{"id":1654,"date":"2013-11-04T09:37:36","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T09:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/tips-for-effective-literature-searching-and-keeping-up-with-new-publications\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T06:45:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T06:45:30","slug":"tips-for-effective-literature-searching-and-keeping-up-with-new-publications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/tips-for-effective-literature-searching-and-keeping-up-with-new-publications","title":{"rendered":"Tips for effective literature searching and keeping up with new publications"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editorial note:<\/strong> You can download the ebook version of this article at the end of the\u00a0page.<\/em><\/p>\n

The volume of publication output has exploded. You cannot rule out the possibility that your research topic has already been addressed in a recently published paper.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most frequent reasons for rejection by journals is that the study is a duplication of work that\u2019s already been published. It is important to keep up with published works in your field and use a structured search strategy to make sure you don\u2019t overlook similar publications.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Basic search strategies for discovery of literature:<\/span><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Define your keywords<\/span><\/p>\n

It is very important to use targeted keywords. Break up the topic you are researching into its main concepts, then define keywords for each concept. Next, expand the list by writing down synonyms and alternative phrasings for each keyword. Also, use terms that you plan to include in your own manuscript; this will indicate how relevant those terms are in the field or whether you should use more precise terms to define your concepts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Checklist for defining keywords<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n