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A little known PubMed search feature

A little known PubMed search feature

1 - VS Shares
At the end of 2022 PubMed launched the "Proximity operator" feature. At the end of 2023, it would not be surprising to find that no one in India (or only a few) is aware of this. Proximity operators - available in most databases that we have to pay for, make searching much more relevant, when we search for terms like "Under developed countries". When we search these with the tags [ti] or [tiab], we are searching for the term as a phrase. When we search them with a proximity operator, then we are searching for the terms being near each…
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Literature search & literature review – what is the difference?

Literature search & literature review – what is the difference?

1 - VS Shares
It is interesting to note, that too many people confuse the terms "Literature Review" and "Literature Searching". Long ago, I noticed this when if invited to deliver a lecture, then the topic against my name would be "Literature Review". I needed to tell the organizers that I do not teach this, but I teach Literature Searching. Sometimes in spite of this when I was being introduced just before my talk, this term would appear again! A literature search is the process of doing a structured, methodological search to fine the existing literature related on a topic for research, or even…
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Sharpen the Saw

Sharpen the Saw

1 - VS Shares
Sounds familiar? Yes - it is the 7th Habit - from Stephen Covey's book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". Covey emphasizes the need to sharpen ourselves from time to time. He describes an incident of a man continuously cutting the branches of trees with a saw. When another man suggests that he stops to sharpen the saw to make things quicker, he responds - "Can't you see I am busy cutting the branch? I do not have time to sharpen the saw"! Let us stop and think. Many of us fall into this trap. We are so busy…
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