![Sample our Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5944/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Medicine-Dentistry-Nursing-Allied-Health.jpg"})
Abstract
Untrained biomedical professionals can easily retrieve relevant articles using Colleague. The searches are satisfying, but may not be successful. Fifty-two Colleague searches, judged "successful" or "incomplete" by end users, were examined and compared with results of an experienced intermediary. Failures among the thirty-one "incomplete" searches were caused by: omission of an important database-three searches; serious problem with system mechanics-seven searches; inadequate search strategy-twenty-one searches. Successful searches were on topics for which a simply strategy happened to work well-seven searches; or those with an equally unsuccessful follow-up search-four searches. No differences were found between the "successful" and "incomplete" searches in terms of search effort, use of system capabilities, or numbers of citations printed. Untrained end users need to be made aware that simple search strategies, while often effective, will sometimes result in important articles being missed.