If you have an exact title add ti= (eg. ti=Emergency Medicine)
The Literature Searching guide shows you how to complete an effective literature search from beginning to end. Use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate through the guide.
Remember: the Library team provides a range of research support services to Monash Health employees and students. Attend a live webinar, book a research consultation, or request a literature search and get in touch with the Library team if you have any questions.
All researchers must invest their time and resources wisely. For this reason, we carefully select databases that best match the clinical query in content and quality. A systematic approach to searching also requires a thorough, objective and reproducible search in a range of sources to identify as many eligible studies as possible. A search of any one database alone is not considered adequate. A search of multiple databases will ensure that as many relevant studies as possible are identified.
The image below illustrates how different databases capture different sections of the wide body of available health literature.
The most appropriate database(s) for your search depends primarily on your research question, and to some extent your discipline. For example:
Use the table below to help you choose one or more databases for your search. You can also consult our 1-page overview of health databases, or browse our full list of literature searching databases.
Literature Searching Databases
| Database | Description | Our user guide | Access link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medline |
An extensive database of peer-reviewed journals in the life sciences, with a focus on biomedicine. Published by the US National Library of Medicine, Medline tends to have more North American journals. For biomedical topics, we generally recommend starting your search in Medline. |
Medline user guide | Click here to open Medline |
| Embase |
A biomedical and pharmacological database of peer-reviewed journals published worldwide. We recommend searching Embase in addition to Medline, especially if you are looking for studies published in Australia or the UK. |
Embase user guide | Click here to open Embase |
| Emcare |
A great database for nursing and allied health searches. Emcare is also strong in education, development and management, health care economics, social work and mental health. |
Emcare user guide | Click here to open Emcare |
| APA PsycINFO |
The largest database dedicated to peer-reviewed literature in mental health and behavioural science. Produced by the American Psychological Association. |
PsycINFO user guide | Click here to open PsycINFO |
| ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health |
Contains scholarly articles, theses and books for nursing, allied health, alternative and complementary medicine. Browse the Library training calendar for our regular webinar on using the ProQuest database. |
ProQuest user guide | Click here to open ProQuest |
| Cochrane Library |
A collection of evidence-based practice databases that provide high-quality information about healthcare interventions and diagnostic questions. We recommend always checking for relevant systematic reviews in Cochrane. |
Cochrane user guide | Click here to open Cochrane |
Our A-Z list of databases and apps includes additional resources such as ClinicalKey, ClinicalKey for Nursing, McGrawHill Access Medicine, UpToDate, and BMJ Best Practice.
What about PubMed?
It is important to be aware that content in PubMed is not always of high quality and includes papers that have not completed the peer review process.
We strongly recommend using Medline rather than PubMed for these reasons:
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