SysLit Compendium

a candle in the dark

A compendium for systematic literature searching
Author

Marc von Gernler

Welcome

This is a compendium for the field of systematic literature searching. It contains technical terms, methods and background information related to the retrieval of references from literature databases.

The main idea is to inform anyone who undertakes a systematic literature search about relevant terms of the trade.

Warning

This website is still being setup. It may contain errors and certainly raises no claims to completeness.

In 1  Databases you will learn about all kinds of data sources and search interfaces as well as their syntax.

Technical terms of all sorts are explained in 2  Technical terms.

3  Tools tells you about various tools and useful concepts for creating your search for evidence.

Chapter 4  Methods describes various techniques of building and conducting a systematic search.

Since the author is a native German speaker, important German expressions are sometimes provided in parentheses, preceded by “DE:”, for the benefit of the German-speaking audience.

This website is created and maintained by Marc von Gernler (Medical Library, University Library of Bern, University of Bern). The “compendium” was originally written in German as a glossary for lectures and as a mnemonic for the author. It was originally typeset in LaTeX (Link to the original document).