Database Tips

Help & Tips for using some of the databases common in the Allied Health Sciences disciplines

General Database Help

Don't forget, Ask Us when you have difficulty finding what you're looking for in a database.

Start your database searches from Libraries database links in order to use Find@UNC button for linking to full text.
Many databases have a link to help files as part of their search screens.

All Campus Databases (A-z)
• browse by title
• browse by subject
• search by database name

These tips are from the PubMed User Guide; however, the concepts are applicable to other databases:

See these HSL YouTube search videos for additional details and strategies demonstrated in the PubMed database.

Boolean Basics for Searching
Boolean (boo'-le-an) searching helps you find less (narrows) or find more (broadens) results when you search in many databases and Web search engines. Boolean searching depends on the use of three terms: AND, OR, and NOT. Enter these terms in ALL CAPS because many search engines are case sensitive for these terms.
Forming Focused Questions with PICO
Pico is an acronym (Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) widely-used in some health profession disciplines to denote the key components of a clinical question. There are additional letters and frameworks to help you formulate a question fitting your research. Not all parts of PICO are required.
Full-text Articles via Find @ UNC
Always start from UNC-CH Library pages so you will see the Find @ UNC button.
Includes Find@UNC in PubMed and what to do when the article is not online via Find@UNC.

The YouTube videos below use PubMed to demonstrate additional search tips; the concepts are applicable to other biomedical databases.