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Expert Searching

How Can the Library Help?

The Upstate Health Sciences Library has a number of librarians who can assist with a literature search. 

A literature search consultation might include one or more of the following:

  • Refining the research topic to an answerable question
  • Recommending information sources or databases for the search topic
  • Identifying relevant search terms 
  • Creating and executing search strategies
  • Suggesting reference management software and strategies

A librarian can also provide you with an expert search, which may include:

  • Refinement of the search question 
  • Search term identification
  • Identification of sources and databases to be searched
  • Search strategy formulation and documentation
  • Execution of searches

Are you interested in performing a systematic review? These types of reviews are more complex than a general literature review. See our Systematic Review Methods guide to learn more.


Do you want to meet with a librarian? Complete our Literature Review Request Form:

Literature Review Request Form

Before You Meet With Us

A meeting with a librarian will be most helpful for you if you do a little bit of planning and searching ahead of time. Prior to meeting with one of us, we recommend that you:

  • Have a clear and concise understanding of your research question
  • Be prepared to discuss the scope of your project, including limits on the body of literature
  • Brainstorm search terms associated with your topics (acronyms, synonyms, and variations on spelling)
  • Note any relevant literature you have found so far

Image Attributions and Copyright

Unless otherwise noted, these guides are derived from a similar guide at Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University. The original guide is  licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License and are attributable to the Welch Medical Library, Johns Hopkins University . Image and Icon Attributions: Icons8, licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0; WebFont Medical Icons Project, designed by Hablamos Juntos; Font Awesome 4.7

About The Health Sciences Library

The Upstate Health Sciences Library is a core service supporting students and employees across all Upstate Colleges, Programs, Centers of Excellence, and Clinical Locations. Together we are dedicated to providing exemplary customer service.

Learn More at: https://library.upstate.edu

Contact The Health Sciences Library

Contact us for additional help with using Library resources (databases, e-journals, e-books or interlibrary loan) and services (reference, library instruction, study rooms, etc.).
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