Zahra Premji

Yes, we are hosting an institute this year, but the Canadian institute is in April, so the Pressbook won't be updated until the week before 😀. The US ESI has planned a longer session on AI/automation so their Pressbook is the better source for that content.

So excited to build a #SystematicReview search in #OpenAlex (Web app) today. Designed the search strategy & tested it (with seed studies). Export failed on Firefox, but worked on Edge 😌

Was happy to see University of Victoria listed as their first member supporter! blog.openalex.org/a-new-way-to...

An unexpected email with positive feedback about a workshop I delivered is the perfect Friday afternoon treat. #Joy

As it happens, yesterday I spent 30 minutes trying to find a conference abstract during a student consult, with no success.

Reforming the presentation of conference proceedings: a plea to end the madness — TheSearcherUK A blog by Chris Cooper and Zahra Premji (cite via: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18593615 )

If you ever tried to describe the process of finding conference proceedings, people would think you’d lost it. Which would be fair. We’re told to include them - that’s the guidance, but finding them is 😖😱! blog by Chris Cooper & Zahra Premji www.thesearcheruk.com/blog/reformi... #MedLibs #CanMedLibs

Applications for the 2026 Evidence Synthesis Institute Canada, to be held April 7-10th, 2026, are now open. We will accept applications until February 2, 2026.

More details and the link to the application form can be found at libguides.uvic.ca/ESICanada/ap...

@carl-abrc.bsky.social #ESIC2026

In my experience, response rates arent great - at least they weren't in an unrelated study I was involved in (2023) where we asked for search strategies. Nonethless, we are excited to compile the evidence on the various supplementary approaches. Stay tuned!

Supplementary search methods versus bibliographic database searching to identify studies and study reports - Cooper, C - 2025 | Cochrane Library Select your preferred language for Cochrane reviews and other content. Sections without translation will be in English.

The battle between supplementary search methods VS databases begins now. www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.... #Cochrane #Protocol #MethodologyReview @cochraneirmg.bsky.social @cochrane.org

On my way to Vancouver for #CHLA2025 conference. Looking fwd to seeing all the #CanMedLibs

Thanks! That was all Chris. He'll be pleased that it was noticed 😃.

We know DE searches multiple controlled fields (geography, education level, and others) but phrase-indexed. It seems logical that SU searches the same fields (this time word-indexed) and therefore you would get more results.

But I was not able to get all of KW to be retrieved within a SU search

SU is different for sure. As we wrote, SU in PsycInfo (EBSCO) searches the APA thesaurus, keywords (KW), and MeSH field (word-indexed) so that can bring in a lot of noise.

I don't know about ERIC. I tested SU "critical" and KW "critical" and did not get 100% overlap of KW records within SU so 🤷‍♀️

[Keywords or Identifiers - [Word Indexed] Performs a keyword search for terms describing the article. Note: This field is not available for articles after 2017.]

In PsycInfo (EBSCO), the .id field is KW. KW is word-indexed keywords. That field does not search the Subject heading fields in my tests.

In ERIC (EBSCO), there used to be a KW field. Help page says [Keywords or Identifiers - [Word Indexed]
Note: This field is not available for articles after 2017]

In ERIC (EBSCO), I tested geographic location and education level, and both could be searched with the DE prefix as long as you used the exact phrase. I didn't test all of the other controlled fields, so there could be more.

In ERIC (EBSCOhost), other controlled fields such as education level can also be searched using DE " " (phrase indexed).

But that similar phenomenon does not appear (in my tests) to apply to PsycInfo (EBSCO). For context, I tested methodology and age group exact terms using the DE prefix and got 0

Since DE is phrase-indexed, there won't be as much cross-over unless the APA Thesaurus and MeSH term are exactly the same.

Are you perhaps referring to the MESH field? In theory that is a "subject heading" field, so the description provided by EBSCO that DE searches Subject Heading fields (phrase indexed) wouldn't be incorrect. They don't specifically define it as searching the APA thesaurus field.

Had a fun time working with @craftyhilary.bsky.social on this!

We wrote and published a tutorial / guide on translating APA #PsycInfo searches from the #Ovid to #EBSCOhost interface.
doi.org/10.1017/rsm....

#ExpertSearching #SystematicReview #Medlibs #Canmedlibs

I don't have stemming as a category on this database syntax sheet (libguides.uvic.ca/ld.php?conte...). Sharing it nonetheless. I might consider adding that function, in the future.

Applications are currently open (until Feb 3rd, 2025) for the Evidence Synthesis Institute Canada, taking place April 14-17th, 2025. More details and link to the application form can be found here: libguides.uvic.ca/ESICanada

#ESICanada2025 #Librarian

Yes, please.

It looks like the parent PressBook site (through BC Campus) is down right now - not sure if its just for maintenance or if they are having issues. I assume it won't be long. Perhaps it will be back up tomorrow.

Nice!!

Chapter 4: Searching for and selecting studies

Happy to see the preprint syntax table cited in the revised Cochrane Handbook. Syntax table: lib.uvic.ca/preprintsear... Chapter 4 of the Handbook: training.cochrane.org/handbook/cur...

Awww, thank you for the kind words 😍

Thank you! I guess it was time 😁