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A bachelor’s thesis often consists of a focused literature review, based on literature searches in one database (or in some cases several databases). The choice of database should be clarified with the supervisor. The literature review typically includes elements taken from the systematic literature review methodology, but is not as comprehensive.

Example from PubMed

This example is based on the following research question:

What is the first choice of pain-relieving medication for nerve root affection due to prolapse in the back?

Step 1: From research question to main concepts

Before you start looking for search terms for your project, ask yourself the following question: Which main concepts from my own project do I want to find in relevant publications?

The main concepts in our example are:

  • Pain relief
  • Nerve root affection
  • Prolapse

To find the correct scientific terms, we recommend setting each of the main concepts as headings above their own 'box'. This gives you a good overview of the individual search terms and helps you to conduct the search in a systematic and structured manner.

Step 2: Find search terms for each main concept

You can now start the process of finding the correct scientific search terms. There are many different methods to use. For example, you could ask a supervisor, a study colleague, or use a medical dictionary. You could ask your supervisor for relevant articles, and look these up in the relevant database(s), where you can easily find which controlled vocabulary search terms these are indexed with.

In our case we find the following medical terms:

  • Analgesics
  • Radiculopathy
  • Intervertebral disc displacement (It is important to use the correct term here, as the word ‘prolapse’ should not be used here. Prolapse can occur in many parts of the body while our project is only looking for prolapse in the back!)

We now fill in these words in our 'boxes', and get the following setup for our search:

We use PubMed as the reference database for this search.

The first thing we do in PubMed is to look up all three main concepts in PubMed’s controlled search vocabulary, Medical Subject Headings, or MeSH. This is a very important step in the process and helps us find the most important search terms for our main concepts.

Here exemplified with the first main concept, Analgesics.

You then click on the hyperlink Analgesics and are directed to the main page for the controlled vocabulary search term you wish to use.

On this screen, there are several elements to be aware of. It is important to read the explanation of the controlled vocabulary search term to make sure it coincides with your own understanding of what the term means. You then click on the button Add to search builder to add the controlled vocabulary search term to the PubMed search builder. Finally, you click on the button Search PubMed. You are then directed to PubMed’s search window for reference searches, which shows all the references that have been read and indexed with the MeSH term "Analgesics".

Step 3: Build the first search

You have now found a controlled vocabulary search term for the first 'box' ("Analgesics") and added it from the MeSH thesaurus to PubMed. You have now started the process of building your first literature search for this project. To carry out this literature search, repeat the process for the two remaining search terms in the next two 'boxes', "Radiculopathy" and "Intervertebral Disk Displacement". You have now transferred three controlled vocabulary search terms (MeSH terms) from the MeSH database to PubMed. You are now ready to combine these search terms for your first search for this project.

We recommend that you always combine search terms in Advanced (see below). In Advanced, you have a full overview of all the search terms you have used, and you can easily see how to combine them into a search.

When you now click on Advanced, the following screen appears:

Under History and Search Details you find the entire search history for your controlled voacbulary search terms, and you are now ready to build your first search. You do this by clicking on the three dots you find under the heading Actions in History and Search Details on the Advanced page.

You now get three options: Add query (create a search), Delete, and Create alert. You should now choose Add query.

You see now that your first controlled vocabulary search term "Analgesics" is automatically added to the Query box.

Now click on the three dots under Actions, to the left of your next controlled vocabulary search term.

Here you choose the Boolean operator AND, since we want to find literature that deals with all three of these topics. Repeat this for the final controlled vocabulary search term, and you now get the following screen:

By clicking on the Search button on the right of this screen, you can choose to search directly in PubMed, or add the result of your first search directly to History and Search Details (in practice, both happen). We choose to click on Add to Search History.

Line #4 under History and Search Details shows that we have found 40 articles in PubMed that are all indexed with all of our controlled vocabulary search terms. You have now built and conducted your first literature search.

By clicking on the number 40 (hyperlink) under Results on line #4, you are sent to PubMed’s search results page, and you can now see all the references found in your first literature search.

Step 4: Improve the search

The search we have conducted so far is one where we have only used controlled vocabulary search terms corresponding to each main concept in our research question. In an ideal world, this would be sufficient, but in the practical world, you can improve the search by adding 'free' search terms in what we call a text word search. Indexing, or 'tagging', of articles with controlled vocabulary search terms, such as MeSH terms, takes time. There may therefore be delays of several months, or longer. Additionally, those who index can make small errors. Therefore, it is always advisable to build a literature search that also includes one or more text words, in addition to the controlled vocabulary search terms.

