Welcome! The purpose of this libguide is to present the process, basic & advanced search strategies, and tips in conducting a medical literature search and review using Evidence Based Medicine (EBM).
Conducting a Literature search and review for both your Clinical Question and Research Question requires all five of the Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) steps. This guide will cover in detail ASK, ACQUIRE, and APPRAISE, with a brief mention on APPLY and EVALUATE.
"Lit Searches" & "Lit reviews" (as they are commonly shortened to) are often referred to interchangeably but are two separate and important steps in the research process.
Literature Searches require use of strategy to systematically search the literature for relevant information on a particular topic that relates to your research or clinical question.
Literature Reviews are the analyzing, criticizing, comparing/contrasting articles found during the literature search. Often this is then turned into a written component of your research (as a research article or case study article).
TIP: To see our EBM Guide, featuring EBM resources, biostat resources, study designs, and information on systematic reviews, click HERE.