EBP Learning Module

Acquire the Evidence

3
EBP Learning Modules

The Basic Search Function

The Advanced Search is the default option on the Ovid search page, therefore to use Basic Search you will firstly need to select Basic Search by clicking on it.

Why choose Basic Search

As the name implies, this function allows you to conduct a basic search for information, rather than a comprehensive and structured search. It is particularly useful for gaining a quick overview of a topic or question, or for exploring other concepts and ideas around a topic of interest. It may help you define or refine search terms for a future Advanced Search.

One of its features is that it uses natural language, also known as free text, rather than single keywords. Natural language might include a group of terms, a phrase, or an actual question that you can enter into the search box. An example would be: ‘What are the effects of parenting styles on child development?’ This is a ‘natural’ way to express a search question.

A summary of advantages and disadvantages of Basic Search are listed below:

Advantages Disadvantages
Useful for new topics, products, or interventions that may not yet have been indexed. Too many irrelevant results. Important topics may be missed.
Uses natural and familiar language expressed in common forms (phrases, questions). Reduced control over search terms - inability to refine terms individually. Cannot use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT).
Fast method of gaining an overview of issues about a topic. Less precise - results are returned via ‘relevancy ranking’ only.
Provides a quick answer to a query, which may be sufficient for many purposes and/ or when time is limited. Answer may not be comprehensive and may not provide the best available evidence because of the wording of the query.
Searches MEDLINE content (unlike Google which searches the whole internet). Does not use the database’s thesaurus.

The Ovid Basic Search function disregards plurals and spelling differences, so a good tip is to start by ticking the box labelled ‘Include Related Terms’ below the search box so that all synonyms are included in your search. In this instance the search term ‘child’ would also search for children, childhood, kids, and kid.

Results in Basic Search

The results displayed on the screen have 3 basic components:

  • A list of results (citations with abstract available), ranked by relevancy on a scale from 5 stars ***** (highest relevancy) to 2 stars **
  • Results Tools on the left hand side, which allows you to view the related terms and apply filters and limits to the results
  • Open Access Results on the right hand side of the page, which add extra full text articles from freely available sources

Applying limits and filters in Basic Search

Limits and filters can be applied to Basic Search to exclude less relevant results. The search can be limited, for example, to ‘5 star’ results only or the search can be filtered by subject, year, author, journal, or publication type.

Options for managing and saving your results are covered in Section 3 of this module.

This tutorial video from Ovid covers the Basic Search function. Learn more about using related terms and the relevancy ranking of results. [3]
Playing time approximately 3 mins.

Each Ovid database contains a ‘Help’ section, which provides useful information about the various functions of each search mode, such as Basic Search, with screenshots of the search process. Click on the word ‘Help’ at the top right of any Ovid database screen to access the Ovid online ‘Help’ section.


Activity 1: Using Basic Search

Try using the Basic Search function to search for work by a particular author on the MEDLINE database.

You might like to print this instruction page to refer to as you complete the activity.

Use the steps below to assist your search:

  1. Open the MEDLINE database.
  2. Advanced Search is the default search mode in Ovid on CIAP. Click on the ‘Basic Search’ tab
  3. Enter your query in ‘natural language’ or use the following phrase: ‘interventions for smoking cessation in teenagers’
  4. Click the ‘Include Related Terms’ box to ensure alternative terms are included in the search
  5. Notice: Over 10,000 results are returned
  6. Scroll down to view these results
  7. Notice: your search terms are highlighted in yellow and the database’s related terms in purple. All related (alternative) terms are listed in the left hand ‘Search Information’ section
  8. Click on the ‘Abstract’ link at the bottom of one of the results. You will notice terms are also highlighted in the abstract that contribute to the relevance of the article
  9. Notice: Results are listed in order of relevance, from ‘5 stars’ to ‘2 stars’. You can change this order by clicking on the ‘Filter By’ drop down box in the left hand search information section
  10. Click on Relevancy, Years, Subject, or Journal in the left hand menu to practice filtering. View the results for relevancy
  11. Limit the results by relevancy (5 stars) and to those within the past 4 years
  12. Reflect on the usefulness of this approach, remembering that this search has been conducted within the medical literature within MEDLINE (rather than by using non-medical search engines)
  13. Try entering a query of your own if you have not done so already and repeat the steps above
  14. Section 3 of this module provides information on exporting and saving results from a Basic Search. These are generic skills that apply to both Basic and Advanced Search modes.