Jan 2009

How to carry out

Web-Based Search
for
Medical Information?

Muhammad
MuhammadSaaiqSaaiq
Assistant
AssistantProfessor
Professor
PIMS,
PIMS,Islamabad.
Islamabad.
muhammadsaaiq5@gmail.com
muhammadsaaiq5@gmail.com
Learning Objectives
Information

Knowledge

Junk knowledge
 Information Resources

¾ Books

¾ Medical Journals

¾ Grey Literature

Printed form , On removable storage

devices OR Web accessible Resources
Rationale for Search in Research Pursuits
 Roadmap for Web-based Search

PC/Laptop
and
Internet

Proper
Web site

Efficient & Effective

Search
Common Web sites
¾ www. emedicine.com

¾ www. pubmed.org

¾ www. Googleadvancedsearch.com

¾ www.freemedicaljournals.com

¾ www.pakmedinet.com
Common Web sites for eBooks

¾ www.medicalstudent.com

¾ www. FreeBooks4Doctors.com

¾ www.digitallibrary.edu.pk
What is an Efficient and Effective Search
Roadmap for Efficient & Effective Search

Web Appropriate
Search Strings Use of
Limiting Options

Navigations
 How to formulate
Appropriate Search Strings ?

a. Key words
b. Truncate the Key words with *
c. Use AND/OR/NOT
d.Use parenthesis i.e ( )
e. Abolish un-necessary words and hyphenation
f. Use single quotation marks ‘ ’
g.Try different search strings
 Appropriate
Search Strings
KEY WORDS Cont’d

Corect spelling

Most databases accept both American and British

spellings. i.e Esophagus/ Oesophagus

Compound words may be hyphenated.

i.e Subject focused, Subject-focused
Preeclampsia, Pre-eclampsia
 Appropriate
Search Strings
Cont’d
USE TRUNCATION

Injury*

Injury, Injuries, Injured, injurious etc.

 Appropriate
Search Strings
USE OF BOOLEAN OPERATORS Cont’d

AND, OR, NOT

e.g.

Hand injury* AND machines*

Hand injury* OR machines*
Hand injury* NOT machines*
 Appropriate
Search Strings
Cont’d
USE OF PARENTHESES i.e ( )

(2 x 4) + 6 = 14
2 x (4 + 6) = 20

Hand injury* AND Machine operator*

AND (disablity* OR morbidity*)
(Hand injury * AND Machine operator *
AND disablity*) OR morbidity *
 Appropriate
Search Strings
Cont’d

ABOLISH UN-NECESSARY WORDS

Management of the soft tissue defects of

hand with local flaps and the results of soft
tissue reconstruction.

Soft tissue defect* AND hand* AND (local

flap* OR reconstruction* )
 Appropriate
Search Strings
Cont’d

USE SINGLE QUOTATION MARKS ‘ ’

‘ hand Injury prevention ’

 FOOD FOR THOUGHT

1. Sensible handling of Information

 FOOD FOR THOUGHT
(Cont’d)

2- Sincere sharing of knowledge / Skill

Thank You

Muhammad
MuhammadSaaiqSaaiq
Assistant
AssistantProfessor
Professor
PIMS,
PIMS,Islamabad.
Islamabad.