Finding Qualitative & Quantitative Research Articles

Tips for Locating Qualitative Research in MEDLINE

The term 'qualitative research' is indexed as "Qualitative Research" or "Nursing Methodology Research" in Medline. 

• Use appropriate Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms in your search, such as:
  • Qualitative Research [research that derives data from observation, interviews, or verbal interactions and focuses on the meanings and interpretations of the participants. Year introduced: 2003]
  • Interviews as Topic [conversations with an individual or individuals held in order to obtain information about their background and other personal biographical data, their attitudes and opinions, etc. It includes school admission or job interviews. Year introduced: 2008 (1980)]
  • Focus Groups [a method of data collection and a qualitative research tool in which a small group of individuals are brought together and allowed to interact in a discussion of their opinions about topics, issues, or questions. Year introduced: 1993]
  • Nursing Methodology Research [research carried out by nurses concerning techniques and methods to implement projects and to document information, including methods of interviewing patients, collecting data, and forming inferences. The concept includes exploration of methodological issues such as human subjectivity and human experience. Year introduced: 1991(1989)]
  • Anecdotes as Topic [brief accounts or narratives of an incident or event. Year introduced: 2008(1963)]
  • Narration [the act, process, or an instance of narrating, i.e., telling a story. In the context of MEDICINE or ETHICS, narration includes relating the particular and the personal in the life story of an individual. Year introduced: 2003]
  • Video Recording [the storing or preserving of video signals for television to be played back later via a transmitter or receiver. Recordings may be made on magnetic tape or discs (VIDEODISC RECORDING). Year introduced: 1984]
  • Tape Recording [recording of information on magnetic or punched paper tape. Year introduced: 1967(1964)]
  • Personal Narratives as Topic [works about accounts of individual experience in relation to a particular field or of participation in related activities. Year introduced: 2013]

NOTE: Inconsistent indexing in Medline. For example, grounded theory articles are not always indexed for qualitative research. Need to TextWord search for additional terms: “grounded theory”, “action research”, ethnograph* etc.

Additional MeSH terms that may be applicable to your topic include: Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitude to Death; Attitude to Health; or Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice.

• Limit your search to specific Publication Types, such as:
  • Interview [work consisting of a conversation with an individual regarding his or her background and other personal and professional details, opinions on specific subjects posed by the interviewer, etc. Year introduced: 2008(1993)]
  • Diaries [works consisting of records, usually private, of writers' experiences, observations, feelings, attitudes, etc. They may also be works marked in calendar order in which to note appointments and the like. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed) Year introduced: 2008(1997)]
  • Anecdotes [works consisting of brief accounts or narratives of incidents or events. Year introduced: 2008(1999)]
  • Personal Narratives [works consisting of accounts of individual experience in relation to a particular field or of participation in related activities. Year introduced: 2013]
• Use Text Words to find articles missed by MeSH terms
• Use a Qualitative Research Filter:
  •  PubMed Health Services Research (HSR) Queries
    • Select Topic-Specific Queries from the PubMed home page and then Health Services Research Queries.
    • This page provides a filter for specialized PubMed searches on healthcare quality and costs.
    • Enter your search topic and select Qualitative Research under Category
       
  • Use a filter for:  Clinical Queries--qualitative (in Medline via Ovid)
  • PubMed: [copy and paste the following filter into PubMed and combine your subject terms with this search filter using AND:]

(((“semi-structured”[TIAB] OR semistructured[TIAB] OR unstructured[TIAB] OR informal[TIAB] OR “in-depth”[TIAB] OR indepth[TIAB] OR “face-to-face”[TIAB] OR structured[TIAB] OR guide[TIAB] OR guides[TIAB]) AND (interview*[TIAB] OR discussion*[TIAB] OR questionnaire*[TIAB])) OR (“focus group”[TIAB] OR “focus groups”[TIAB] OR qualitative[TIAB] OR ethnograph*[TIAB] OR fieldwork[TIAB] OR “field work”[TIAB] OR “key informant”[TIAB])) OR “interviews as topic”[Mesh] OR “focus groups”[Mesh] OR narration[Mesh] OR qualitative research[Mesh] OR "personal narratives as topic"[Mesh]

Locating Quantitative Research in MEDLINE Complete 

There is no easy way to specify quantitative studies in Medline and CINAHL.

