missing articles.
Want to geek out over Automated Indexing at the National Library of Medicine to find out more about how PubMed's subject headings are assigned? Check out the FAQ below!
If you aren't happy with the list of articles your search brings back, here are some ways you might think about changing your search.
1. Too many articles / Articles aren't on topic
2. Too few articles
Photo by Anant Nath Sharma, used with permission under a Creative Commons license
