User guide

Follow the essential steps below to achieve optimal results using the advanced search. 

Features

Advanced search

The advanced search interface employs Boolean logic and accommodates both single-line and multiple-line searches. Multiple-line searches are combined in a final line using the “#” symbol.

 

The default is to run the search in ‘any field’, but the following fields are available:
 

1. Title
2. Title/Abstract
3. Author
4. Journal
5. Any field
6. EET (Epistemonikos Evidence Terms, the controlled vocabulary developed by Epistemonikos Foundation).

For all the fields, except EET you can add single words or multiple word terms. For multiple term or hyphenized terms it is mandatory to use double quotation marks. 
 

What you CAN use:

• Boolean operators: AND, OR, AND NOT. Use AND to search for references containing multiple terms, OR for references containing any of two or more terms, and AND NOT to exclude words or phrases.
• Parentheses to group terms.
• Asterisk (*) as a wildcard to truncate terms.
• Field labels (e.g., title:(term AND word).
• Exact phrases using double quotation marks ("your phrase").

What is NOT supported:

• Languages other than English.
• Controlled vocabulary from other databases (e.g., MeSH terms) .
• Proximity operators: NEAR, NEXT.
• Combinations of double quotation marks and asterisks.
• Automatic Recognition of linguistic variants, plural forms, and misspellings

Tips to optimize your search:

• When dealing with single-word terms, drop the quotation marks but keep the asterisk (*) for different word variations (e.g mask* would retrieve mask, masks, masking).
• For terms with multiple words or hyphens, use double quotation marks (" ") to aim for an exact match (e.g. "case finding", "self-protection").
• For lengthy terms, consider adding synonyms or shorter variations to expand the scope of your search (e.g. sars* or “severe respiratory syndrome” instead of “severe acute respiratory syndrome”).
   

Controlled vocabulary - EET Taxonomy 

The Epistemonikos Evidence Terms is the indexing system developed by the Epistemonikos Foundation to be used in various tools developed by the organization. EET is used as a controlled vocabulary. This means that synonyms, variations, and approximate synonyms of the same term are grouped under an EET term descriptor.

EET is a taxonomy that uses a strict system of relationships of the type hyperonym–hyponym (supertype/superclass–subtype/subclass). This means that all the articles indexed under a narrower descriptor also belong to all the above terms in the taxonomy.

The descriptors are grouped into different categories. The EET terms in a category are arranged in alphabetic order and in a hierarchical structure, with more specific terms arranged beneath broader terms.

Searching with Epistemonikos Evidence Taxonomy

1. Go to the “Advanced Search” page to combine searches. 
2. Select the filter “EET” to identify the relevant terms, which will help you find articles indexed with the specific EET category.
3. As you type a word into the search box, the system will suggest terms based on the EET. You can choose either to select among the suggestions the most fitting term that relates to the concept you are inquiring about or finish typing the original term.
4. When the system can't find any EET term that matches your search, try synonyms or alternative words.
   
    

Exploring search options

Single line

When conducting searches in single-line format, you can input your search strategy within a dedicated search field.

Multiple lines

Multi-line search is a valuable solution for cases where search terms belong to a specific field, such as Author or Title. It is particularly effective for managing different components of a strategy, especially when dealing with complex strategies. This option excels at refining word-based searches. To set up a multi-line search, follow these steps:

1. Start by entering all the terms.
2. Select search fields from the drop-down menus.
3. Manage lines with the [Add] buttons.

You can also use boolean operators like AND/OR/AND NOT to combine the terms and use a search filter to limit your results and refine the search. 

Search Results

The usability of search results is characterized by its flexibility and ease of navigation. When you perform a search, the results are presented in batches of 10, 20, 50 and 100 references per page, allowing you to adjust the amount of information you want to view at once.
 

Furthermore, we provide organization and filtering tools to refine your results. You can use filters based on PHSM categories, diseases, settings, publication year, publication type, and type of article. This makes it easier to find exactly what you need.

Export 

The bibliographic library provides the functionality to export citations using an RIS file, CSV and citation text format. If specific citations are preferred, select the corresponding boxes adjacent to their numbers to display a checkmark. Subsequently, activate the export mode by clicking the designated button.

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