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How to locate references using database specific controlled vocabulary resources together with free-text terms
APA PsycInfo <2002 to Present>
Ovid Training Team
2024-05-08
Search Filters
In May 2023 the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared “an end to COVID-19 as a public emergency” (1). Nevertheless, the pandemic, during its course and afterwards, has had a substantial impact on people’s physical and mental health. This search strategy aims to identify literature that addresses the impact of covid on people’s psychological wellbeing and overall mental health. Constructed for use in APA PsycInfo by the Customer Success Team at Wolters Kluwer Health Learning Research and Practice (WKHLRP), equivalent searches have been similarly constructed for Ovid MEDLINE and Journals@Ovid. Points to note are as follows.
Bibliographic Databases and Controlled Vocabularies
Ovid MEDLINE and APA PyscInfo are both bibliographic databases, also referred to as Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases. That is to say, they are highly detailed sources of information about information, the latter in the form of mostly scientific journal articles, but also systematic reviews, controlled trials, conference proceedings etc.
Where possible full-text versions of bibliographic references are made available via included link-out options to full-text repositories, e.g. PMC. A characteristic of bibliographic databases is their use of a controlled vocabulary for both indexing and searching. For APA PsycInfo the controlled vocabulary is provided by the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms® (2) which maintained by the American Psychological Association (APA), is an indispensable aid to detailed and focused searching. Coupled with free-term searching, this bibliographic database offers a reliable means of looking for information on a topic quickly, yet comprehensively.
Search Strategy Formats: Line-by-Line or Paragraph-Based
There are differing schools of thought as to how to build a search strategy. Some prefer a line-by-line approach. Others are more inclined to enter the search terms one after another in an ongoing stream, separating out search terms and database instructions using combinations of brackets (parentheses) and Boolean Operators (OR, AND, NOT) – the paragraph approach. Each format has merits and disadvantages. The example given here is a hybrid of the two approaches.
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Charlotte Viken
Review Date: 2024-05-08
Expiry Date: 2025-05-08
Ovid Training Team
1. WHO chief declares end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136367
2. APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms®
https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/training/thesaurus
1. COVID-19 Vaccines/ or COVID-19/ or COVID-19 Testing/ or COVID-19 Serological Testing/ or SARS-CoV-2/ or exp coronavirus/
2. *mental health/ or exp *mental disorders/ or exp *anxiety disorders/ or exp *"disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders"/ or exp *"feeding and eating disorders"/ or exp *mood disorders/ or exp *personality disorders/ or exp *sleep wake disorders/ or exp *substance-related disorders/ or exp *"trauma and stressor related disorders"/ or exp *stress disorders, traumatic/ or hypochondriasis/ or resilience, psychological/
3. ("Alcohol abus$3" or "alcohol use$2" or Anxiety or Bereavement or Conflict$2 or Compulsion or coping or Cyberchondria or Depression or despair or "disruptive behavior" or Distress or "emotion regulation" or "financial strain" or Hypochondriasis or Isolation or Loneliness or "mental health" or mental or Mood or Obsession or "obsessive-compulsive" or "obsessive compulsive disorder" or overwhelmed or Panic or Posttraumatic or "Post trauma$3" or "prolonged grief" or Psychiatric or "psychiatric disorder" or "psychological well-being" or Psychologic or "psychological impact" or psychoses or psychosis or Ptsd or resilience or resilient or "social isolation" or Stress$3 or "substance use" or "Substance abuse" or Suicide or Suicidal or telepsychiatry or traumatic or violence or worry or "food security" or "community psychology" or fear or "self-harm" or bereavement or "death wish" or "sleep-wake disorder$1" or grief or "poor-sleep" or burnout or trichotillomania or mania$1 or traumatization or coronaphobia or phobia$1 or "impulse control" or "social support" or "moral distress").mp.
4. 1 and (2 or 3)
Database: APA PsycInfo <2002 to Present>
How to locate references using database specific controlled vocabulary resources together with free-text terms
In May 2023 the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared “an end to COVID-19 as a public emergency” (1). Nevertheless, the pandemic, during its course and afterwards, has had a substantial impact on people’s physical and mental health. This search strategy aims to identify literature that addresses the impact of covid on people’s psychological wellbeing and overall mental health. Constructed for use in APA PsycInfo by the Customer Success Team at Wolters Kluwer Health Learning Research and Practice (WKHLRP), equivalent searches have been similarly constructed for Ovid MEDLINE and Journals@Ovid. Points to note are as follows.
Bibliographic Databases and Controlled Vocabularies
Ovid MEDLINE and APA PyscInfo are both bibliographic databases, also referred to as Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases. That is to say, they are highly detailed sources of information about information, the latter in the form of mostly scientific journal articles, but also systematic reviews, controlled trials, conference proceedings etc.
