Searching Before Starting
Core summary
Before investing months in a project, spend 30 minutes searching PubMed and Google Scholar to check if your question has already been answered. This step saves time, prevents duplication, and often improves your question.
Detailed explanation
Detailed explanation
A preliminary literature search is not a full systematic review. It is a quick, focused scan. Step 1: Translate your PICO into search terms. Take each PICO element and list synonyms. Step 2: Search PubMed with combined terms. Use AND between PICO elements, OR between synonyms. Step 3: Scan the top 20 results by title and abstract. Look for systematic reviews, large RCTs, and recent publications. Step 4: Interpret what you find: - Question fully answered by a high-quality SR → change your question - Question partially answered → your angle may still be novel - Addressed by weak studies only → your study adds value - Nothing found → either truly novel or wrong search terms Step 5: Check Google Scholar for grey literature. This entire process should take 30-60 minutes. It is not optional.
Clinical example
A resident wants to study 'the effect of honey on wound healing.' A 10-minute PubMed search reveals 3 Cochrane reviews and over 200 RCTs. The question has been extensively answered. But no studies exist on Manuka honey specifically in diabetic foot ulcers in the Middle East — that narrower angle may still be novel.
Research example
Chalmers & Glasziou (2009) estimated that 85% of research investment is wasted — a major cause being failure to check existing evidence before starting new studies.
Knowledge check
Q1. If your PubMed search reveals a recent Cochrane systematic review that fully answers your PICO question, you should:
Q2. In a PubMed Boolean search, how do you combine synonyms for the same PICO element?
Q3. If a PubMed search returns zero results for your question, it definitely means your question is novel.