Foreground/Clinical Questions
Finding evidence synthesis and primary research
When writing a literature review or summaries for CBLs or PBLs, it is best to use current synthesis evidence or primary research articles (last five years). These are the references for your end summary or projects that have been informed by your initial background research.
When searching, it is best to start by finding any synthesis evidence that covers the topic. Synthesis evidence attempts to summarize the body of primary research to identify the trend of evidence (or lack thereof) and qualitatively or quantitatively summarize primary research. The approach is less biased and more transparent than narrative reviews (or expert opinion) and undergoes varying degrees of rigor to reduce bias.
Lacking synthesis research (which is still common in veterinary medicine), the next step is to dive into the primary research which is divided into three categories:
Foreground resources
Synthesis evidence is considered the pinnacle of reliable evidence (however well conducted primary research can still be stronger than poorly conducted synthesis research).
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Database of Veterinary Systematic Reviews (VetSRev) This link opens in a new windowexclusively indexes Systematic Reviews in veterinary literature that combs CAB Abstracts and Medline (PubMed) databases.
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VetMed Resource This link opens in a new windowClick "Filter by Type" and under Filter by Type choose "Evidence Based Research"
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PubMed for UC Davis This link opens in a new windowUnder "article type" on the left, choose Systematic Reviews, Guidelines and Meta-analysis.
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VetMed Resource This link opens in a new window Provides access to over 1 million research records, more than 25,500 full text documents, and 842 datasheets covering diseases and pathogens of animals, VetMed Resource is the most comprehensive source of information on all aspects of veterinary medicine. Accesses CAB Abstracts with a veterinary filter. [Coverage: 1972-current]
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PubMed for UC Davis This link opens in a new window PubMed for UC Davis offers users vastly more full-text articles than does the public version of Pubmed.gov. Search results in the UCD version display "Get it at UC" buttons providing (with on-campus or VPN connection) access to articles in journals licensed by UC Davis or enabling patrons to request articles that are not immediately available online. PubMed comprises over 30 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. PubMed citations and abstracts include the fields of biomedicine and health, covering portions of the life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. PubMed also provides access to additional relevant web sites and links to the other NCBI molecular biology resources. PubMed is a free resource that is developed and maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), located at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). [Coverage: 1902-present]
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Scopus This link opens in a new window Large interdisciplinary abstract and citation database to academic journal literature, conference proceedings and books with broad coverage across the sciences and social sciences, includes citation tracking tools (Citescore). [Coverage: full coverage from 1996-present, with selected coverage as far back as 1823]
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Zoological Record This link opens in a new window Primary database for wildlife researchers. The oldest continuing database of animal biology - designed to include all records of new species information and naming. Comprehensive coverage of zoology; including behavior, conservation and environmental science, ecology, evolution, genetics, habitat, marine and freshwater biology, nutrition, parasitology and disease, reproduction, taxonomy and systematics, veterinary studies, zoogeography and fossil records. Especially strong in new species reports and field studies. [Coverage: 1864-Present]
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APA PsycInfo This link opens in a new window Published by the American Psychological Associations and provides comprehensive indexing and abstracts of the international psychological literature from the 1800s to the present. Documents indexed include journals, articles, books, dissertations and more. 90% of the 3,000+ titles indexed in APA PsycInfo are peer-reviewed. [Coverage: 1840-present]
