Differences between a systematic review and other types of reviews | from Cochrane Library
"A systematic review identifies an intervention for a specific disease or other problem in health care, and determines whether or not this intervention works. To do this authors locate, appraise and synthesize evidence from as many relevant scientific studies as possible. They summarize conclusions about effectiveness, and provide a unique collation of the known evidence on a given topic, so that others can easily review the primary studies for any intervention.
Systematic reviews differ from other types of review in that they adhere to a strict design in order to make them more comprehensive, thus minimizing the chance of bias, and ensuring their reliability. Rather than reflecting the views of the authors, or being based on a partial selection of the literature, (as is the case with many articles and reviews that are not explicitly systematic), they contain all known references to trials on a particular intervention and a comprehensive summary of the available evidence. The reviews are therefore also valuable sources of information for those receiving care, as well as for decision makers and researchers."
Research Databases
All ASU Library Research Databases - browse by title through A-Z list or by topic area
Nutrition Related Research Databases
PubMed - About the resource | Open Access Research Database! Search for a topic to retrieve journal citations and abstracts covering biomedicine and health, broadly defined to encompass those areas of the life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering needed by health professionals and others engaged in basic research and clinical care, public health, health policy development, or related educational activities. MEDLINE also covers life sciences vital to biomedical practitioners, researchers, and educators, including aspects of biology, environmental science, marine biology, plant and animal science as well as biophysics and chemistry. Increased coverage of life sciences began in 2000.
CINAHL - About the resource | Search a topic and retrieve journal citations covering nursing and allied health journal literature | Useful allied health areas include Athletic Training, Nutrition and Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. (Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
Cochrane Library - About the resource | A best evidence database | Search your topic to find a full-text Cochrane Systematic Review (see "What is a CSR" in left column of this page) OR search to find a journal citation & abstract of a systematic review not yet done by Cochrane, but quality assessed OR search to find a journal citation & abstract of a clinical trial taken from research databases i.e PubMed or EMBASE, published, and unpublished sources, i.e. conference proceedings.
Food Science and Technology Abstracts - About the resource| Covers every aspect of food science, food technology & food-related human nutrition. Indexes worldwide scientific journals, patents, books, conference proceedings, reports, theses, standards, and legislation relating to food science and technology.
MedlinePlus - About the resource | Search a topic in English or Spanish and retrieve the most authoritative consumer health information gathered from trusted sources. It's "one stop" shopping since your search retrieves/links to the best consumer health information from all the major health associations, i.e. American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association.| Just like PubMed, MedlinePlus is developed by National Institutes of Health and Medical Library Association|
PsycInfo - About the resource | Search a topic to retrieve journal citations and abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertation, and technical reports across the behavioral and social sciences.
Below are four major search strategies that you can use to systematically search across multiple databases, although the example below is from a PubMed search. Doing so will ensure with reasonable certainty that you do not miss important, relevant research on your topic. The example PICO (Research) question was chosen to illustrate the effectiveness and strengths of each search strategy since examples relevant to this topic are retrieved using each strategy in PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, and PsycInfo.
*Examples below refer to searching in PubMed, but the same methods can be used in other databases
**If using CINAHL for a Keyword Search, un-check the 'Suggest Subject Headings' box above the search boxes - then type in your Keywords and search
General Searching Tips for most research databases, including PubMed:
4 Search Strategies
Start with your topic statement, or with a Research or PICO Question
The examples below start with this research question or 'PICO question' (P=Problem/Popluation, I=Intervention/proposed solution, C=Comparison (optional alternate intervention or solution), O=desired Outcome) as a starting point:
Use the 2 Broad Strategies - Keyword and Keyword with Synonyms
Use the 2 Targeted Strategies - Keyword in Title and Subject Heading
2 Broad Strategies
2 Targeted Strategies
The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.