We start with our example:

Where can you find free text words for the three main concepts? One of the most important methods you can use is actually to start familiarizing yourself with the terminology of the scientific field you are working with. The best way to do this is by starting to read articles and noting down the terminology researchers use to describe what you might be interested in. Another very useful tool is to look up the controlled vocabulary search terms you have identified in the relevant controlled vocabulary. In PubMed, this is the MeSH database, which we have previously used.

If we look up "Analgesics" in the MeSH database, we find something called Entry Terms:

Here you will find a list of synonyms, which can be used as text words. Text word searches are done in specific search fields. The two most common search fields to use in PubMed are Title and Title/Abstract.

Continue to use the 'box' system from earlier. Here you enter the text words (Entry Terms) you want to use, under each of the controlled vocabulary search terms.

For "Analgesics", we choose to use "analgesics", which we truncate using the asterisk symbol *, and "anodyne*" for our text word search. We base our choice of text words on terminology that has been used in articles we have read so far, or found using Entry Terms from the MeSH database. We note this in our box model for the literature search as follows:

Here you see the beginning of a figure, which, when completed, can be published in the methods section of your bachelor’s thesis as a visual explanation of how you have built and conducted your literature search.

We have now found the text words we want to use together with the controlled vocabulary search term (MeSH term) "Analgesics", and repeat the process for the controlled vocabulary search term "Radiculopathy".

From the Entry terms for "Radiculopathy", we choose "radiculopath*" and "nerve root disorder*". Our box model for the literature search now looks like this:

We do the same for our last main concept, Intervertebral Disk Displacement. From the Entry terms for "Intervertebral Disk Displacement" we choose to use: "disk protrusion*", "disk prolapse*" and "prolapsed disc*".

We have now completed our search setup for the literature search for our bachelor’s thesis. This figure is a publishable overview of the search setup for the literature search for your bachelor’s thesis:

What remains now is to conduct this search in PubMed. A good tip is to do this in a structured and logical manner. This means that you start with the search terms in the box on the left, and search with each term separately. We start by retrieving "Analgesics" from the controlled vocabulary. Then we enter the text words we have chosen from the Entry Terms for "Analgesics". We do this in the window Add Terms To Query Box. Now we can choose which search field(s) we want to search in, by clicking on the drop-down menu to the left of the search term. For your bachelor’s thesis, it is more important to build a precise search that finds highly relevant literature than to carry out a sensitive search. We therefore recommend that you use the Title field for this search. If you get few results, you should use the Title/Abstract field for your text word search instead. We choose the Title field, which will find all publications indexed in PubMed with the word "analgesic*" in the title:

Then we click on ADD, and this search term will be added to the Query Box. Finally, we click Add to History.

We now see that the search for "analgesic*" in the title field has given us 22,367 references.

We repeat this for the remaining free text words in our first box, which results in the following:

Notice that the search term "anodyne*" only results in 44 references. This tells us that this is a term that is very rarely used in the literature.

We now combine these three searches from our first box with the Boolean operator OR. and find that we have increased the number of references from 223,256 to 229,197. In this way, we have found quite a few more relevant references than we did by using only the controlled vocabulary search term "Analgesics".

We repeat this process for the remaining main concepts, where we search with each search term at a time, before combining the search terms in the same box with OR. We then get a search setup that looks like this:

We can now finalize our search by clicking on the three dots under Actions, and choosing AND. The search then becomes: #4 AND #8 AND #13:

We see that we now find 44 references, which is 4 more than we found by using only the controlled vocabulary search terms. You might think this was a lot of work for a few new references. However, the number of references you find with this methodology will vary greatly, depending on your project! This methodology provides you with a unique and structured literature search and will in most cases find very relevant references for use in your bachelor’s thesis. Additionally, it clearly shows that you have mastered the methodology underlying your literature study, allowing you to shine as a bachelor's student when you write the methods section of your thesis. Good luck!

Step 5: Adapt the search to other databases

For most literature studies at bachelor's level, it will be sufficient to use one database. If you think you need to carry out your literature search in multiple databases, discuss this with your supervisor. PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO would be relevant databases for this research question. The interfaces of these databases are different, but the search methodology explained above can be used in almost any reference database.

