Why should I not search multiple medical databases at once?
Different databases have different target audiences in mind, and the information within these databases is indexed according to its audience’s needs. For example, PsycInfo is a psychology-focused database. This database contains more sub-categories relating to mental health than Medline which contains more general descriptions of mental health issues.
Searching several databases at once is a useful method of getting an overview of what literature is available. However, the search tools within specific databases are not as effective when you search more than one database at a time and you cannot drill down to the finer details.
You may or may not have seen the online resources on the Systematic Review Guide and the Specialist Library Support pages for Advanced Searching. These pages give guidance on many of the medical and human sciences database platforms and help with starting your research.
There is also a series of posts showing how to replicate searches across different database platforms. These include Ovid, Ebsco, Clarivate (Web of Science) and ProQuest
