Search approaches
Key approach: Topic searching
Other search approaches
Using a range of other search approaches can also be useful finding published and grey literature. For more detail on these and other approaches, see the Grey Literature and Other Sources Guide.
Locating key authors
Search for key authors in the Library catalogue or relevant databases. Alternatively check author profiles such as ORCiD and Google Scholar.
Learn more:
Browse contents - hand searching
Double check you have not missed relevant literature by browsing key journal or conference proceedings' online contents for a certain number of years.
Learn more:
Citation searching
Look at the reference list and who has cited (referenced) key publications to find further relevant literature.
Key databases and search tools which track citations include Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and the Library Collection.
In the Library catalogue look for 
or 
.
Learn more:
For more detail on these and other approaches, see:
Thesauri and subject headings
Many databases include a thesaurus where publications indexed in the databases are assigned subject headings by experts within the field. They can be useful to explore to:
- gain a better understanding of your discipline area
- discover synonyms or alternative terms to use in your searches
- find relevant subject terms to add to your searches
Most thesauri will require you to enter your search terms or browse to find relevant terms.
The example below is from the education focussed database:
Select the 'i' icons below for more information:
Top tips:
- If you are doing a systematic review you should include subject terms in your search to make it comprehensive.
- Always check the scope note (explanation) available in a thesaurus to make sure your understanding is the same as the definition given.
Databases and their associated thesauri
|
Database |
Thesaurus |
|---|---|
|
APA PsycInfo (Ovid) |
Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms |
|
Business Source Ultimate (EBSCOhost) |
Business Thesaurus |
|
CINAHL Complete (EBSCOhost) |
CINAHL Subject Headings |
|
Embase, Emcare (Ovid) |
Emtree |
|
ERIC: Educational Resources Information Center (ProQuest) |
ERIC Thesaurus |
|
MEDLINE (Ovid) |
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) |
|
Sociological abstracts |
Sociological thesaurus |
|
SPORTDiscus |
Sports Thesaurus |
More help:
- Subject headingsSubject headings page of the Systematic Review guide
Software and online tools
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools is increasing in study and research. Whilst some tools may offer efficiencies in aspects of the literature review process, you should evaluate any tool and review its limitations before you use it. Flinders University Library provide some useful points to consider when appraising GenAI tools.
- Flinders University Library – Appraising AI toolsThis Flinders University Library guide on using AI tools in research contains some prompts for critically assessing AI tools.
GenAI tools should not be used as the only source for your literature search, but they may augment traditional search approaches. You should always check the output of any GenAI tool, particularly for accuracy and currency.
The table below lists some potential advantages and limitations of selected GenAI tools in literature searching.
Potential uses for selected GenAI tools in search approaches
|
Tool |
Potential advantages |
Limitations |
|---|---|---|
|
ChatGPT |
Aid to brainstorming research questions, topics and alternative keywords; put a list of search terms in database appropriate syntax |
Produces citations that do not exist (often called ‘hallucinations’); cannot construct comprehensive search strategies that include all appropriate subject headings and exhaustive keywords strings |
|
Elicit |
Summaries of papers may assist in grasping new concepts, for example, if you are working on a multidisciplinary project with a topic outside of your area of expertise; can help identify alternative keywords |
Abstract summaries are not always accurate |
|
ResearchRabbit |
Shows citation networks, which may help identify key papers on a topic and alternative keywords; AI might draw connections between works in novel ways; integrated with Zotero reference management software |
No citations from after September 2021; visualisations can be overwhelming at first; only loads first 50 citations in the Explore Papers panels initially; difficult to export more than 50 citations at a time |
|
Scite |
Can assist with evaluating the reliability of claims made in published works; shows citation networks, which may help identify key papers on a topic and alternative keywords |
Subscription required |
Further comparison of popular AI tools can be found on the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Library guide on Emerging AI Tools for Literature Review.
The UniSA’s Teaching Innovation Unit have produced a guide to AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. It contains detailed information on what AI is and how it can be used in study and teaching.