Literature Searching

1. Literature Searching To meet the USDA requirements for Consideration of Alternatives

2. Animal Care Policy 12 “We believe that the performance of a database search remains the most effective and efficient method for demonstrating compliance with the requirement to consider alternatives to painful/distressful procedures.”

3. What are we looking for? Literature on: • Similar protocols to identify duplication • Similar protocols where a reduced number of animals were used • Similar protocols that used refined methods to reduce pain and/or distress • Models that replace the use of animals

4. Recommended Search Procedure • Step 1: Identify your search terms • Step 2: Build a search strategy – Write it down! • Step 3: Identify the databases/websites you will search • Step 4: Search for articles in the protocol’s field of study • Step 5: Search for replacement models

5. Step by Step Example Protocol: Use of ponies to teach field anesthesia to veterinary students

6. Step 1: Identify search terms • Identify terms – identify synonyms – use truncation and alternate spellings • Use of ponies to teach field anesthesia to veterinary students • Ponies – use Horse* and Equine (Equidae) • Teach – use Teach* and Educat* • Anesthesia – use Anesthesia and Anaesthesia • Veterinary – use Veterinar* • Identify appropriate “alternatives” keyword (see handout)

7. Step 2: Build a Search Strategy • Best to write down your strategy as you will be repeating it in different databases • Use boolean operators appropriately (AND, OR, NOT) • Example: (horse* OR equine) AND (anesthesia OR anaesthesia) AND (teach OR educat*) AND veterinar*

8. Step 3: Identify databases/websites to search Websites: • Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/index.html “Alternative and Searches” section • ALTBIB – National Library of Medicine http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/altbib.html • ALTWEB – John Hopkins http://altweb.jhsph.edu/ • UC Center for Animal Alternatives (UCCAA) http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/Animal_Alternatives/main.htm

9. UF Databases AGRICOLA BIOSIS (Biological Abstracts) CAB Current Contents PsycINFO PubMed (MEDLINE) TOXLINE Web of Science (Science Citation Index) Zoological Records Step 3: Identify databases/websites to search

10. Step 4: Search for articles in the field of study • Use the search strategy you created • Identify similar studies • Add refinement/reduction search terms to your strategy • Scan search results for reduction or refinement techniques

11. Step 5: Search for replacement models • Search using replacement terms appropriate to your protocol • Combine these with your previous search strategy

12. Searching PubMed • Use MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) • “Animal Use Alternatives” • Use “History” to build your search strategy • Print our the “History” screen to include with your protocol

13. WebSPIRS databases • All have the same interface, but different controlled vocabulary in the “Thesaurus” • CAB uses common and taxonomic names for organisms • BIOSIS and Zoological Record use taxonomic names only • Can switch easily between the databases • DO NOT search all at one time • Search Strategy included in results

14. Other Databases • AGRICOLA, Current Contents Connect and Web of Science use keyword searching (no controlled vocabulary) • No method of printing search history/strategy

15. Searching Tips • Write down your search terms and/or search strategy • Search at least 2 literature databases • Search 1 of the Alternatives websites • Use your librarians

16. Librarians are your friends Tara Cataldo Health Science Center Libraries P.O. Box 100206 Office: Communicore, C2-24A Phone: 352-392-1390 E-mail: tara@library.health.ufl.edu Fax: 352.846-2272

17. Powerpoint URL http://www.library.health.ufl.edu/tara/alternatives_files/frame.htm