Skip to Main Content

Chemical Engineering: Evidence Based

This guide provides students, researchers and staff with access to subject and information resources.

Intro!

Evidence-based research is the type of research which is dependent on the already existing research findings to justify and inform the planning and execution of new studies. It is often referred to as desktop research. This type of research is different from the traditional type of research in that it involves conducting a literature review and the physical collection of data. 

Systematic Literature Review

Systematic Literature Review (SLR) is a scholarly synthesis of the evidence on a clearly presented topic using critical methods to identify, define and assess research on the topic.

Search Strategy Builder

Search Strategy Builder

The Search Strategy Builder is a tool designed to teach you how to create a search string using Boolean logic. While it is not a database and is not designed to input a search, you should be able to cut and paste the results into most databases’ search boxes.

  Concept 1 AND Concept 2 AND Concept 3
Name your core concepts here    
Search terms Search terms Search terms

List alternate terms for each concept.

These can be synonyms, or they can be specific examples of the concept.

You can use single words, or phrases with quotation marks,
or truncated words with the *

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

Now copy and paste the above Search Strategy into a database search box.

The Search Strategy Builder was developed by the University of Arizona Libraries(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).

Boolean Operators

Boolean Operators are keywords [AND, NOT, OR] and symbols [" ", *, ?, ...] used in databases and search engines to refine search results by linking or excluding keywords, therefore, broadening or narrowing the search scope.

5 Boolean Operators You Need to Know | Loxo

Operator AND - narrows your search (e.g., energy AND solar = results with both words).

Operator OR - broadens your search (e.g., college OR university = results with either word).

Operator NOT - excludes terms (e.g., bats NOT cricket = results about the animal, not the sport).

Wildcards are symbols that replace letters to find variations of a word.

  • The asterisk (*) finds different endings (e.g., educat** = education, educating, educator).

  • The question mark (?) often replaces a single letter (e.g., wom?n = woman or women).

When you combine Boolean operators with wildcards, you can create powerful searches.
👉 Example: child OR adolescen OR teen AND educat*** = results about children, adolescents, or teens in education, educational, or educating contexts.

Covidence

Covidence is an online-based software designed to streamline and manage the stages of conducting evidence synthesis literature, like screening, full-text review and data extraction. Access it here, select the "Sign in with SSO"