Where possible full-text versions of bibliographic references are made available via included link-out options to full-text repositories, e.g. PMC. A characteristic of bibliographic databases is their use of a controlled vocabulary for both indexing and searching. For APA PsycInfo the controlled vocabulary is provided by the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms® (2) which maintained by the American Psychological Association (APA), is an indispensable aid to detailed and focused searching. Coupled with free-term searching, this bibliographic database offers a reliable means of looking for information on a topic quickly, yet comprehensively.
Search Strategy Formats: Line-by-Line or Paragraph-Based
There are differing schools of thought as to how to build a search strategy. Some prefer a line-by-line approach. Others are more inclined to enter the search terms one after another in an ongoing stream, separating out search terms and database instructions using combinations of brackets (parentheses) and Boolean Operators (OR, AND, NOT) – the paragraph approach. Each format has merits and disadvantages. The example given here is a hybrid of the two approaches.
1. COVID-19 Vaccines/ or COVID-19/ or COVID-19 Testing/ or COVID-19 Serological Testing/ or SARS-CoV-2/ or exp coronavirus/
2. *mental health/ or exp *mental disorders/ or exp *anxiety disorders/ or exp *"disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders"/ or exp *"feeding and eating disorders"/ or exp *mood disorders/ or exp *personality disorders/ or exp *sleep wake disorders/ or exp *substance-related disorders/ or exp *"trauma and stressor related disorders"/ or exp *stress disorders, traumatic/ or hypochondriasis/ or resilience, psychological/
3. ("Alcohol abus$3" or "alcohol use$2" or Anxiety or Bereavement or Conflict$2 or Compulsion or coping or Cyberchondria or Depression or despair or "disruptive behavior" or Distress or "emotion regulation" or "financial strain" or Hypochondriasis or Isolation or Loneliness or "mental health" or mental or Mood or Obsession or "obsessive-compulsive" or "obsessive compulsive disorder" or overwhelmed or Panic or Posttraumatic or "Post trauma$3" or "prolonged grief" or Psychiatric or "psychiatric disorder" or "psychological well-being" or Psychologic or "psychological impact" or psychoses or psychosis or Ptsd or resilience or resilient or "social isolation" or Stress$3 or "substance use" or "Substance abuse" or Suicide or Suicidal or telepsychiatry or traumatic or violence or worry or "food security" or "community psychology" or fear or "self-harm" or bereavement or "death wish" or "sleep-wake disorder$1" or grief or "poor-sleep" or burnout or trichotillomania or mania$1 or traumatization or coronaphobia or phobia$1 or "impulse control" or "social support" or "moral distress").mp.
4. 1 and (2 or 3)
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Charlotte Viken
Review Date: 2024-05-08
Expiry Date: 2025-05-08
Ovid Training Team
1. WHO chief declares end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136367
2. APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms®
https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/training/thesaurus
Version: 2024-11-04
Visited:
OvidGo! - Wolters Kluwer - Health Learning, Research and Practice
OvidGO! Portal. Focused Searches: Covid and Mental Health – APA PsycInfo [Internet]. London (UK): Ovid Training Team (Editors); 2024 [updated 25 October 2024; cited 30 October 2024]. Available from: https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/searches/view.php?id=12
Version: 2024-11-04
Visited:
How to help clinicians retrieve clinically relevant and scientifically sound reports of studies, quickly and efficiently, using validated search strategies.
APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
McMaster University
2025-02-25
Validated Search Filters
The Challenge: How to find useful information quickly?
Biomedical information repositories such as APA PsycInfor on Ovid, contain millions of database records on past and currently available medical literature. Updated on a regular basis, they are large, diverse, highly structured and relentlessly dynamic general purpose resources. This can present challenges to health care professionals in clinical settings, for whom (a). only a sub-set of the database is relevant to them, and (b). they need to be able to quickly locate references that they can be sure are both clinically relevant and scientifically sound.
The Solution: Tested and trusted search filters
An important category of tried, tested and trusted database search filters are validated search filters. These are search strategies made available by subject matter and information experts who have constructed and developed them using a reference set of data as a ‘gold standard’. The resulting search filters are then tested against a test set of references in order to assess their effectiveness in terms of targeted and reliable information retrieval. Where they consistently exceed a certain threshold they are deemed ‘validated’. Although such search filters, as is here the case, may only be comprised of 2-6 search expression lines, the fact of their validation accords them a preferred status in terms of being an information retrieval option. In short, validated search filters are high quality, reliable ‘knowledge assists’ that help both clinicians and those that advise them on information retrieval matters, e.g. librarians and information specialists, to find useful information quickly.
The Source: Clinical Queries from McMaster University in Canada
As used here by Focused Searches, the phrase ‘clinical queries’ refers to database search filters that have been developed by the Health Information Research Unit (HIRU), based at McMaster University in Canada. Made available as part of their Hedges Project, the clinical query validated search filters cover dedicated ‘purpose categories’ surrounding human health disorders. The purpose categories are causation (etiology), course (prognosis), diagnosis, treatment and therapy, clinical predictions, the economics around human health disorders, studies of quality improvement of health services as well as continuing education of health care professionals. For fuller information on clinical queries, their origins as well as a list of accompanying references, please see https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/ .