Example from CINAHL

In this example we use the following research question:

How can nurses contribute to reducing restraint use with people with dementia in nursing homes?

Step 1: From research question to searchable terms

Before you begin to identify search terms, it is important to break down your research question into its main elements. Ask yourself the following question: which concepts in the research question must be discussed in a source for that source to be relevant?

In this example, we identify the following main elements:

  • Nurses
  • Use of restraint
  • People with dementia
  • Nursing homes

To organize these elements and prepare to find search terms, we recommend setting the main elements as headings in separate "boxes". This gives you a good overview of the individual search terms and helps you conduct the search in a structured way.

Step 2: Find search terms for each main element

In this example, we will first search in CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), one of the most important bibliographic databases in nursing. If you are unsure which bibliographic database is best suited to your research question, ask your advisor or contact the University Library.

We are now ready to find controlled vocabulary search terms that can be used in CINAHL. CINAHL has its own controlled vocabulary, called "CINAHL Headings". We recommend that you use controlled vocabulary search terms where possible to find the most relevant literature for your research question.

There are several methods to find controlled vocabulary search terms. In this example, we will use an automatic function in CINAHL that suggests relevant "CINAHL Headings".

In the CINAHL database, navigate to 'CINAHL Headings'.

We make sure that 'Relevancy ranked' is selected and type our first main element, Nurses, into the search box. Then, we click on the search icon.

In the search results, we find suggestions for relevant "CINAHL Headings":

If we click on 'Nurses,' we can see how this controlled vocbulary search term is defined in CINAHL. Always read the explanations of controlled vocabulary search terms to make sure that they correspond to your own understanding of what the terms mean.

We can also see where this controlled vocabulary search term is located within CINAHL's controlled vocabulary. Be sure to check whether there is a broader or narrower term in the hierarchy that might be more suitable for your research question.

To use a controlled vocabulary search term in your search, select the relevant search term. At bachelor level, we generally want to make sure that 'Explode' is checked where possible. This will automatically include all subordinate search terms in the search.

We then click 'Add to Search', followed by 'Search'.

On the search results page, we find a list of all sources indexed in CINAHL that are 'tagged' with the controlled vocabulary search term 'Nurses'.

We repeat this process for the other three main elements of our research question: Use of restraint, People with dementia, and Nursing homes. You may find more than one relevant controlled vocabulary search term for some main elements. In that case, make sure you search for one controlled vocabulary search term at a time.

We update our search setup as we go with the controlled vocabulary search terms we have found. MH stands for 'Main Heading' and is the code used in CINAHL for controlled vocabulary search terms (CINAHL Headings). The plus sign (+) indicates that we have selected 'Explode' when searching with a controlled vocabulary search term.

In this stage of the search, we have used the automatic feature in CINAHL to find at least one controlled vocabulary search term for each of the main elements of our research question, and searched with each term in the database.

Step 3: Build the first search

We are now ready to combine the controlled vocabulary search terms we have found to build our first full search for this project.

Search terms are combined in CINAHL in the 'Recent activity' window. This gives a complete overview of all the search terms we have used in the current session, and we can combine them easily to build a search.

The first thing we do is combine controlled vocabulary search terms that are in the same box using the combination word OR. In the 'Recent activity' window, we check the two controlled vocabulary search terms we have found for the main element People with dementia (S3 and S4). Make sure that the search box at the top is empty. After that we click on the combine icon and select 'Combine with OR'.

S4 OR S3 is added to the search box at the top of the page. Now we click on the search icon.

S7 will find sources that are indexed in CINAHL with either the controlled vocabulary search term 'Dementia+' or 'Dementia Patients'.

We do the same thing for the two controlled vocabulary search terms we have found for the main element Nursing homes (S5 and S6):

We are now ready to combine the four individual searches that correspond to our four main elements using the combination word AND. We check S1, S2, S7, and S8. After that we click on the combine icon, select 'Combine with AND,' and search.

On the search results page, we find the 17 sources in CINAHL that are indexed with at least one controlled vocabulary search term for each of our four main elements. We have now constructed and conducted an initial structured literature search.

Step 4: Improve the search

The search we carried out in the previous step only used controlled vocabulary search terms (in CINAHL, "CINAHL Headings"). When searching in a structured way, however, it is good practice to use one or more free-text terms for each main element, in addition to the controlled vocabulary search terms we have found. Free-text searches are carried out in selected search fields, such as the title field, abstract field, or both.

