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How to Search the Literature (Advanced)

This guide offers an eight step approach from identifying your topic to managing your search strategy and results

Truncation

The truncation symbol retrieves alternate word endings without typing every variation. 

  • Using the truncation symbol can help to save time and ensure you capture all relevant forms of a word.

    • e.g., surg* will retrieve surgery, surgeries, surgeon, or surgical

  • Use with caution to ensure relevant words are being retrieved.  Avoid truncating too far to the left, as it may retrieve irrelevant words.

    • e.g., stud* will retrieve study, studies, student, students, etc.

  • Truncation symbols can vary among databases:

    • Ovid Databases (e.g., Medline, Embase, AMED, PsycINFO) truncation symbol is an asterisk (*) or dollar sign ($)

    • EBSCO Databases (e.g., CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Social Science Index) truncation symbol is an asterisk (*)

    • PubMed truncation symbol is an asterisk (*)

    • Web of Science truncation symbol is an asterisk (*)

    • Google truncation symbol is an asterisk (*)

  • Always check the Help section of the database for exact rules.

Wildcards

 

Wildcards are symbols used in search queries to replace one or more characters in a word. They are helpful for handling variant spellings (e.g., pediatric vs. paediatric).

Different databases use different wildcard symbols:

  • Wildcard symbols can vary among databases:

    • ​Ovid Databases wildcards:

      • The hash sign (#) inside or at the end of a word to replace exactly one character e.g., wom#n will return results with woman or women

      • The question mark (?) inside or at the end of a word to replace zero or one character e.g., p?ediatric will return results with paediatric or pediatric

    • EBSCO Databases wildcards:

      • The hash sign (#) matches one optional character.

      • The question mark (?) matches exactly one character

    • Web of Science wildcards: 

      • The question mark (?) represents any single character.

      • The dollar sign ($) represents zero or one character.

  •  

    Always check the Help section of the database you are using, as wildcard symbols can differ.

Search Fields

What is a search field?

Think of a database as a collection of records, and each record has multiple fields (like columns in a spreadsheet). Each field contains a specific type of data, such as:

  • Title – The title of an article or book.

  • Author – The name(s) of the author(s).

  • Abstract – A summary of the content.

  • Subject Heading – Terms describing the topic.

  • Publication Date – When the item was published.

 

Why use a search field?

A database search field is a specific area or category within a database record that stores a particular type of information. When you search in a database, you can target these fields to make your search more precise.

 

When planning a keyword search, choosing the right fields to limit your search to can make your results much more relevant and manageable.

Which search field(s) should you use?

The decision to use a specific search field often depends on factors such as context, the research question, and the database’s indexing practices.

Remember: Always check the database’s Help Guide or Field Guide before building your search strategy to ensure:

  • You know which fields are available.

  • You avoid errors or incomplete searches.

  • You use the most effective strategy for that specific database.

 

 

  

When searching in Ovid databases, you can limit your keywords to specific fields for more precise results. Below are some commonly used fields:

  • .ab. – Abstract
    Searches for the keyword or phrase in the abstract of the record.

  • .ti.– Title
    Searches for the keyword or phrase in the title of the record.

  • .tw. - Text Word (AB, TI)

Searches for the keyword or phrase in the title and abstract.

  • .kw. – Keyword Heading [Phrase Indexed]
    Searches for author-assigned keywords as a phrase.

  • .kf. – Keyword Heading Word
    Searches for individual words within author-assigned keywords. 

  • .mp. – Multi-purpose
    Searches for keyword or phrase  across multiple relevant fields that typically contain text words for subject searching (e.g., title, abstract, keyword heading, subject headings, etc.). It’s the default search field for keywords in the Ovid databases.

 

Note: Not all databases on the Ovid platform support the .kf. (Keyword Heading Word) and .kw. (Keyword Heading) fields. For example:

  • PsycINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) do not allow searching in these fields.

  • When .kw. and .kf. fields are not supported in Ovid databases, the best alternative is to use the Multi-Purpose field (.mp.) for your keyword search.

Topic (TS) vs. All Fields (ALL) in Web of Science

  • Topic (TS)
    Searches across the following fields: Title, Abstract, Author Keywords, and Keywords Plus

  • All Fields (ALL)

Searches everywhere in the record, including: Authors, Affiliations, DOI, Funding information, etc.

Consider searching for your keyword or phrase in the TOPIC (TS) field in Web of Science.

EBSCO databases use searchable field codes to target specific sections of a record. These codes allow you to create precise searches using indexed fields found in the citation, full display, or full text (if available).

EBSCO uses two-character abbreviations for field codes. Here are field code examples for CINAHL:

  • SU – Subject
  • AU – Author
  • TI – Article Title
  • XB – Title and Abstract
  • TX – All Text                                                                                                                                                                           

TX searches for your term in multiple areas within a record, including the article's title, summary, abstract, subject headings, and the full text (if available).

Just like Ovid, EBSCO field codes are database-specific, and not all fields are available across all products.  Always check the database’s Help or Field Guide to confirm which codes are supported before building your search.

When creating a comprehensive search strategy, aim to mirror your approach across databases for consistency and thoroughness.

  • Ovid Databases (e.g., MEDLINE, Embase):

If you used .mp. (Multi-Purpose) in MEDLINE, consider using the same field in other Ovid databases.

  • CINAHL (EBSCO)

Since CINAHL is a smaller medical database, consider searching your keywords or phrases in the ALL Text field for maximum coverage.

  • Web of Science:

Use the TOPIC (TS) field for subject-focused searching.