Yale-NUS College Library
library@[Link]
BUILD A SEARCH STRATEGY!
1. Write down as much information about your topic as possible.
a) What is your topic? More and more people are suffering from health problems caused
by a modern lifestyle which cannot be treated with modern medicines. Some people think
that a return to traditional/alternative medicine could solve the problem. Discuss both
sides and give your own opinion.
b) What questions do you have?
- What are some health problems caused by modern lifestyle?
- Can modern medicine treat these health problems?
- Can traditional/alternative medicine treat these health problems?
c) What do you know? What don’t you know?
- Do know: Some health problems caused by modern lifestyle can actually be treated
with modern medicine but with a high cost
- Don’t know: Can traditional/alternative medicine solve the problem modern medicine
has? How does traditional/alternative medicine work?
* What do you know?
- Some health problems caused by modern lifestyle can actually be treated with modern
medicine but with a high cost
- Some health problems caused by modern lifestyle can’t be treated and any other use of
medicine is for palliation
* What don’t you know?
- Can traditional/alternative medicine solve the problem modern medicine has?
- How does traditional/alternative medicine work?
- The specific causes of the problems
2. SUMMARIZE your topic in one sentence. Make sure your topic can answer
three of the following questions: who, what, where, when, why, how?
Can traditional/alternative medicine(what) solve(how) health problems caused by
modern(when) lifestyle?
- Who: People suffered from health problems caused by modern lifestyle
- What: Health problems caused by modern lifestyle, modern medicine,
traditional/alternative medicine
- Where:
- When: Now
- How: Use: herbal medicine, green synthesis nanoparticles, diets, sauna….
- Why:
+ Why should be used? + Why should not be used?
To help people who suffered from diseases
modern medicine can’t treat or people who
aren’t financially capable of buying modern
medicine
3. Using the summary in #2, list the main concepts of your paper.
health problems - modern lifestyle - modern medicine - traditional/alternative medicine
4. Using the primary concepts in #3 as headings, think of as many synonyms for
those words as you can- both broad and narrow!
Concept #1 Concept #2 Concept #3 Concept #4
Traditional/alternative
Health problem Modern lifestyle Modern medicine
medicine
illness
disease (current/
ailment contemporary/ remedy
poor health present) way of complementary and
sickness living
Western alternative medicine
unhealthiness
medicine (CAM)
non-communicable diseases
lifestyle disease
5. Combine your terms wisely - using AND . . . OR
“AND”- your concepts: health problem AND traditional/alternative medicine; modern
lifestyle health problem AND modern medicine AND traditional/alternative medicine
“OR”- your synonyms: health problem AND (non-communicable diseases
OR lifestyle disease); medicine (modern OR complementary and alternative medicine)
6. Results
6.1. Lifestyle Diseases: The Link between Modern Lifestyle and Threat to
Public Health Wahied Khawar Balwa and Sachdeep Kour DOI:
10.36348/sjmps.2021.v07i04.00X
02.04.2021
Keyword: Lifestyle diseases, Non-communicable diseases, chronic diseases,
Globalization.
6.2. Palliative treatment of cancer in resource poor settings: Traditional medicine
perspective Florence Dushimemaria1 and Davis R. Mumbengegwi Vol. 7(5), pp. 73-79,
May 2015 DOI: 10.5897/JPP2014.0331 Article Number: 32F80A852750
16 April, 2015
Keyword: Palliative care, Namibia, medicinal plants, anti-cancer.
6.3. Phytonanotherapy for management of diabetes using green synthesis
nanoparticles
K. Anand, C. Tiloke, Pragalathan Naidoo, A.A. Chuturgoon , Phytonanotherapy for
management of diabetes using green synthesis nanoparticles, Journal of Photochemistry
& Photobiology, B: Biology (2017), doi: 10.1016/ [Link].2017.06.028
21 June 2017
Keywords: Gold nanoparticle, Antimicrobials, Diabetic, Cancer, Docking, Green
synthesis
6.4. Complementary and alternative medicine use in coronary heart disease
patients: a cross-sectional study from Palestine
Salah, A.O., Salameh, A.D., Bitar, M.A. et al. Complementary and alternative medicine
use in coronary heart disease patients: a cross-sectional study from Palestine. BMC
Complement Med Ther 20, 231 (2020). [Link]
20 July 2020
Keyword: Complementary and alternative medicine, Coronary heart disease, Attitudes,
Palestine
6.5. Prevalence of rapid weight loss in Olympic style wrestlers
Roberto Roklicer, Carlo Rossi, Antonino Bianco, Valdemar Stajer, Marijana Ranisavljev,
Nikola Todorovic, Marko Manojlovic, Barbara Gilic, Tatjana Trivic & Patrik Drid (2022)
Prevalence of rapid weight loss in Olympic style wrestlers, Journal of the International
Society of Sports Nutrition, 19:1, 593-602, DOI: 10.1080/15502783.2022.2119095
24 August 2022
Keyword: Combat sports; elite athletes; weight reduction methods
6.6. Efficacy and safety of a mobile app intervention in patients with
inflammatory arthritis: a prospective pilot study
Fedkov, D., Berghofen, A., Weiss, C. et al. Efficacy and safety of a mobile app
intervention in patients with inflammatory arthritis: a prospective pilot study. Rheumatol
Int 42, 2177–2190 (2022). [Link]
16 September 2022
Keyword: Rheumatoid arthritis, Spondyloarthritis, Healthy lifestyle
Searching Tips!
1. Break your topic up into ‘concepts.’
i.e. If we were searching on “Comic themes in Monkey and the Monk” you may separate
your search into two concepts: comic AND Monkey and the Monk.
2. Create lists of words- to broaden your search strategy.
i.e. For comic, in this case, you may also search comic, comed*, satire, humor, humour,
etc.
3. Start general- and then get more focused once you learn more about your topic.
4. Combine your terms wisely- using AND . . . OR
“AND”- your concepts (comed* AND Monkey and the Monk)
“OR”- your synonyms (comed* OR humor OR humour) AND (“Monkey and the Monk”
OR “Journey to the West” OR “Hsi yu chi” OR “Xi you Ji”)
5. Use TRUNCATION. This is when you search on the root of a word, to broaden you
search. For comedy, search on comed*- which would retrieve comedy, comedies,
comedic, comedian . . . etc.
6. Once you start getting results, take clues from the records. Look at the article’s title,
abstract, “keywords,” “subjects” or “subject headings.” If you find good words, write
them down. You can use these in subsequent searches. Searching will be easier, as well
as more powerful.
7. Don’t be afraid to search again and again and again. It is unlikely that you will get all
you need the first time around!