Check box in the Publication Type menu for Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT). RCTs are often quantitative, or at least have a quantitative aspect. Another trick for both Medline is to select Charts from the Image types at the bottom of the Search screen. Some qualitative studies also use charts and graphs (and some studies are mixed method) and some quantitative studies won't have charts or graphs listed as images.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews is included in Medline. You can also use it to find unfiltered resources, including randomized controlled trials, case studies, and other primary research studies.

On this page you will learn how to limit your results in MEDLINE to:

• systematic reviews
• randomized controlled trials
• cohort studies
• case studies
• other document types.

1. Set Up Your Search: 

• Once you are in the database, use the search boxes to enter your keywords. For example, in the first search box, enter:

Neonatal OR NICU

Note: You can use OR to link together your synonyms, or related words, in a search box, allowing the database to search more broadly.

• In the second search box enter:

Handwashing OR "Hand Washing" OR "Hand Rubs" OR "Hand Disinfection"

Note: Putting quotation marks around phrases tells the database to search for these words as a phrase and not as individual words.

• In the third search box enter:
   

  "Infection Control" OR "Cross Infection"

   

  ​​​​​​​

Systematic reviews

You can find a number of systematic reviews in MEDLINE. Once you have set up your search, here is how you can limit your results to only systematic reviews:

1. Scroll down the page below the search boxes until you find the Subject Subset box.
2. In the Subject Subset box select Systematic Reviews by finding it in the list and clicking on it (it will then be highlighted).
    

   

3. Click on the Search button to run your search.

Randomized controlled trials

Randomized controlled trials are the studies commonly used to support systematic reviews and are a high level of evidence.

Once you have set up your search, here is how you can limit your results to only randomized controlled trials:

1. Scroll down the page below the search boxes until you see the Publication Type box.
2. In the Publication Type box select Randomized Controlled Trial by finding it in the list and clicking on it (it will then be highlighted).
    

   

3. Then click on the Search button to run your search.

Cohort studies

Cohort studies are a type of longitudinal study, or observational study, that analyze risk factors by following groups that share a common characteristic or experience over time. Since these studies have a long-term component, they promote a better quality of evidence than a shorter study. There are also fewer of them, and they are harder to find.

Here is an example of a search for a cohort study in MEDLINE:

1. Set up your search. For example, in the first search box you could enter:
    

   Neonatal

2. In the second search box, enter any additional keywords. For example, you could enter:
    

   "Infection Control"

    

   Note: Putting quotation marks around phrases tells the database to search for these words as a phrase and not as individual words.

3. In the third search box enter:
    

   "Cohort Studies"

    

   
    

4. Then click on the Search button to run your search.

Case studies

A case study, or case report, is a research method involving a detailed investigation of a single individual or a single organized group. Case studies may be prospective (in which criteria are established and cases fitting the criteria are included as they become available) or retrospective (in which criteria are established and cases are selected from historical records for inclusion in the study).

Once you have set up your search, here is how you can limit your results to only case studies:

1. Scroll down the page below the search boxes until you find the Publication Type box.
2. In the Publication Type box select Case Reports by finding it in the list and clicking on it (it will then be highlighted).
    

   

3. Click on the Search button to run your search.

Other filters in MEDLINE

MEDLINE with Full Text offers a number of additional filters or limiters that can help you find specific types of studies.

Scroll down the page below the search boxes to locate these filters or limiters. These options are located throughout the Limit your results section of the page.

Clinical Queries

This filter, in ADVANCED search, can be used find articles that are clinically-sound. The nine options are: 

• Therapy
• Diagnosis
• Prognosis
• Reviews
• Clinical Prediction
• Guides
• Qualitative
• Causation (Etiology)
• Costs
• Economics

To get the most results, select all three sub-divisions: High Sensitivity, High Specificity, and Best Balance.

Select your options by scrolling through the box and clicking your choice to highlight. Hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple options.

Publication Types

This limiter box allows you to select specific article types.. We've already shown how to use this limiter for randomized controlled trials and case reports; other useful publication types for evidence-based practice include Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Meta Analysis, Practice Guideline, and Validation Studies.

Select an option by finding it in the list and clicking on it (it will then be highlighted).

Medline EBM Reviews limiter (available in Basic search menu) 

This limiter limits your search to only the following evidence-based medicine resources:

• The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
• ACP Journal Club
• Clinical Evidence
• Evidence-based Mental Health
• Evidence-based Nursing
• Evidence report/Technology assessment

Click in the check box below EBM Reviews to select this option.

Note: With the EBM Reviews limiter you will need to evaluate your results to determine what type of evidence each article contains.