Where do we find free-text terms for our four main elements? There are several methods we can use. In this example, we will look more closely at the definitions in CINAHL for the controlled vocabulary search terms we identified, particularly under the heading 'Used for:'. We have a look for relevant synonyms, including singular and plural forms, and end up with the following relevant free-text terms:

  • nurses, nurse
  • physical restraint, physical restraints
  • dementia
  • nursing homes, nursing home

We record the free-text terms we have found and specify which fields in the reference information we will search in. Here, we choose to search in the Title field (TI), which gives us the following "box" setup:

Note that we have placed all search terms in quotation marks (""). We have also used the truncation symbol (*) with a couple of the free-text terms. By searching for TI ("physical restraint*"), we will simultaneously search for both 'physical restraint' and 'physical restraints'.

The search setup for our literature search is now complete. We can use this figure to document our search strategy.

What remains is to conduct this search in CINAHL. A useful tip here is to proceed in a structured, logical manner. This means starting with the search terms in the box on the left and searching with each term individually. We begin by retrieving "Nurses+" from the controlled vocabulary search vocabulary. This search gives us over 240,000 results.

Then, we enter the free-text term "nurse*". This can be done in 'Advanced Search'. We enter the free-text term "nurse*" in the search box. After that, we select the field 'Title - TI' from the dropdown menu on the right and click 'Search'.

Alternatively, we can use 'Basic Search' and search with TI "nurse*".

The search for "nurse*" in the title field gives us nearly 200,000 references.

The next step is to combine these two search terms in our first box by selecting S1 and S2 in 'Recent activity' and clicking on 'Combine with OR'.

When we click on the search icon, we see that we have increased the number of references to over 350,000. In this way, we have found quite a few more potentially relevant references than we did by using only the controlled vocabulary search term "Nurses+".

We repeat this process for the remaining elements, taking each box in turn and searching with each search term one at a time, before combining all the terms in the same box with OR. It is difficult to take screenshots of long searches on the 'Recent activity' page in CINAHL, but we can summarize the search setup so far with a table:

S1 MH "Nurses+"
S2 TI "nurse*"
S3 S1 OR S2
S4 MH "Restraint, Physical"
S5 TI "physical restraint*"
S6 S4 OR S5
S7 MH "Dementia+"
S8 MH "Dementia Patients"
S9 TI "dementia"
S10 S7 OR S8 OR S9
S11 MH "Nursing Homes+"
S12 MH "Nursing Home Residents"
S13 TI "nursing home*"
S14 S11 OR S12 OR S13

We can now finally put everything together by selecting the four OR searches we have carried out (S3, S6, S10, and S14), and clicking on 'Combine with AND':

S3 AND S6 AND S10 AND S14 is added to the search box at the top of the page. When we run this search, we see that we now find 19 references, which is 2 more than we found by using only the controlled vocabulary search terms.

We have now built a structured search in CINAHL that uses a combination of controlled vocabulary and free-text terms. This methodology will, in most cases, find highly relevant references for use in a bachelor thesis.

Step 5: Adapt the search to other databases

At bachelor level, one bibliographic database will often be enough. You can discuss the need to conduct your search in multiple databases with your advisor.

PubMed and Web of Science are among the other relevant databases for this research question. The controlled vocabulary used in PubMed is called Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). When "translating" a search strategy from CINAHL to PubMed, an important step is to check that there are MeSH terms that correspond to the controlled vocabulary search terms we used in CINAHL (CINAHL Headings). We can use the same free-text terms in both databases.

Web of Science lacks a controlled vocabulary. In this database, then, we can only use free-text terms.

Example from ERIC

Let us take the following example of a project:

Does working memory capacity play a role in specific maths difficulties in children?

Step 1: From research question to searchable terms

Before you begin to identify search terms, it is important to break down your research question into its main elements. Ask yourself the following question: which concepts in the research question must be discussed in a source for that source to be relevant?

In this example, we identify the following main elements:

  • Working memory
  • Specific math difficulties
  • Children

To organize these elements and prepare to find search terms, we recommend setting the main elements as headings in separate "boxes". This gives you a good overview of the individual search terms and helps you conduct the search in a structured way.

Step 2: Find search terms for each main element

In this example, we will first search in Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). ERIC is the world's largest database for education and teaching-related topics. If you are unsure which bibliographic database is best suited to your research question, ask your advisor or contact the University Library.

