.


DATABASE: SEARCHING: TECHNIQUES : DATABASES: DATABANKS AND SEARCH SERVICE
PROVIDERS: A Comparison of Searching and Other
Features of the OVID and EBSCO Searching Interfaces


The message below was sent as a response to this post on the MEDLIB-L
medical librarians discussion group. The bibliography at the end of the
post has been added for this version of the post.


This post is in part a response to:


Re: Customizations for Ebsco CINAHL
<http://list.uvm.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0809D&L=MEDLIB-L&T=0&F=&S=&P=44511>


The poster finds the transition to EBSCO from OVID difficult because of
the major differences in each of these searching systems. The decision by
EBSCO to make certain databases proprietary, i.e. only available on the
EBSCO system, has created the need for searchers to learn to use these
tools on the EBSCO interface that is a new tool to many librarians faculty
and students who use OVID or some other system. The post below was sent
to MEDLIB-L to explain some of the differences I have encountered between
the OVID and EBSCO searcing interfaces.


======================================


There are major differences between OVID and EBSCO that can create culture
shock for those switching from one service to the other. Here are some
examples of the differences.


OVID allows searching of only up to five databases at one time, EBSCO allows
searching all databases from EBSCO that one has access to at ones institution.

OVID has the capability of nesting terms on one or both sides of a positional
operator. Using EBSCO one must search each phrase individually in a group of
phrases using the "or" Boolean operator to connect them.

OVID
(heart or lung or stomach) adj1 (virus or disease or illness)

EBSCO
(heart w0 virus) or (heart w0 disease) or (heart w0 illness) or (lung w0
virus).....


OVID When one wishes to limit a search to specific search fields, one can
search with the tags within the dots for all fields desired multiply, searching
several fields in one search step. One Selects the Search Fields option to find
these options for limiting a search to specific parts of the records. Once one
selects OVID search fields, there does not appear to be an option on the
resulting web page for getting back to Advanced Search directly, a matter that
makes using this option difficult. Anyone have any clues in this regard? One
can go to Basic Search and on that search screen select Advanced Search,
however, or use the browsers back command.

concussion$2.ti,id,rf,sh,kf,hw.


EBSCO
Each field limitation requires a seperate search step or search box in the grid
of search boxes. Fields can be selected from a drop down menu to the right of
the dialog box that is used to enter search terms. Furthermore, if in EBSCO one
is searching two or more databases simultaneously, these are the ONLY fields
that may be specifically searched, regardless of the group of fields any of the
databases selected may have when searched alone:

TX TEXT
AU AUTHOR
TI TITLE
SU SUBJECT TERMS
SO SOURCE
AB ABSTRACT
IS ISSN

If one prefers, one can prefix search a field limitation in EBSCO:

TI: baseball or football or basketball

It is very important to reset the drop down menu to "Select A Field (optional)"
when one wants to combine search steps or one will get an error message and a
null result if the drop down menu is set at another option like subject or
title.

s1 and s2 and s3


OVID permits unlimited trucation after a word root and also truncation to a
limited number of letters after a word (concussion$2). EBSCO has undefeatable
automatic plurals and only facilitates unlimited truncation (concussion*).




OVID permits sending via email or other methods up to 200 records at one time,
whereas EBSCO limits the user to sending 50 records at one time. The OVID email
form is on the main screen and this is very handy as much can be accomplished
from that main search page.


The method in use with the new EBSCO interface is convoluted to say the kindest
thing here, especially when one has already pulled up the search history. First
find add records 1-50 at the top right of the center column just above the
search citation listings below the search steps record and click this
hyperlink. Now wait for yellow to appear in the right side bar somewhat below
this add hyperlink. When the yellow banner "folder has items" appears in the
right sidebar, click below the banner on the hyperlink Folder View and a new
screen will appear. Just above the citations on the left is a check box to
click to the left of the word select on this new screen and this will select
all of the records that you had already just selected, EBSCO really wants to
make sure. This turns the page pastel blue and enables one to click on the
envelope for emailing that opens the page where email address and so forth are
entered and the records can be sent.


I am certain that I have omitted some matters, but these are some of the more
important contrasts that I have observed in searching in the two systems. I do
have much more information on both searching systems in posts to the Net-Gold
discussion group for anyone interested. I have also, by the way, spoken to
EBSCO about implementing some of the ways of searching that make OVID searches
very effective and those seeking changes may want to voice their views and
recommendations as well.


OVID on Net-Gold

<http://www.google.com/search?q=ovid+and+database%
3F+and+%22net-gold%22+and+%22temple.edu%22&hl=en&filter=0>


A shorter URL for the above link:


<http://tinyurl.com/4t5yao>



EBSCO on Net-Gold

<http://www.google.com/search?q=ebsco+and+database%3F+and+
%22net-gold%22+and+%22temple.edu%22&hl=en&filter=0>


A shorter URL for the above link:


<http://tinyurl.com/488n9l>


My bottom line on searching these and other search interfaces including any of
the Googles is that one must apply whatever tools are available to get the best
search possible in any of these systems with the tools they do provide. In
other words, one may need to substantially change their techniques from system
to system.


Some article citations of potential interest:


Hearst, Marti A. 1; Divoli, Anna 1,*; Guturu, Harendra 2; Ksikes, Alex 3;
Nakov, Preslav 2; Wooldridge, Michael A. 4; Ye, Jerry 1
BioText Search Engine: beyond abstract search
Bioinformatics
23(16):2196-2197, August 15, 2007.


Swinglehurst, Rachel; Thomas, Andrea
INFORMATION EXPLOSION
Nursing Standard
21(44):62-63, July 11, 2007.


