If you would like to book a space on our group workshop on Search Techniques for Systematic Reviews you will first need to complete our e-learning and pass a quick quiz OR attend a LIB260 Introduction to Advanced Database Searching for Health & Life Sciences workshop.

How to book?

Route 1: Workshop

Attend a LIB260 Introduction to Advanced Database Searching for Health & Life Sciences workshop. You will be provided with the booking link to this Search Techniques for Systematic Reviews workshop following that session.

Route 2: E-learning

Completion of the e-learning will introduce you to planning your search and the databases you might wish to use, explore searching using keywords and subject headings and how to combine and run your search. Once you have passed the quiz you will be able to book your place for the face-to-face session.
For more details and to access the e-learning please visit our KLaSS e-learninng - Finding Academic Material for Advanced Health Topics on KEATS (if you are blocked from seeing this then please make sure you first self-enrol to the main KLaSS module) and see the Accessing our support for systematic reviewers section with details on booking the 2 hour workshop: LIB261 Search Techniques for Systematic Reviewers. 

If you have any problems accessing the e-learning please contact us: library@kcl.ac.uk

Why e-learning/prior teaching first?

LIB261 is taught as a flipped classroom (e-learning or prior teaching before face-to-face) in order to give us time to concentrate on any troublesome concepts in the session; to give you the opportunity to put your learning into practice in a supportive environment; and to focus on the advanced searching skills required for a systematic review.

We anticipate the e-learning preparatory work will take 1 hour to complete. The LIB260 Introduction to Advanced Searching is a 2 hour workshop.

Please note - places on this course are limited and are on a first come, first served basis.

Course availability

Open to: Postgraduate Taught, Masters by Research, Postgraduate Researcher, Staff and Research Staff

Not open to: Undergraduate

Target group

Staff and postgraduate students from the Health and Clinical Schools and Faculties undertaking a systematic review and wish to learn about advanced literature searching skills. It will also be useful for those undertaking scoping, umbrella or similar reviews which require a similar approach to a thorough search. 

Participants who are undertaking or planning to undertake a systematic review and are new to searching or prefer to be taught in a face-to-face workshop setting may like to consider first attending the course LIB260: Introduction to Advanced Database Searching for Health & Life Sciences. This will provide an introduction to advanced searching and a good foundation to the material in this workshop. 

Our Systematic Review Guide also covers the content of this workshop, and additional areas, and is available at http://libguides.kcl.ac.uk/systematicreview

Prerequisites

King’s username and password.

Completion of e-learning/quiz (including a literature search template for your concept) OR attendance at LIB260 Introduction to Advanced Database Searching for Health & Life Sciences workshop.

Overall aim

The aim of this course is to provide practical advice and support on effective information retrieval for systematic reviews, including planning a search, key sources of information and advanced searching techniques.

The format is e-learning/preliminary workshop followed by a face-to-face in-person workshop: presentation, discussion and interactive hands-on exercises

Key areas

• Know what a systematic review is and why you might want to do one
• Understand the importance of having a clear goal and asking a clear question in your review
• Identify key healthcare databases and their content e.g. Medline
• Understand the value of keywords and subject heading searches
• Use effective search techniques to enhance your results
• Understand how to read well established search strategies
• Search for published and unpublished works – Grey Literature
• Know where to go for further information and support