Why does the Focus Search display as a list of search lines?
The format of the rendered Focused Search for this clinical query is in two parts. The first part is a single line which contains all the clinical query’s relevant terms and expressions. The second part splits the constituent terms and expressions into their component sub-parts and then lists these line by line. At the bottom of the list of component sub-parts the OR operator is then used to obtain an overall result for all the terms and expressions in combination. This result should always be the same as the very first line. The aim of unpacking the clinical query line by line in this way is to ensure the purpose behind each line is understood as is the Ovid syntax used in the line’s construction.
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Darlene Ennis
Review Date: 2025-02-25
Expiry Date: 2026-02-25
McMaster University
Re: McMaster University, Health Information Research Unit, Hedges Project
For information on clinical queries, as well as a list of accompanying references, please see
https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/
OvidGO! / Skills Videos
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
control:.tw. OR random:.tw. OR exp treatment/ [CQ - Therapy - Maximizes sensitivity]
control:.tw.
random:.tw.
exp treatment/
OR/2-4 [CQ – Therapy - Maximizes sensitivity]
Database: APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
How to help clinicians retrieve clinically relevant and scientifically sound reports of studies, quickly and efficiently, using validated search strategies.
The Challenge: How to find useful information quickly?
Biomedical information repositories such as APA PsycInfor on Ovid, contain millions of database records on past and currently available medical literature. Updated on a regular basis, they are large, diverse, highly structured and relentlessly dynamic general purpose resources. This can present challenges to health care professionals in clinical settings, for whom (a). only a sub-set of the database is relevant to them, and (b). they need to be able to quickly locate references that they can be sure are both clinically relevant and scientifically sound.
The Solution: Tested and trusted search filters
An important category of tried, tested and trusted database search filters are validated search filters. These are search strategies made available by subject matter and information experts who have constructed and developed them using a reference set of data as a ‘gold standard’. The resulting search filters are then tested against a test set of references in order to assess their effectiveness in terms of targeted and reliable information retrieval. Where they consistently exceed a certain threshold they are deemed ‘validated’. Although such search filters, as is here the case, may only be comprised of 2-6 search expression lines, the fact of their validation accords them a preferred status in terms of being an information retrieval option. In short, validated search filters are high quality, reliable ‘knowledge assists’ that help both clinicians and those that advise them on information retrieval matters, e.g. librarians and information specialists, to find useful information quickly.
The Source: Clinical Queries from McMaster University in Canada
As used here by Focused Searches, the phrase ‘clinical queries’ refers to database search filters that have been developed by the Health Information Research Unit (HIRU), based at McMaster University in Canada. Made available as part of their Hedges Project, the clinical query validated search filters cover dedicated ‘purpose categories’ surrounding human health disorders. The purpose categories are causation (etiology), course (prognosis), diagnosis, treatment and therapy, clinical predictions, the economics around human health disorders, studies of quality improvement of health services as well as continuing education of health care professionals. For fuller information on clinical queries, their origins as well as a list of accompanying references, please see https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/ .
Why does the Focus Search display as a list of search lines?
The format of the rendered Focused Search for this clinical query is in two parts. The first part is a single line which contains all the clinical query’s relevant terms and expressions. The second part splits the constituent terms and expressions into their component sub-parts and then lists these line by line. At the bottom of the list of component sub-parts the OR operator is then used to obtain an overall result for all the terms and expressions in combination. This result should always be the same as the very first line. The aim of unpacking the clinical query line by line in this way is to ensure the purpose behind each line is understood as is the Ovid syntax used in the line’s construction.
control:.tw. OR random:.tw. OR exp treatment/ [CQ - Therapy - Maximizes sensitivity]
control:.tw.
random:.tw.
exp treatment/
OR/2-4 [CQ – Therapy - Maximizes sensitivity]
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Darlene Ennis
Review Date: 2025-02-25
Expiry Date: 2026-02-25
McMaster University
Re: McMaster University, Health Information Research Unit, Hedges Project
For information on clinical queries, as well as a list of accompanying references, please see
https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/
OvidGO! / Skills Videos
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
Version: 2025-02-25
Visited:
OvidGo! - Wolters Kluwer - Health Learning, Research and Practice
OvidGO! Portal. Focused Searches: Clinical Queries – Therapy – Maximized Sensitivity – APA PsycInfo [Internet]. London (UK): Ovid Training Team (Editors); 2024 [updated 25 October 2024; cited 30 October 2024]. Available from: https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/searches/view.php?id=955
Version: 2025-02-25
Visited:
How to help clinicians retrieve clinically relevant and scientifically sound reports of studies, quickly and efficiently, using validated search strategies.
APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
McMaster University
2025-02-25
Validated Search Filters
The Challenge: How to find useful information quickly?
Biomedical information repositories such as APA PsycInfo on Ovid, contains millions of database records on past and currently available medical literature. Updated on a regular basis, they are large, diverse, highly structured and relentlessly dynamic general purpose resources. This can present challenges to health care professionals in clinical settings, for whom (a). only a sub-set of the database is relevant to them, and (b). they need to be able to quickly locate references that they can be sure are both clinically relevant and scientifically sound.
