National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)
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Here are some principles the author has used in his own work searching for health statistics. They are offered as guides rather than rules.
- The successful searcher adopts an open approach that is sensitive to the information structures formed as the material was compiled and created.
- The key rule is to craft each search for the specific circumstances—your needs, resources and the time available.
| Identify data limits and heed them |
- Include material that provides meta data—information about the sources uses, their methods and limits
- Weight reports results against the statistical characteristics they report
- Assess not only the statistical precision and validity of a result—it’s “confidence interval” or sampling error—but also its applicability and meaningfulness in the context of health analyses.
| Review of Searching Strategies |
This course includes a section designed for those who are new to library searching or who feel they need a refresher in basic principles. If you want to consult this part of the course go here.
Otherwise, Continue to next page. |
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