HSLS Update

HSLS Develops Responsible Literature Searching for Research

A Self-Paced Interactive Educational Program

The unanticipated death of a healthy research study volunteer at a major university highlights the importance of a comprehensive and exhaustive literature search in the conduct of responsible research.¹ When investigating this unfortunate event, it became evident that many researchers who perform literature searches have little guidance about what constitutes an appropriate or sufficient search in support of human subject research.

To address this perceived need, the Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) began development of Responsible Literature Searching for Research: A Self-Paced Interactive Educational Program in 2003. The objectives of this program are to describe and teach generally accepted practices and principles associated with the biomedical literature search process, and to emphasize the HSLS resources and services available to support this process.

Funding for the project came from the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) through a cooperative agreement between the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), United States Department of Health and Human Services.

The Responsible Literature Searching for Research module is available through the University of Pittsburgh Education & Certification Program in Research & Practice Fundamentals (RPF) (RPF) Web site <http://rpf.health.pitt.edu/rpf/>. Completion of this module is highly recommended for individuals involved in human subject research. It provides clinical researchers with knowledge of how to locate scientific literature to enable design of scientifically sound research studies, and to protect human subjects from harm.

To the best of our knowledge, HSLS is the first organization to develop a comprehensive program that provides guidelines for researchers on conducting a thorough literature search. Charles B. Wessel, a senior HSLS reference librarian, developed and authored the module’s content, and an expert panel was charged with evaluating the program. The panel consisted of experienced medical reference librarians selected from AAHSL libraries at George Washington University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Yale University, Medical College of Georgia, and University of Wisconsin–Madison. Many HSLS librarians assisted in the development and review of the module as well.

In November 2004, Responsible Literature Searching for Research was introduced at the AAMC meeting in Boston at the Innovations in Medical Education exhibit. The AAHSL library directors, physician educators, and administrators who viewed the program suggested a variety of potential applications, including use by medical students to learn literature searching, by residents in programs with a research component, and by nursing students in distance education programs.

Since the module is based on principles applicable in most research-oriented settings, the cooperative agreement with AAMC/ORI will make the content freely available to other academic health sciences libraries and medical centers for adaptation to their local settings and resources.

For more information about the HSLS Responsible Literature Searching for Research: A Self-Paced Interactive Educational Program, contact Charles B. Wessel at cbw@pitt.edu or 412-648-8730.

--Charles B. Wessel

¹Steinbrook R. 2002. Protecting research subjects-the crisis at Johns Hopkins. N Engl J Med. 346:716-720.