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Summer Searching Series

This series of six sessions is available to currently registered Duquesne faculty, graduate students, and staff.

Live Webinars vs. Canvas

You have the option to attend the live webinars on the dates/times listed below or to participate asynchronously through Canvas. 

If you register, we'll send you send calendar invitations and Zoom links for each of the live webinars. We'll also add you to the Summer Searching Series Canvas site and post the videos within two working days after each webinar.

Putting Background Sources in Center Frame

Tuesday, July 15, 12-1 pm

Instructor: Carolyn Baker, MLIS, MOT, Health Sciences Librarian

Unfamiliar or want a refresher on what background sources Duquesne holds and how they can be incorporated into work with both beginning and upper-level students? This session will cover background sources dive into what they offer and how they can be used with students in the classroom or in the clinical setting.

Following completion of this session, the learner will be able to:

  1. List two ways that faculty can use background sources in their teaching 
  2. Describe a specific background source that could be used to explore drug monographs 
  3. Identify two benefits students can derive from utilizing a background source app

Advanced Search Tactics: Developing Health Science Literature Searches

Wednesday, July 16, 3-4 pm

Instructor: Jamie Kojiro, MLIS Candidate, Health Sciences Library Intern

In this webinar, we will walk step-by-step through the process of creating a sophisticated search query from a research question. Learners can expect to develop basic, database agnostic search skills alongside more intermediate/advanced strategies.

Following completion of this session, the learner will be able to:

  1. Employ Boolean operators, nesting, and phrase searching to convert a research question into a workable search. 
  2. List common database filters and common applications of filters for health science literature searching.
  3. Define proximity operators and how they can improve search precision. 
  4. Describe the key features of research database subject headings, including hierarchies, subheadings, and explode. 

Getting the Most Out of Embase

Tuesday, July 22, 3-4 pm

Instructor: Madelyn Glymour, MLIS, Medical Librarian

How is Embase different from PubMed? What tools does it offer for finding the medical literature you're interested in? This webinar will cover the basics of using Embase, as well as tips and tricks to elevate your search skills.

Following completion of this session, the learner will be able to:

  1. Describe the content and aims of Embase, and how they overlap with and differ from other medical databases.
  2. Perform a search in Embase using keywords, Boolean operators, and Emtree terms.
  3. Filter an Embase search by publication date, study type, language, and subject characteristics.
  4. Use the Embase PICO tool to create searches based on structured research questions.
  5. Use the Embase Disease, Drug, and Device searches to quickly perform specialized searches in those areas.

Getting the Most Out of PubMed

Thursday, July 31, 3-4 pm

Instructor: Carolyn Baker, MLIS, MOT, Health Sciences Librarian

Have you worked in PubMed but suspect you could be doing more to get the results you want? This session gives you the opportunity to go beyond the basics so you can get the most out of PubMed. 

Following completion of this session, the learner will be able to:

  1. Explain how PubMed translates your searches, and how and why you would turn this feature off to balance search precision and sensitivity.
  2. Describe how to find and intentionally incorporate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH ) into searches to improve search precision for specific concepts.
  3. Identify what subheadings are in PubMed, how to find them, and when or when not to use them to create focused search results.
  4. Successfully complete proximity searches using PubMed syntax.

Getting the Most Out of CINAHL

Wednesday, August 6, 12-1 pm

Instructor: David Nolfi, MLS, AHIP-D, Head, Research Engagement, Health Sciences/STEM & Assessment

Have you ever wished that you could get better results when searching CINAHL? During this webinar, you'll learn ways to build searches that are more comprehensive or targeted depending on your needs.

Following completion of this session, the learner will be able to:

  1. List the three major types of literature indexed in the CINAHL database.
  2. Employ Boolean and proximity operators available in CINAHL to build searches for specific research questions.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to use the CINAHL Subject Headings tool to build searches for specific health sciences concepts, and employ specific methods within the tool including explode, major topic, and subheadings.
  4. Describe CINAHL filters available to improve search result relevance for specific purposes including clinical practice and research.

Putting It All Together into a Literature Search Strategy

Thursday, August 14, 12-1 pm

Instructor: David Nolfi, MLS, AHIP-D, Head, Research Engagement, Health Sciences/STEM & Assessment 

This session will help you start planning and organizing search strategies for literature reviews, capstones, dissertations, evidence syntheses and more. We will focus on how you can efficiently record and reuse your searches.

Following completion of this session, the learner will be able to:

  1. Describe a procedure to identify subject and population-specific databases and assess their appropriateness for specific research questions.
  2. Identify tools and resources that can help build more comprehensive searches.
  3. Identify tools that can help translate searches from one database to another and describe key limitations of these tools.
  4. Explain the principles of building and saving search strategies using text editors to ensure search reproducibility.