How to Broaden a Search - CAB Abstracts (OVID)–

How to Broaden a Search - CAB Abstracts (OVID)– October 17, 2012
Search Question:
For dairy cattle, is the complement fixation test (CFT) or the ELISA test (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay)
most effective in accurately screening for Johne’s Disease?
Population=
Intervention=
Comparison Intervetion=
Outcome=
dairy cattle
complement fixation test
ELISA test
Johne’s Disease
1.0 Multi-Field Search Mode (OVID)
Once you have connected to CAB Abstracts, click on the Multi-Field tab. It should turn black to indicate that this is
the active search mode.
Click on Add a New Row if needed, enter search terms, then click on Search
Broaden your search by using a conceptually broader term: cattle, instead of dairy cattle
Broaden your search by using the truncation symbol (an asterisk) at the end of the word stem: johne*
Further broaden your search by adding synonyms within each concept. Connect synonyms with OR
Further broaden by using a more general term ie. drop the term “disease” after johne*
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Since Johne’s disease is a disease of ruminants … you may find articles about Johne’s in other ruminants relevant,
so you can broaden your search even more by leaving out the concept of cattle ie. drop the least important
concept from your search
In the Search History below, note how these strategies have increased the number of results
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2.0 Advanced Search Mode (OVID)
Conduct a subject heading search by clicking on the Advanced Search tab so it turns a bolded black.
In OVID’s Advanced Search, it is important to search for each of your concepts one at a time.
For your first concept, In the search box type: dairy cattle
In the screen below, click on the blue Subject Heading: dairy cattle
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This brings up the Thesaurus Tree display of broader and narrower subject headings below
To broaden your search, click in the Explode box to the right of cattle. This retrieves records for dairy cattle, but
also all of the narrower subject headings indented below dairy cattle.
For your next concept, at the search prompt type: cft
This acronym maps to the subject headings in the screen below.
Click directly on the blue complement fixation tests link
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Select the subject heading: complement fixation tests. Click on Continue.
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For your next concept, at the search prompt type: ELISA
Click directly on the blue ELISA link in the screen below
Check the box beside ELISA and click on Continue.
For the final concept, at the search prompt type: johne’s
On the screen below, select the subject headings: paratuberculosis and mycobacterium avium subsp.
Note that OVID automatically connects these two terms with the Boolean OR. Although they are not true
synonyms, they are similar terms that represent one concept in your search
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When you combine all of 4 the PICO concepts below with AND, you have only 2 results
So you can broaden your search by using a conceptually broader term, cattle, instead of dairy cattle
At the search prompt, type: cattle
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On the screen below, click directly on the blue cattle link
By clicking in the Explode box to the right of cattle, you’ll retrieve all of the Narrower Terms indented below cattle
without having to type these all in separately.
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At the search prompt, combine sets by typing: 2 and 3 and 4 and 6
Since Johne’s disease is a disease of ruminants … you may find articles about Johne’s in other ruminants relevant,
so you can broaden your search even more by leaving out the concept of cattle ie. drop the least important
concept from your search. At the search prompt type: 2 and 3 and 4
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