Abstract
<strong>Abstract: Introduction:</strong> Health sciences librarians play the key role of expert searcher for knowledge synthesis research projects. When students and trainees conduct systematic reviews as academic assignments, academic librarians train learners to search comprehensively for evidence in multiple sources. <strong>Description:</strong> The authors created an electronic toolkit with handouts and a video tutorial to support instruction on translating search strategies to various databases. <strong>Outcomes:</strong> The toolkit was well received by users, who provided constructive feedback and reported an increase in comfort with translating searches. Refinements based on the assessment results will improve the tools and supplemental resources will address some gaps in coverage. Most users still expressed the need to consult with a librarian for further training and review of their searches. <strong>Discussion:</strong> Trainees who need to conduct their own comprehensive searches for academic work will benefit from a variety of training tools to suit different levels of experience and learning styles. Electronic instructional resources such as handouts and videos can effectively supplement hands-on training and feedback from a health sciences librarian.
Highlights
Health sciences librarians play the key role of expert searcher for knowledge synthesis research projects
Health sciences librarians have a well-established role in the conduct of knowledge syntheses (KS), which are core to evidence-based clinical practice (EBCP) and knowledge translation [1, 2]
The standards of reputable health research organizations such as Cochrane, the Agency of Health Research Quality (AHRQ), and the Institute of Medicine, recommend or require the involvement of information specialists in search strategy development for systematic reviews [3Á5]. This inclusion in methods guidance acknowledges the importance of the skills and expertise brought by information professionals, and it corresponds with the Medical Library Association statement on the “Role of expert searching in health sciences libraries”: health sciences librarians are crucial for expert searching and for training health sciences practitioners to improve their information retrieval skills and knowledge [6]
Summary
Health sciences librarians have a well-established role in the conduct of knowledge syntheses (KS), which are core to evidence-based clinical practice (EBCP) and knowledge translation [1, 2]. To best assist review authors when translating their KS searches from one database to another, we developed a series of tools: a quick reference chart, a more elaborate guide, and a video tutorial. These tools demonstrate functions and search processes for databases commonly consulted for comprehensive reviews and that are available through Dalhousie Libraries, PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCO), and Embase (Elsevier). Each of the three tools delivers a different level of detail to cater to the varying experience levels and learning styles of trainees This toolkit is intended to complement a series of video tutorials that introduces comprehensive searching and the development of an initial full search in PubMed, which was created previously for a graduate course on systematic reviews. Trainees who had watched the video and (or) referred to the handouts had subsequent complex and in-depth questions
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