We are now ready to find controlled vocabulary search terms that can be used in ERIC. ERIC has its own controlled vocabulary, called "ERIC Thesaurus". Controlled vocabular search terms in ERIC are called "Descriptors". We recommend that you use controlled vocabulary search terms where possible to find the most relevant literature for your research question.

There are several methods to find controlled vocabulary search terms. Here we will look up the main elements we have identified directly in the ERIC Thesaurus. In the ERIC database, navigate to 'Subjects'.

We make sure that ‘Relevancy ranked’ is selected and type in our first main element, Working memory, in the search box. Then we click on the search icon.

Among the suggestions that appear in the results list, we find ‘Short Term Memory’:

If we click on the controlled vocabulary search term ‘Short Term Memory’, we find a list of related controlled vocabulary search terms and information on what the search term ‘Short Term Memory’ should be used for

It's important to read through the list to check whether there are broader or narrower search terms that are more suitable for a particular main element.

When we have selected a search term, click on ‘Add to search’:

The controlled vocabulary search term ‘Short Term Memory’ is added to the top search box. Next, we click ‘Search’:

On the search results page, we find all the sources indexed in ERIC that are 'tagged' with the controlled vocabulary search term ‘Short Term Memory’.

We repeat this process for the other two main elements of our research question: Specific maths difficulties and Children.

When we look up ‘Specific math difficulties’ in ERIC, we do not get any relevant hits, but when we try ‘Specific difficulties’, we find a broader term, ‘Specific Learning Disabilities’, together with a recommendation to use the controlled vocabulary search term ‘Learning Disabilities’. For now we will use ‘Learning Disabilities’ in our search, even if ‘Learning Disabilities’ is a much broader term than ‘Specific math difficulties’.

The main element Children is less problematic. Here we find the controlled vocabulary search term ‘Children’.

We have now identified three controlled vocabulary search terms in ERIC Thesaurus. We update our search setup as we go with the controlled vocabulary search terms, or "Descriptors" (DE), we have found:

Step 3: Build the first search

We are now ready to combine the controlled vocabulary search terms we have found to build our first full search for this project.

Search terms are combined in ERIC in the ‘Recent activity’ window. This gives a complete overview of all the search terms we have used in the current session, and we can combine them easily to build a search.

In the ‘Recent activity’ window, we select all three controlled vocabulary search terms we have identified (S1, S2 and S3). Check that the search boxes at the top of the page are empty. Next we click on the "combine" icon and select ‘Combine with AND’.

The search string S1 AND S2 AND S3 is added to the search box at the top. When we click on the search icon, the results list includes the 53 sources in ERIC that are indexed with all of our controlled vocabulary search terms.

We have now built and carried out our first full search for this research question.

Step 4: Improve the search

The search we carried out in the previous step only used controlled vocabulary search terms (called "Descriptors" in ERIC), one for each main element in our research question.But one of these controlled vocabulary search terms (‘Learning Disabilities’) is not very specific, meaning that the results list contained many sources that are not relevant for our purposes.

When searching in a structured way, it is good practice to use one or more free-text terms for each main element, in addition to the controlled vocabulary search terms we have found. Free-text searches are carried out in selected search fields, such as the title field, abstract field, or both. When there is no controlled vocabulary search term that is specific enough, it may be necessary to only use free-text terms. This is something we should consider for the main element Specific math difficulties.

Where do we find free-text terms for our three main elements? One of the most important methods is actually to start familiarizing ourselves with the terminology of the scientific field we are working in. The best way to do this is by starting to read articles and noting down the terminology that researchers use to describe the elements we are interested in. In this example, it will be useful to look through the results list from our first search. We can ask the question: What relevant terms are used in these sources? Here we want to include all relevant synonymous terms, including singular and plural forms. We find the following relevant terms:

  • short term memory, working memory
  • math learning disabilities, maths learning disabilities, mathematical learning disabilities, mathematical learning disability, dyscalculia, specific mathematical learning disability, mathematical learning disorders, mathematics difficulties, math disabilities, mathematical difficulties, mathematical disabilities, SLD in math
  • children, child

Note that for the main element Specific math difficulties we find many near-synonymous terms in the literature that are used slightly differently in different countries. For example, in British English the term ‘specific learning difficulty’ is used, whereas ‘specific learning disability’ is often used in American English. We do not, however, need to search for all these variants separately. By using the truncation character (*) we can search for several of the free-text terms we have identified at the same time. We can now remove the controlled vocabulary search term ‘Learning Disabilities’ from our search strategy, which resulted in us finding many sources that were not about maths difficulties.