The Solution: Tested and trusted search filters
An important category of tried, tested and trusted database search filters are validated search filters. These are search strategies made available by subject matter and information experts who have constructed and developed them using a reference set of data as a ‘gold standard’. The resulting search filters are then tested against a test set of references in order to assess their effectiveness in terms of targeted and reliable information retrieval. Where they consistently exceed a certain threshold they are deemed ‘validated’. Although such search filters, as is here the case, may only be comprised of 2-6 search expression lines, the fact of their validation accords them a preferred status in terms of being an information retrieval option. In short, validated search filters are high quality, reliable ‘knowledge assists’ that help both clinicians and those that advise them on information retrieval matters, e.g. librarians and information specialists, to find useful information quickly.
The Source: Clinical Queries from McMaster University in Canada
As used here by Focused Searches, the phrase ‘clinical queries’ refers to database search filters that have been developed by the Health Information Research Unit (HIRU), based at McMaster University in Canada. Made available as part of their Hedges Project, the clinical query validated search filters cover dedicated ‘purpose categories’ surrounding human health disorders. The purpose categories are causation (etiology), course (prognosis), diagnosis, treatment and therapy, clinical predictions, the economics around human health disorders, studies of quality improvement of health services as well as continuing education of health care professionals. For fuller information on clinical queries, their origins as well as a list of accompanying references, please see https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/ .
Why does the Focus Search display as a list of search lines?
The format of the rendered Focused Search for this clinical query is in two parts. The first part is a single line which contains all the clinical query’s relevant terms and expressions. The second part splits the constituent terms and expressions into their component sub-parts and then lists these line by line. At the bottom of the list of component sub-parts the OR operator is then used to obtain an overall result for all the terms and expressions in combination. This result should always be the same as the very first line. The aim of unpacking the clinical query line by line in this way is to ensure the purpose behind each line is understood as is the Ovid syntax used in the line’s construction.
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Darlene Ennis
Review Date: 2025-02-25
Expiry Date: 2026-02-25
McMaster University
Re: McMaster University, Health Information Research Unit, Hedges Project
For information on clinical queries, as well as a list of accompanying references, please see
https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/
OvidGO! / Skills Videos
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
experience:.mp. OR interview:.tw. OR qualitative:.tw. [CQ - Qualitative - Maximizes sensitivity]
experience:.mp.
interview:.tw.
qualitative:.tw.
OR/2-4 [CQ – Qualitative - Maximizes sensitivity]
Database: APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
How to help clinicians retrieve clinically relevant and scientifically sound reports of studies, quickly and efficiently, using validated search strategies.
The Challenge: How to find useful information quickly?
Biomedical information repositories such as APA PsycInfo on Ovid, contains millions of database records on past and currently available medical literature. Updated on a regular basis, they are large, diverse, highly structured and relentlessly dynamic general purpose resources. This can present challenges to health care professionals in clinical settings, for whom (a). only a sub-set of the database is relevant to them, and (b). they need to be able to quickly locate references that they can be sure are both clinically relevant and scientifically sound.
The Solution: Tested and trusted search filters
An important category of tried, tested and trusted database search filters are validated search filters. These are search strategies made available by subject matter and information experts who have constructed and developed them using a reference set of data as a ‘gold standard’. The resulting search filters are then tested against a test set of references in order to assess their effectiveness in terms of targeted and reliable information retrieval. Where they consistently exceed a certain threshold they are deemed ‘validated’. Although such search filters, as is here the case, may only be comprised of 2-6 search expression lines, the fact of their validation accords them a preferred status in terms of being an information retrieval option. In short, validated search filters are high quality, reliable ‘knowledge assists’ that help both clinicians and those that advise them on information retrieval matters, e.g. librarians and information specialists, to find useful information quickly.
The Source: Clinical Queries from McMaster University in Canada
As used here by Focused Searches, the phrase ‘clinical queries’ refers to database search filters that have been developed by the Health Information Research Unit (HIRU), based at McMaster University in Canada. Made available as part of their Hedges Project, the clinical query validated search filters cover dedicated ‘purpose categories’ surrounding human health disorders. The purpose categories are causation (etiology), course (prognosis), diagnosis, treatment and therapy, clinical predictions, the economics around human health disorders, studies of quality improvement of health services as well as continuing education of health care professionals. For fuller information on clinical queries, their origins as well as a list of accompanying references, please see https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/ .
Why does the Focus Search display as a list of search lines?
The format of the rendered Focused Search for this clinical query is in two parts. The first part is a single line which contains all the clinical query’s relevant terms and expressions. The second part splits the constituent terms and expressions into their component sub-parts and then lists these line by line. At the bottom of the list of component sub-parts the OR operator is then used to obtain an overall result for all the terms and expressions in combination. This result should always be the same as the very first line. The aim of unpacking the clinical query line by line in this way is to ensure the purpose behind each line is understood as is the Ovid syntax used in the line’s construction.
experience:.mp. OR interview:.tw. OR qualitative:.tw. [CQ - Qualitative - Maximizes sensitivity]
experience:.mp.
interview:.tw.
qualitative:.tw.
