Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases

A thorough search of the literature to find the best evidence is central to the practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine. This requires knowing which databases to search to maximize journal coverage. The aim of the present study was to compare the coverage of active veterinary journals by nine...

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Main Authors: Grindlay, Douglas J.C., Brennan, Marnie L., Dean, Rachel S.
Format: Article
Published: University of Toronto Press 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39358/
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author Grindlay, Douglas J.C.
Brennan, Marnie L.
Dean, Rachel S.
author_facet Grindlay, Douglas J.C.
Brennan, Marnie L.
Dean, Rachel S.
author_sort Grindlay, Douglas J.C.
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description A thorough search of the literature to find the best evidence is central to the practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine. This requires knowing which databases to search to maximize journal coverage. The aim of the present study was to compare the coverage of active veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases to inform future systematic reviews and other evidence-based searches. Coverage was assessed using lists of included journals produced by the database providers. For 121 active veterinary journals in the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials, Third Edition,” the percentage coverage was the highest for Scopus (98.3%) and CAB Abstracts (97.5%). For an extensive list of 1,139 journals with significant veterinary content compiled from a variety of sources, coverage was much greater in CAB Abstracts (90.2%) than in any other database, the next highest coverage being in Scopus (58.3%). The maximum coverage of the extensive journal list that could be obtained in a search without including CAB Abstracts was 69.8%. It was concluded that to maximize journal coverage and avoid missing potentially relevant evidence, CAB Abstracts should be included in any veterinary literature search.
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spelling nottingham-393582020-05-04T18:18:39Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39358/ Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases Grindlay, Douglas J.C. Brennan, Marnie L. Dean, Rachel S. A thorough search of the literature to find the best evidence is central to the practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine. This requires knowing which databases to search to maximize journal coverage. The aim of the present study was to compare the coverage of active veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases to inform future systematic reviews and other evidence-based searches. Coverage was assessed using lists of included journals produced by the database providers. For 121 active veterinary journals in the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials, Third Edition,” the percentage coverage was the highest for Scopus (98.3%) and CAB Abstracts (97.5%). For an extensive list of 1,139 journals with significant veterinary content compiled from a variety of sources, coverage was much greater in CAB Abstracts (90.2%) than in any other database, the next highest coverage being in Scopus (58.3%). The maximum coverage of the extensive journal list that could be obtained in a search without including CAB Abstracts was 69.8%. It was concluded that to maximize journal coverage and avoid missing potentially relevant evidence, CAB Abstracts should be included in any veterinary literature search. University of Toronto Press 2016-12-01 Article PeerReviewed Grindlay, Douglas J.C., Brennan, Marnie L. and Dean, Rachel S. (2016) Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 39 (4). pp. 404-412. ISSN 1943-7218 evidence-based veterinary medicine databases searching systematic reviews veterinary literature http://jvme.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/jvme.1111.109R doi:10.3138/jvme.1111.109R doi:10.3138/jvme.1111.109R
spellingShingle evidence-based veterinary medicine
databases
searching
systematic reviews
veterinary literature
Grindlay, Douglas J.C.
Brennan, Marnie L.
Dean, Rachel S.
Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases
title Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases
title_full Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases
title_fullStr Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases
title_full_unstemmed Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases
title_short Searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases
title_sort searching the veterinary literature: a comparison of the coverage of veterinary journals by nine bibliographic databases
topic evidence-based veterinary medicine
databases
searching
systematic reviews
veterinary literature
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39358/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39358/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39358/