Watch the video below to learn about why and where you should search for published literature.
Video Length: 3:56
How many databases need to be searched?
The short answer is: it depends!
Some of the factors to consider include:
No one database can cover all the literature for your research question. While databases may claim to comprehensively cover the literature in a specific area, e.g. nursing, pharmacy, or education, there are many different databases out there which may contain unique records.
The Where to search page can help you decide where to search - or you are welcome to consult a librarian.
The Cochrane Handbook mandates that the following databases are searched:
You should also consider searching the Grey literature.
MEDLINE (Ovid) ALL accessed via UniSA Library includes all content in PubMed and is updated daily. For more detailed comparison of Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed see:
Database records and thesauri of subject headings contain terms that reflect language and attitudes of the authors and period in which publications were written. Some terms are outdated, offensive, and inappropriate.