OR/2-4 [CQ – Qualitative - Maximizes sensitivity]
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Darlene Ennis
Review Date: 2025-02-25
Expiry Date: 2026-02-25
McMaster University
Re: McMaster University, Health Information Research Unit, Hedges Project
For information on clinical queries, as well as a list of accompanying references, please see
https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/
OvidGO! / Skills Videos
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
Version: 2025-02-25
Visited:
OvidGo! - Wolters Kluwer - Health Learning, Research and Practice
OvidGO! Portal. Focused Searches: Clinical Queries – Qualitative – Maximized Sensitivity – APA PsycInfo [Internet]. London (UK): Ovid Training Team (Editors); 2024 [updated 25 October 2024; cited 30 October 2024]. Available from: https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/searches/view.php?id=96
Version: 2025-02-25
Visited:
How to help clinicians retrieve clinically relevant and scientifically sound reports of studies, quickly and efficiently, using validated search strategies.
APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
McMaster University
2025-02-25
Validated Search Filters
The Challenge: How to find useful information quickly?
Biomedical information repositories such as APA PsycInfo on Ovid, contains millions of database records on past and currently available medical literature. Updated on a regular basis, they are large, diverse, highly structured and relentlessly dynamic general purpose resources. This can present challenges to health care professionals in clinical settings, for whom (a). only a sub-set of the database is relevant to them, and (b). they need to be able to quickly locate references that they can be sure are both clinically relevant and scientifically sound.
The Solution: Tested and trusted search filters
An important category of tried, tested and trusted database search filters are validated search filters. These are search strategies made available by subject matter and information experts who have constructed and developed them using a reference set of data as a ‘gold standard’. The resulting search filters are then tested against a test set of references in order to assess their effectiveness in terms of targeted and reliable information retrieval. Where they consistently exceed a certain threshold they are deemed ‘validated’. Although such search filters, as is here the case, may only be comprised of 2-6 search expression lines, the fact of their validation accords them a preferred status in terms of being an information retrieval option. In short, validated search filters are high quality, reliable ‘knowledge assists’ that help both clinicians and those that advise them on information retrieval matters, e.g. librarians and information specialists, to find useful information quickly.
The Source: Clinical Queries from McMaster University in Canada
As used here by Focused Searches, the phrase ‘clinical queries’ refers to database search filters that have been developed by the Health Information Research Unit (HIRU), based at McMaster University in Canada. Made available as part of their Hedges Project, the clinical query validated search filters cover dedicated ‘purpose categories’ surrounding human health disorders. The purpose categories are causation (etiology), course (prognosis), diagnosis, treatment and therapy, clinical predictions, the economics around human health disorders, studies of quality improvement of health services as well as continuing education of health care professionals. For fuller information on clinical queries, their origins as well as a list of accompanying references, please see https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/ .
Why does the Focus Search display as a list of search lines?
The format of the rendered Focused Search for this clinical query is in two parts. The first part is a single line which contains all the clinical query’s relevant terms and expressions. The second part splits the constituent terms and expressions into their component sub-parts and then lists these line by line. At the bottom of the list of component sub-parts the OR operator is then used to obtain an overall result for all the terms and expressions in combination. This result should always be the same as the very first line. The aim of unpacking the clinical query line by line in this way is to ensure the purpose behind each line is understood as is the Ovid syntax used in the line’s construction.
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Darlene Ennis
Review Date: 2025-02-25
Expiry Date: 2026-02-25
McMaster University
Re: McMaster University, Health Information Research Unit, Hedges Project
For information on clinical queries, as well as a list of accompanying references, please see
https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/
OvidGO! / Skills Videos
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
risk:.tw. OR search:.tw. OR exp treatment/ [CQ - Review - Maximizes sensitivity]
risk:.tw.
search:.tw.
exp treatment/
OR/2-4 [CQ – Review - Maximizes sensitivity]
Database: APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
How to help clinicians retrieve clinically relevant and scientifically sound reports of studies, quickly and efficiently, using validated search strategies.
The Challenge: How to find useful information quickly?
Biomedical information repositories such as APA PsycInfo on Ovid, contains millions of database records on past and currently available medical literature. Updated on a regular basis, they are large, diverse, highly structured and relentlessly dynamic general purpose resources. This can present challenges to health care professionals in clinical settings, for whom (a). only a sub-set of the database is relevant to them, and (b). they need to be able to quickly locate references that they can be sure are both clinically relevant and scientifically sound.