We record the free-text terms we have found and specify which fields in the reference information we will search in. Here, we choose to search in the Title field (TI), which gives us the following "box" setup:

The search setup for our literature search is now complete. We can use this figure to document our search strategy.

What remains is to conduct this search in ERIC. A useful tip here is to proceed in a structured, logical manner. This means starting with the search terms in the box on the left and searching with each term individually. We begin by retrieving "Short Term Memory" from the controlled vocabulary.

Then, we add the free-text terms forthe main element Short term memory. This can be done in ‘Advanced search’. We type in the free-text term "short term memory" in the search box. Remember the quotation marks! We then select the field ‘Abstract – AB’ from the dropdown menu on the right, and click ‘Search’.

Alternatively, we can use ‘Basic Search’ and search with AB "short term memory".

We repeat this process for the other free-text term in our first box, "working memory".

When we navigate to ‘Recent activity’, we see the three searches we have done so far for the main element Short term memory (S1, S2 and S3).

We combine these three searches by selecting S1, S2 and S3 and choosing ‘Combine with OR’.

When we click on the search icon, we see that we have increased the number of references from c. 5,400 to over 7,000. In this way, we have found quite a few more potentially relevant references than we did by using only the controlled vocabulary search term "Short Term Memory".

We repeat this process for the two remaining main elements, taking each box in turn and searching with each search term one at a time, before combining all the terms in the same box with OR. It is difficult to take screenshots of long searches on the 'Recent activity' page in ERIC, but we can summarize the search setup so far with a table:

S15 S13 OR S14
S14 AB "child*"
S13 DE "Children"
S12 S5 OR S6 OR S7 OR S8 OR S9 OR S10 OR S11
S11 AB "dyscalculia"
S10 AB "math* difficult*"
S9 AB "math* disabilit*"
S8 AB "learning difficult* in math*"
S7 AB "learning disabilit* in math*"
S6 AB "math* learning difficult*"
S5 AB "math* learning disabilit*"
S4 S1 OR S2 OR S3
S3 AB "working memory"
S2 AB "short term memory"
S1 DE "Short Term Memory"

We can now finally put everything together by selecting the three OR searches we have carried out (S4, S12 and S15), and clicking on 'Combine with AND':

The search string S4 AND S12 AND S15 is added to the search box at the top. When we click on the search icon, we see that we now find 104 references, which is 53 more than we found by using only controlled vocabulary search terms. 

We have now built a structured search in ERIC that uses a combination of controlled vocabulary and free-text terms. This methodology will, in most cases, find highly relevant references for use in a bachelor thesis.

Step 5: Adapt the search to other databases

At bachelor level, one bibliographic database will often be enough. You can discuss the need to conduct your search in multiple databases with your advisor.

Another bibliographic database that is relevant for this research question is the multidisciplinary database Web of Science. This database does not have a controlled vocabulary, so we can only use free-text terms.

In Web of Science we navigate to the ‘Advanced search’ interface:

We choose the same search fields we used in the search we carried out in ERIC, that is, the ‘Abstract’ field. In the search box we type our first free-text term, ‘short term memory’. Remember quotation marks with phrases! We add this free-text term to the ‘Query’ box by clicking on ‘Add to query’.

Next, we click ‘Search’.

We do the same thing for our second search term in the Working Memory box, ‘working memory’. Then we select these two searches in the search history and choose ‘Combine Sets’ with ‘Or’.

The result of this OR search now appears in the search history. We repeat this process for our two other main elements, searching with each search term in each box, before combining search terms that are in the same box with OR. We end up with the following search setup:

We can now put everything together by selecting the searches corresponding to the three boxes (3, 11 and 12) and clicking ‘Combine Sets’ and then ‘And’:

We have now found 207 sources indexed in Web of Science, a fair few more than we found in ERIC. To reduce this to a more manageable number, we might consider searching for one or more items in the title field only. In this example, it might be a good idea to search for ‘short term memory’ and ‘working memory’ in the title field instead of the abstract field. This will give us fewer, but even more relevant, hits.

Read more about

Finding search terms from articles Controlled vocabulary Boolean operators (AND/OR/NOT) Phrase search Truncation Wildcards Proximity operators Filtering a search

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