Research Guides: Locating Qualitative Research: PsycINFO (2024)

Clinical Queries are pre-formulated search strings that can be applied to a search to act as a filter.

In PsycINFO via Ovid, there is a pre-built Clinical Query for Qualitative Research.

The queries are listed below, including the exact queries that are associated with each limit (see HIRU PsycINFO Search Strategies)

Qualitative - Maximizes Sensitivity*

experience:.mp. OR interview:.tw. OR qualitative:.tw.

Qualitative - MaximizesSpecificity

qualitative:.tw. OR themes.tw.

Qualitative - Best Balance

experiences.tw. OR interview:.tw. OR qualitative.tw.

*Sensitivity vs. Specificity: A highly 'sensitive' query will attempt to retrieve all relevant documents, resulting in a broader search, with a greater likelihood of generating false hits. A highly 'specific' query tries to retrieve only relevant documents in a smaller, more precise search. "Best balance" is a search that balances specificity and sensitivity. Note that for a comprehensive literature search, it is important to err on the side of higher sensitivity.

Instructions:Applying a Clinical Query Filter in PsycINFO via Ovid

1. Run the search you wish to filter
2. Click Additional Limits
3. Scroll to the box for Clinical Queries
4. Select the query you'd like to apply (Qualitative - Maximizes Sensitivity, Maximized Specificity, or Best Balance*)
5. Ensure that the search you wish to limit is selected
6. Click Limit a Search

Silent 20 second video clip showing the steps for applying a Clinical Query filter in Ovid PsycINFO.

For a full tutorial (with sound and transcript) about applying filters in the Ovid platform, see this guide.