The Solution: Tested and trusted search filters
An important category of tried, tested and trusted database search filters are validated search filters. These are search strategies made available by subject matter and information experts who have constructed and developed them using a reference set of data as a ‘gold standard’. The resulting search filters are then tested against a test set of references in order to assess their effectiveness in terms of targeted and reliable information retrieval. Where they consistently exceed a certain threshold they are deemed ‘validated’. Although such search filters, as is here the case, may only be comprised of 2-6 search expression lines, the fact of their validation accords them a preferred status in terms of being an information retrieval option. In short, validated search filters are high quality, reliable ‘knowledge assists’ that help both clinicians and those that advise them on information retrieval matters, e.g. librarians and information specialists, to find useful information quickly.
The Source: Clinical Queries from McMaster University in Canada
As used here by Focused Searches, the phrase ‘clinical queries’ refers to database search filters that have been developed by the Health Information Research Unit (HIRU), based at McMaster University in Canada. Made available as part of their Hedges Project, the clinical query validated search filters cover dedicated ‘purpose categories’ surrounding human health disorders. The purpose categories are causation (etiology), course (prognosis), diagnosis, treatment and therapy, clinical predictions, the economics around human health disorders, studies of quality improvement of health services as well as continuing education of health care professionals. For fuller information on clinical queries, their origins as well as a list of accompanying references, please see https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/ .
Why does the Focus Search display as a list of search lines?
The format of the rendered Focused Search for this clinical query is in two parts. The first part is a single line which contains all the clinical query’s relevant terms and expressions. The second part splits the constituent terms and expressions into their component sub-parts and then lists these line by line. At the bottom of the list of component sub-parts the OR operator is then used to obtain an overall result for all the terms and expressions in combination. This result should always be the same as the very first line. The aim of unpacking the clinical query line by line in this way is to ensure the purpose behind each line is understood as is the Ovid syntax used in the line’s construction.
risk:.tw. OR search:.tw. OR exp treatment/ [CQ - Review - Maximizes sensitivity]
risk:.tw.
search:.tw.
exp treatment/
OR/2-4 [CQ – Review - Maximizes sensitivity]
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Darlene Ennis
Review Date: 2025-02-25
Expiry Date: 2026-02-25
McMaster University
Re: McMaster University, Health Information Research Unit, Hedges Project
For information on clinical queries, as well as a list of accompanying references, please see
https://hiruweb.mcmaster.ca/hkr/hedges/
OvidGO! / Skills Videos
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
Version: 2025-02-25
Visited:
OvidGo! - Wolters Kluwer - Health Learning, Research and Practice
OvidGO! Portal. Focused Searches: Clinical Queries – Review – Maximized Sensitivity – APA PsycInfo [Internet]. London (UK): Ovid Training Team (Editors); 2024 [updated 25 October 2024; cited 30 October 2024]. Available from: https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/searches/view.php?id=97
Version: 2025-02-25
Visited:
How to use the database command 'docz.dz.' and the Status (ST) field to identify the constituent parts of APA PsycInfo and show their relative sizes.
APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
Ovid Training Team
2025-03-17
Training
APA PsycInfo describes itself as "(T)he premier abstracting and indexiing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology". (1) A resource produced and made available by the American Psychological Association (APA), APA PsycInfo, along with Ovid MEDLINE and Embase on Ovid, constitute, in their respective fields, the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases for peer-reviewed scientific information.
APA PsycInfo on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)
Training Session Programme
This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,
(1). See https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/index
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Charlotte Viken
Review Date: 2025-03-17
Expiry Date: 2026-03-17
Ovid Training Team
OvidGO! / Skills Videos / General Introduction
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
docz.dz.
limit 1 to "0100 journal"
limit 1 to "0110 peer-reviewed journal"
limit 1 to "0130 peer-reviewed status unknown"
limit 1 to "0200 book"
limit 1 to "0240 authored book"
limit 1 to "0280 edited book"
limit 1 to "0300 encyclopedia"
limit 1 to "0400 dissertation abstract"
limit 1 to "0500 electronic collection"
or/2-10
1 not 11
11 or 12 Database: APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
How to use the database command 'docz.dz.' and the Status (ST) field to identify the constituent parts of APA PsycInfo and show their relative sizes.
APA PsycInfo describes itself as "(T)he premier abstracting and indexiing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology". (1) A resource produced and made available by the American Psychological Association (APA), APA PsycInfo, along with Ovid MEDLINE and Embase on Ovid, constitute, in their respective fields, the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases for peer-reviewed scientific information.
APA PsycInfo on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)
Training Session Programme
This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,
(1). See https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/index
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/
docz.dz.
limit 1 to "0100 journal"
limit 1 to "0110 peer-reviewed journal"
limit 1 to "0130 peer-reviewed status unknown"
limit 1 to "0200 book"
limit 1 to "0240 authored book"
limit 1 to "0280 edited book"
limit 1 to "0300 encyclopedia"
limit 1 to "0400 dissertation abstract"
limit 1 to "0500 electronic collection"
or/2-10
1 not 11
11 or 12 Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Charlotte Viken
Review Date: 2025-03-17
Expiry Date: 2026-03-17
Ovid Training Team
OvidGO! / Skills Videos / General Introduction
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
Version: 2025-03-17
Visited:
OvidGo! - Wolters Kluwer - Health Learning, Research and Practice
OvidGO! Portal. Focused Searches: APA PsycInfo on Ovid - Database Size and Shape (docz.dz) [Internet]. London (UK): Ovid Training Team (Editors); 2025 [updated 2 March 2024; cited 10 March 2025]. Available from: https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/searches/view.php?id=112
Version: 2025-03-17
Visited:
How to locate and exploit index terms on APA PsycInfo on Ovid using the APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms (R).
APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
Ovid Training Team
2025-03-17
Training
APA PsycInfo describes itself as "(T)he premier abstracting and indexiing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology". (1) A resource produced and made available by the American Psychological Association (APA), APA PsycInfo, along with Ovid MEDLINE and Embase on Ovid, constitute, in their respective fields, the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases for peer-reviewed scientific information.
APA PsycInfo on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)
Training Session Programme
This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,
(1). See https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/index
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/
This focused search will provide you with a quick introduction to indexing on APA PsycInfo on Ovid. The focused search demonstrates how an entry term (as given in the search lines below in bold script) is mapped onto its equivalent thesaurus term in APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms (R)..
Points to note:
Instructions:
anorexia nervosa/ [1. Entry Term: eating disorders, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
exp digital interventions/ [1. Entry Term: internet, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
1 and 2
limit 3 to ("0800 literature review" or "0830 systematic review")
limit 4 to "remove medline records" Questions:
Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Charlotte Viken
Review Date: 2025-03-17
Expiry Date: 2026-03-17
Ovid Training Team
OvidGO! / Skills Videos / General Introduction
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
anorexia nervosa/ [1. Entry Term: eating disorders, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
exp digital interventions/ [1. Entry Term: internet, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
1 and 2
limit 3 to ("0800 literature review" or "0830 systematic review")
limit 4 to "remove medline records" Database: APA PsycInfo <1806 to Present>
How to locate and exploit index terms on APA PsycInfo on Ovid using the APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms (R).
APA PsycInfo describes itself as "(T)he premier abstracting and indexiing database covering the behavioral and social sciences from the authority in psychology". (1) A resource produced and made available by the American Psychological Association (APA), APA PsycInfo, along with Ovid MEDLINE and Embase on Ovid, constitute, in their respective fields, the largest and most comprehensive Abstracting and Indexing (A&I) databases for peer-reviewed scientific information.
APA PsycInfo on Ovid – Facts and Figures (1)
Training Session Programme
This Learning Pathway series of training modules draws upon the content and teaching approaches in and behind the learning resource OvidGO! (2). Constructed around a selection of focused searches, the training programme has been designed to achieve the following two objectives,
(1). See https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo/index
(2). See https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/
This focused search will provide you with a quick introduction to indexing on APA PsycInfo on Ovid. The focused search demonstrates how an entry term (as given in the search lines below in bold script) is mapped onto its equivalent thesaurus term in APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms (R)..
Points to note:
Instructions:
anorexia nervosa/ [1. Entry Term: eating disorders, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
exp digital interventions/ [1. Entry Term: internet, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
1 and 2
limit 3 to ("0800 literature review" or "0830 systematic review")
limit 4 to "remove medline records" Questions:
anorexia nervosa/ [1. Entry Term: eating disorders, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
exp digital interventions/ [1. Entry Term: internet, 2. Navigate to prefered term ]
1 and 2
limit 3 to ("0800 literature review" or "0830 systematic review")
limit 4 to "remove medline records" Primary: Michael Fanning
Secondary: Charlotte Viken
Review Date: 2025-03-17
Expiry Date: 2026-03-17
Ovid Training Team
OvidGO! / Skills Videos / General Introduction
What is a bibliographic database?
What is the structure of a database?
What is Ovid MEDLINE?
What are Boolean Operators?
What are wildcards?
Subject heading searching
Version: 2025-03-17
Visited:
OvidGo! - Wolters Kluwer - Health Learning, Research and Practice
OvidGO! Portal. Focused Searches: APA PsycInfo on Ovid – Knowledge Discovery through Indexing (APA Thesaurus) [Internet]. London (UK): Ovid Training Team (Editors); 2025 [updated 2 March 2024; cited 10 March 2025]. Available from: https://tools.ovid.com/ovidgo/searches/view.php?id=113
Version: 2025-03-17
Visited:
Ovid Customer Support, Database Size and Shape – Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Expert Searches Portal, Version: 8th May 2023, Visited: 11th May 2023.
An Ovid Coaching session has its agenda driven by you, the participating librarian. Topics covered are ones that you choose.
They may be related to Ovid functionality, search modes, search techniques, Ovid Tools & Resources, learning materials etc..
To register for an Ovid Coaching session please fill in the contact form below. In the Your Comments box let us know what you would like to discuss and when.
An Ovid Trainer will get back to you to confirm details.
