Searching

Are you looking for help finding the best evidence on a research topic? Do you need evidence-based information but do not have the time to search multiple resources? Library Services offers a literature search service for all Nova Scotia Health employees. Tell us what information you are looking for and we will do the searching for you.

Any Nova Scotia Health employee, as well as those affiliated with Nova Scotia Health, can submit a literature search request.

• Note: If you are a student and your request is part of your graded coursework, we cannot complete your request for you. Please consult your university library for assistance and appropriate resources.

Fill out and submit our literature search request form.

To ensure you receive results in a timely fashion, please limit your request to 1 specific research question or topic per form.

We kindly ask that no more than 2 requests are submitted at one time. If your project requires more than 2 separate requests, please book a consultation with a librarian.

To accommodate demand and the other responsibilities of our Library Services team, it may take 3 weeks to complete non-urgent requests.

• If your request is related to a patient's immediate care (e.g., care at the bedside), we will prioritize your request and get results to you as quickly as possible.
• If your request is not related to a patient's immediate care but you have a deadline, please specify your deadline in your request. Deadlines must provide at least 5 business days from submission to complete the request.

Include details about your research question concepts and how they are related. The request form includes a PICO section that can help break your question down into searchable concepts.

Where applicable, include:

• Patient, Population, or Problem: Who is being affected? Is there a specific group being considered? Does the question concern a specific condition/disease?
• Intervention: What is being used to treat that patient/population/problem? For example: medication, diagnostic test, or therapy.
• Comparison: Is there an alternative that can be compared to your intervention? For most research questions, the answer is "usual or standard care" or "no intervention".
• Outcome: What is the desired or expected outcome? For example: fewer symptoms or improved patient condition.

Within the request form, you can also:

• State keywords that should be included or excluded from the search
• Include relevant articles that can help the librarian develop their search
• Specify publication date parameters
• Specify specific population or age groups

Before submitting your request, consider:

• Is your research question formulated and concise?
• Would a consultation with a Library team member help to clarify the process?
• Have you selected an appropriate deadline date based on the urgency of the information?
• Are you submitting the appropriate number of requests at one time?
• Have you written out any medical acronyms that appear in your topic/research question? 

• Your request form will be sent to our AskLibrary e-mail, where it will enter our search queue.
• It will be assigned to one of our librarians who will start working on your request.
• The librarian may contact you if they want to confirm your research question or need additional information.
• When completed, the librarian will send you an email with the results.
  • The results will be sent to you as a PDF listing each result's citation and abstract. Please let the librarian know if you would rather receive the results as an RIS file.

Thank you for submitting a literature search request with Library Services!