• When you find an article of interest in NARIC's REHABDATA, use the title of the journal to search Journals at CSU.

• CINAHL, Medline, and PubMed thoroughly index AJOT, so you will discover relevant articles while comprehensively searching the health sciences literature in those databases. See Essential Databases below.

Not a member of AOTA? Need an AJOT article? No need to pay! Log in and use our ILL service - we'll send you the article you need for free. The process usually takes a couple of days, so please plan accordingly.  

A thorough review of the literature includes:

• Searching multiple databases
• Using synonyms, related terms, and controlled vocabulary (e.g. MeSH terms/headings) in addition to your topic keywords
• Searching concepts separately to reveal limiting variables
• Combining concepts strategically to focus results without over-narrowing
• Using database limiters/filters thoughtfully
• Applying inclusion/exclusion criteria as you skim result lists 
• Scheduling a research appointment to brainstorm search options with your Personal Librarian

Productive and effective searching:

• Start with one or two keywords 
  • Add terms with AND to narrow results (exercise AND fatigue)
  • If needed, combine synonyms with OR to include related terms (neurological OR neuromuscular)
• Review results to brainstorm additional or alternate keyword options
• Consider different ways to describe the essential elements of your topic using keywords and controlled vocabulary terms (e.g., MeSH terms/headings)
• Explore more than one database
• Apply limiters thoughtfully
  • After seeing how productive your keywords are, limit by date range and English language
  • Other limiters to try:
    • Peer Reviewed (articles must be approved by other scholars before publication)
    • Other database-specific limit options (age range, type of study, etc.)

Can't access the article you need? Use our Inter-library loan (ILL) service!