Wood, Jo Ann; Smigielski, Elizabeth M; Haynes, Gail
Case-based approach for improving student MEDLINE searches
Medical Education
41(5):510-511, May 2007


Lawrence, Janna C.
Techniques for Searching the CINAHL Database Using the
EBSCO Interface
AORN Journal
85(4):779-780,782-788,790-791, April 2007


HAMILTON, JOHN D. M.D., M.Sc.
The Practical Search.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
46(3):418-422, March 2007


Mantzoukas, Stefanos MSc, PhD, RGN, PG Dip Soc. RESEARCH METHODS;
Watkinson, Sue MSc, PhD, RGN, OND, PGCEA
Review of advanced nursing practice: the international literature and
developing the generic features
Journal of Clinical Nursing
16(1):28-37, January 2007.


Skinner, Ben BSc (Hons)
MA Web alert: searching for journal articles online.
Quality in Primary Care
14(4):259-262, 2006


Fine, Elizabeth V.; Bliss, Donna Zimmaro Searching the Literature:
Understanding and Using Structured Electronic Databases
Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing
33(6):594-605, November/December 2006


Theroux, Rosemary PhD, RNC
Evidence and Outcomes: How to Bring Evidence Into Your Practice
AWHONN Lifelines
10(3):244-249, June/July 2006


Grant, Maria J.; Brettle, Alison J.
Developing and evaluating an interactive information skills tutorial
Health Information and Libraries Journal
23(2):79-88, June 2006


Ruth-Sahd, Lisa RN, DEd, CEN, CCRN; King, Cindy , MA A Diamond in the
Rough, to a Polished Gemstone Ring: Writing for Publication in a Nursing
Journal.
Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing.
25(3):113-120, May/June 2006


Fineout-Overholt, Ellen RN, PhD; Hofstetter, Sheila MLS, AHIP; Shell,
Leslee MLS; Johnston, Linda RN, PhD
Teaching EBP: Getting to the Gold: How to Search for the Best Evidence
Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing
2(4):207-211, December 2005


Gruppen, Larry D. PhD; Rana, Gurpreet K. MLIS; Arndt, Theresa S. MLS
A Controlled Comparison Study of the Efficacy of Training Medical
Students in Evidence-Based Medicine Literature Searching Skills
Academic Medicine
80(10):940-944, October 2005


Pravikoff, Diane S. PhD, RN, FAAN; Tanner, Annelle B. EdD, RN; Pierce,
Susan T. EdD, RN Readiness of U.S. Nurses for Evidence-Based Practice:
Many don't understand or value research and have had little or no training
to help them find evidence on which to base their practice
AJN, American Journal of Nursing
105(9):40-51, September 2005


Bird, David MA
Discovering the literature of nursing: a guide for
beginners
Nurse Researcher Research governance.
11(1):56-70, 2003


Moore, Helen; Summerbell, Carolyn
Searching the evidence: the clinically-effective nutritionist
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
62(4):773-77


Garg, Anupama *; Turtle, Kathleen M.
Effectiveness of training health professionals in literature search
skills using electronic health databases-a critical appraisal
Health Information and Libraries Journal
20(1):33-41, March 2003


Gallagher, Patricia E. MLS, AHIP *; Allen, Tracy Y. MLS ++; Wyer, Peter C.
MD [S] How to find evidence when you need it, Part 3: A clinician's guide
to MEDLINE: Tricks and special skills
Annals of Emergency Medicine
39(5):547-551, May 2002


Gallagher, Patricia E. MLS, AHIP *; Allen, Tracy Y. MLS ++; Wyer, Peter C.
MD [S]
How to find evidence when you need it, part 2: A clinician's guide to
MEDLINE: The basics
Annals of Emergency Medicine
39(4):436-440, April 2002


SCHULMEISTER, LISA MN, RN, CS, OCN; VRABEL, MARK MLS
Searching for Information for Presentations and Publications
Clinical Nurse Specialist
16(2):79-84, March 2002.


Morrisey, Locke J. MLS; DeBourgh, Gregory A. RN, MS, EdD
Finding Evidence: Refining Literature Searching Skills for the Advanced
Practice Nurse
AACN Clinical Issues: Advanced Practice in Acute and Critical Care
12(4):560-577, November 2001


Information retrieval: Large biomedical electronic databases.Preview
Wilczynski, Nancy
Dissertation Abstracts International
Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences
Vol 69(1-A), 2008. pp. 13



Factors associated with success in searching MEDLINE and applying evidence
to answer clinical questions
Hersh WR; Crabtree MK; Hickam DH; Sacherek L; Friedman CP; Tidmarsh P; Mosbaek
C;
Kraemer D
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
2002 May-Jun 9 (3): 283-93


Subject retrieval from full-text databases in the humanities
East JW portal: Libraries and the Academy
2007 April v. 7 no. 2 p. 227-241



Harnessing the Deep Web: a practical plan for locating free specialty
databases on the web
Spencer, Brett
Reference Services Review
2007 v. 35 no. 1 p. 71-83


Online updates: a column for search analysts. Are we safe? NLM's household
products database
Fitzpatrick RB; Fitzpatrick RB; Tomasulo P
Medical Reference Services Quarterly
2004 Winter v. 23 no. 4 p. 49-59



All have a good weekend.


Also of possible interest:


Meet the Googles
<http://tinyurl.com/62gly3>



INTERNET: SEARCH: TOOLS :
RESEARCH: TECHNIQUES :
TOURISM AND TRAVEL: RESEARCH:
Documenting the Use of Meta-Analysis in Tourism Research
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/25212>



WEBBIB0809



Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
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