Research Guides: Systematic Reviews in Medicine: Search for Studies

Primary Databases

Databases useful for any health or medical topic.

CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
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Provides indexing for more than 2,700 journals from the fields of nursing and allied health.
Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window
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Contains high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. Searches existing Cochrane (systematic) Reviews, as well as Cochrane (clinical) Trials.
Medline (Ovid) This link opens in a new window
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Medline comprises more than 20 million citations for biomedical literature from life science journals.
MEDLINE Ultimate (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
This database provides full-text for many of the most-used biomedical and health journals indexed in MEDLINE. Many journals are available with no embargo, allowing doctors, nurses, health professionals and researchers to access to the information as soon as it is published.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
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PubMed comprises more than 22 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Scopus uniquely combines a comprehensive, curated abstract and citation database with enriched data and linked scholarly content.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
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The premier research platform to find and analyze scholarly research literature on Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities. Includes proceedings of international conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions.

Clinical Trials: Registries

Be sure to also check Cochrane's "Trials" tab.

ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world.
EU Clinical Trials Register
The European Union Clinical Trials Register allows you to search for protocol and results information on: interventional clinical trials that are conducted in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA); clinical trials conducted outside the EU / EEA that are linked to European paediatric-medicine development.
ISRCTN registry
The ISRCTN registry is a primary clinical trial registry recognised by WHO and ICMJE that accepts all clinical research studies (whether proposed, ongoing or completed), providing content validation and curation and the unique identification number necessary for publication. All study records in the database are freely accessible and searchable.
WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)
A network of international clinical trials registers to ensure a single point of access and the unambiguous identification of trials.
Lilly Clinical Trials
Clinical trials from pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company.

Clinical Trials: Data

Vivli
Vivli is an independent, non-profit organization that has developed a global data-sharing and analytics platform. Our focus is on sharing individual participant-level data from completed clinical trials to serve the international research community.

Secondary Databases

Databases which may be useful depending on the topic.

ERIC (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
A great source for scholarly articles, reports, and other information on Educational topics.
PsycINFO (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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Coverage of research in applied psychology, developmental psychology, personality, and more.
SPORTDiscus (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
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Articles about recreation, exercise physiology, sports medicine, coaching, physical fitness, the psychology, history and sociology of sport, training, and conditioning.

TRIP (Turning Research Into Practice)
TRIP is a clinical search engine designed to allow users to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support their practice and/or care.
More Databases from CMU Libraries

Grey Literature

Grey Literature for the Health Sciences
Check this guide for detailed information about grey literature, including a PDF tutorial.

Dissertations and Theses

Dissertations & Theses (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, spanning from 1861 to the present day and offering full text for most of the dissertations added since 1997.

EThOS
EThOS is the UK’s national thesis service which aims to maximise the visibility and availability of the UK’s doctoral research theses.

Preprints

ASAPbio
ASAPbio is a scientist-driven nonprofit working to promote innovation and transparency in the life sciences.
bioRxiv
Preprints in biology from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
medRxiv
Preprints in medicine from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the British Medical Journal, and Yale University.

Web Searches

Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines
Harvard Kennedy School Think Tank Search
Think Tank Search searches the websites of institutions that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. These sites are affiliated with universities, governments, advocacy groups, foundations, and non-governmental organizations.
MedNar
Mednar is a free, medically-focused deep web search engine that uses Explorit Everywhere!, an advanced search technology by Deep Web Technologies.
Retraction Watch
Retraction Watch is a blog that reports on retractions of scientific papers and on related topics.

Systematic Reviews in Medicine: Search for Studies

Choose Databases

Primary Databases

Clinical Trials: Registries

Clinical Trials: Data

Secondary Databases

Grey Literature

Dissertations and Theses

Preprints

Web Searches

Final Checks: