Searching is Iterative
Munroe, R. (2007, March 30). The Difference. Xkcd.
Revising is Encouraged
Good literature searches aren't finished after the first search. This is normal! Most searches are iterative, meaning that they come from trying a search again and again until you find the results you want.
Here are some strategies for altering your search based on what you get or the problems you're experiencing.
If you're still having trouble, reach out to a librarian with your PICO breakdown and searches you've already tried. Then we can figure out what you should do next.
Solutions for Common Issues
Always start from the library's databases to access our subscriptions. Look for the 
button for fulltext options.
Download LibKey Nomad. LibKey Nomad is a free plugin that helps you access fulltext articles. Download the LibKey Nomad browser plugin for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. Choose "Emory University" from the drop-down list when asked to select your institution. Once it knows you're affiliated with Emory, LibKey Nomad checks the web page of the article you're viewing to see if the PDF is available through Emory. If it is, you'll see a graphic in your browser window that looks like this:
Still having trouble? Review our advanced tips. If that doesn't work, request the article via InterLibrary Loan.
1. Sort your results so that the best stuff comes to the top.
EBSCO PubMed
2. Try a different database.
If you're not getting good results from your PubMed search, we recommend the library database CINAHL as the next database to try. Does your research question pertain to LGBTQIA+ health, maternal/child health, or nutrition? Try our subject guides on these topics for more database suggestions!
3. Edit your search strategy.
Example 1: You searched "nursing" as in the profession of nursing, but there are too many articles about helping nursing mothers with breastfeeding in your results. In this case, use the NOT operator to remove related keywords such as "mother" from your search. Adding NOT mothers to the end of your search string should help.
Example 2: You searched "tobacco use" to find articles about the negative effects of smoking. However, you're finding too many articles about chewing tobacco. In this case, the keyword you chose is too broad. Remove it from your search (and if necessary, pick more targeted and relevant synonyms to include, like "smokeless tobacco", "oral tobacco", and "chewing tobacco").
1. Make sure you're filtering by date
EBSCO PubMed
2. Citation hop! (also called citation chaining)
Even if you can't use an older article, you should check who else has cited it. Chances are, a newer paper has cited the article and you can use the new paper instead (if it's relevant to your topic). You can check who has cited the paper using Google Scholar or PubMed.
Synonyms
It can help to some more research on synonyms for words you've already included. There are a few ways to do this:
1. MeSH (Medical Subject Headings)
If you were doing the search on PubMed already, you likely don't need to look through MeSH because PubMed probably found the subject heading you were asking for. However, if you were looking at another database like CINAHL or Academic Search Complete, this might help. Every term has a list of synonyms that you can add to a search.
2. Thesaurus
If you're looking for synonyms for a term that might not be medical related, consider using a thesaurus. One thesaurus that is quite comprehensive is OneLook. It gives you related items and offers more options to keep your search flexible. You can also find synonyms for phrases. The following is an example of all the words that could mean a positive effect on health and wellness:
You don't have to use every word in this list, but there are several that could apply to a search about health and/or well-being.
3. Use a Language Learning Model (LLM)
AI programs aren't necessarily applicable at every step of the research journey, but they're great for coming up with keywords. Here's a sample prompt you can start with:
If you do use AI for a search, it's still important to manually review the articles you're considering for your research.