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Gibson D. Lewis Library Libguides

Literature Searching

Need to find literature for your research, but don't know where to start? This guide is here to help!

Start with a Plan

Beginning a literature search can sometimes feel overwhelming. One of the best things you can do to build an effective search is to spend some time developing a clear and concise research question. This practice will help you focus on the most important parts of your question and to provide the database with search terms it can understand.

Depending on a researcher's goals, there are several models or frameworks available to help in structuring a research question. There are at least 25 of these different tools, which are typically expressed in mnemonics. Not any one is superior to another or mandatory to use. It is all dependent on the nature of the research question, if qualitative or quantitative data is needed, and what works best for a project as a whole.

Developing a Clinical Question with PICO

When looking at topics that surround clinical interventions, PICO is a mnemonic that helps organize a case scenario or research topic into a focused clinical research question. PICO stands for: Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome.

Diagram of the PICO framework for clinical research questions. 'P' stands for Population—who is our patient or what problem is being examined? Example: new mothers with postpartum depression. 'I' stands for Intervention—the therapy or treatment being evaluated. Example: drug therapy. 'C' stands for Comparison—whether the intervention is compared to another. Example: exercise therapy. 'O' stands for Outcome—the measure used to determine efficacy. Example: frequency of depressive episodes.

Developing a Non-Clinical Question

Not every question will be clinical in nature. Some questions focus on patient or provider experiences, exploring phenomenon, or exposures.

PICo

Often articulated as PIC-little o, PICo allows for a researcher to be as broad or specific as necessary. It examines a particular population or problem, interest within the population or problem, and the context surrounding the population or problem.

Diagram of the PICo framework used for qualitative research questions. 'P' stands for Population or Problem, asking 'Who is our patient?' and 'What is the problem being examined?' Example: caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. 'I' stands for Interest, referring to a defined event, activity, experience, or process. Example: attitudes or experiences. 'Co' stands for Context, referring to the setting or distinct characteristics of the situation. Example: Australian memory centers.

Diagram of the PEO framework used for structuring qualitative research questions. 'P' stands for Population, asking 'Who is the focus of our question?' Example: mothers. 'E' stands for Exposure, referring to the issue of interest. Example: family pressure. 'O' stands for Outcome, asking what is being examined in relation to the issue. Example: experiences.

Diagram of the SPICE framework for developing research questions. 'S' stands for Setting, asking where the study takes place. Example: Texas high schools. 'P' stands for Perspective, identifying the users or stakeholders. Example: teenagers. 'I' stands for Intervention, Exposure, or Interest—what is being introduced or studied. Example: contraceptive-based sex education. 'C' stands for Comparison—whether the intervention is being compared to something else. Example: abstinence-only sex education. 'E' stands for Evaluation, describing how the intervention’s success is measured. Example: teen pregnancy occurrence.

Diagram of the SPIDER framework used to structure qualitative research questions. 'S' stands for Sample—who is being studied. Example: primary care physicians. 'P' and 'I' represent the Phenomenon of Interest, exploring how and why experiences, behaviors, or decisions occur. Example: screenings for STDs. 'D' is for Design, describing how the research was collected. Example: interviews or surveys. 'E' is for Evaluation, indicating how outcomes are measured. Example: attitudes or experiences. 'R' stands for Research Type, specifying the kind of study. Example: qualitative studies.