Step 3: Run your Search in Web of Science or CAB Abstracts


Search for each concept separately, using as many synonyms per concept that you can think of, then combine them together.  

For a protocol investigating the diagnosis of osteomyelitis in rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits using imaging:

 

First, search on each concept:

  • Search #1: diagnos* OR assess*
  • Search #2: osteomyelit*
  • Search #3: rat OR rats OR “guinea pig*” OR mouse OR mice OR rabbit*
  • Search #4: imag* OR radio* OR marker* OR biomarker* OR noninvasive OR MRI OR tomograph* OR ultraso*

You can string these searches together in the search box, just capitalize OR.  Use * to truncate words -- diagnos* finds diagnose, diagnosis, diagnostic, etc.

 

Then, combine them.  Go to the little down arrow by Basic Search and click Advanced Search: 

A screenshot showing the down arrow in Web of Science to click in order to uncover the Advanced Search option.

 

In the advanced search page, scroll down to Search History and click on the check box by each search, click the AND radio button, and click Combine:

A screenshot from Web of Science showing the search boxes clicked to AND them together.

 

Click on the search results to see your final set:

A screen shot from Web of Science showing the results from a combined search.