Focused Searches on OvidGO! consist of a comprehensive selection of database searches that are easily discoverable, accessible and actionable, that you can run directly on the Ovid platform with a single click. The curated and regularly reviewed portfolio of searches has been selected by the Ovid Training Team from various named and accredited sources. They include search filters, search strategies, search blocks and vary in size and format.
You can use all the searches within Focused Searches as standalone resources or in combination with the other knowledge and educational assets in the training and coaching activity areas which together make up the OvidGO! portal. Portrayed using a standardised ABC approach (see next section) developed by the Ovid Training Team, any Focused Search can also be quickly displayed on screen passively for consultation, comparative reference as well as teaching purposes. Each search has a background section which provides more detail about the search, its origin plus any noteworthy features and characteristics.
Full accreditation is given to the creator of the search as well as a live and actionable reference to the original source. Each search carries an OvidGO! citation and can be embedded in non-Ovid documentation by means of a dedicated and permanent link.
Developed by the Ovid Training Team, the ABC approach, which stands for Action, Background and Citation, represents the standard format for every search on Focused Searches. Regardless of its type, size or origin, the ABC formula provides for each search; a memorable point of access for both an overview of the search, accompanying information as well as a set of options for its use and re-use.
For example, if you want to view the search on your screen, simply select Actions/Display. If on the other hand you want to launch the search so that it runs and displays in Ovid, select Actions/Display. Once in Ovid, you could use the executed search in the development of your search strategy, save it in My Workspace or share it with colleagues.
Further options under the Actions tab include:
Selecting the Background tab will provide you with information on the search. These details include:
Selecting the Citation tab will display an OvidGO! citation for the search on Ovid and accompanying materials as displayed in Focused Searches. The current citation format is Vancouver.
The searches on Ovid, presented using our ABC format, can be used in a number of ways. These depend, of course, on what your objective is. They could include searching for literature systematically or getting to know an unfamiliar database or even for teaching database use to others.
For example, if you are building a search strategy which requires locating randomised controlled trials, you might want to select Actions/Launch for the Cochrane RCT Search Filter I and directly include it in your search strategy. Equally you might want to save it as a search block in My Workspace for later review, use or even sharing.
Alternatively, were you to be unfamiliar with, say APA PsycInfo, you could select Actions/Display for the Covid and Mental Health - APA PsycInfo search to see how comfortable you are with that database’s use of terms and phrases for the subject matter.
In terms of teaching scenarios, you could refer to the Search History Analysis Example search, where the Background tab provides information on how to use a search history and its systematic deconstruction to help users better understand how and why such searches are built in the way that they are.
If you need our assistance on any of the Focused Searches use cases mentioned above, simply select Actions/Ovid Coaching for the search that interests you.
Every search on Focused Searches is inspected by at least two members of the Ovid Training Team. Inspection involves two activities. First, ensuring that the search as captured and displayed in OvidGO! Focused Searches is a true and accurate version of the original (which often has had to be extracted and/or rebuilt from its original source, commonly a paper- and/or PDF-based publication). Second, that the search runs on Ovid in the selected database and using the syntax as employed by the original creator of the search.
The Ovid Training Team reviewers do not alter or make changes to the content of the original work. Where ambiguities or questions may arise, these are discussed with the original creator of the search for clarification and author-approved remedial action if necessary. Details of any such request for clarification may also be reported on in the Background information where relevant and appropriate.
In the case of search filter type searches included in Focused Searches, if the original author of the search has validated the search, this information is included in the Background information. The Ovid Training Team does not undertake any search validation independently of the creator of the original search. Again, it's worth iterating here that the objective of OvidGO!’s Focused Searches is to bring useful, instructive and highly regarded searches, already published or issued, closer to a user-level surface for greater exposure and positive consumption.
Currently, the searches on Focused Searches will be reviewed annually for relevancy and usage.
As part of The Focused Searches Project we are also reviewing all the searches in the Expert Searches section of the Ovid Tools & Resources Portal. The subsequent inclusion or exclusion of these expert searches into OvidGO!’s Focused Searches will depend upon the former’s current relevance, topicality and perceived usefulness. The Expert Searches on the Ovid Tools & Resources Portal marked for inclusion will be progressively migrated to Focused Searches on OvidGO! and re-structured and re-issued in accordance with the ABC approach as discussed above. Upon the conclusion of this part of the project, the Expert Searches on the Ovid Tools & Resources Portal will be removed from this site by the end of 2024.
If you have a favourite search currently in the Expert Searches on the Ovid Tools & Resources Portal and would like to have it included in Focused Searches on OvidGO!’s, please let us know.
Yes! We would very much like to hear from you. Ideally, recommended searches should be of benefit to a large number of Ovid users. They can nevertheless vary in terms of what they have been designed to achieve. They could be searches that add a more elegant set of lines to a systematic literature search. Or a set of controlled terms that work well across databases with (very) different controlled vocabularies. Or searches that best demonstrate an approach to database usage.
If you have a search that you would like to recommend, please let us know.
The Focused Searches on OvidGO! editors, Michael Fanning and Charlotte Viken, are contactable via their respective e-mail addresses or alternatively via [email protected] .