scientific-literature-search
Scientific Literature Search
Overview
Scientific literature search is the foundation of evidence-based research. A well-executed search maximizes recall (finding all relevant papers) while maintaining precision (avoiding irrelevant results). This guide provides a systematic approach that combines database-specific query strategies, AI-assisted synthesis, and direct content extraction, organized into a three-tiered framework that scales from targeted lookups to comprehensive landscape reviews.
Key Concepts
The PICO Framework
For clinical and biomedical questions, structure queries using the PICO framework:
- P (Population): Who are you studying? (e.g., "Diabetes Mellitus"[MeSH])
- I (Intervention): What treatment or exposure? (e.g., "Metformin"[MeSH])
- C (Comparison): What is the alternative? (e.g., placebo, standard care)
- O (Outcome): What result are you measuring? (e.g., "Cardiovascular Diseases"[MeSH])
PICO queries can be combined with publication type filters to target specific evidence levels:
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