title: Is literature search training for medical students and residents effective? a literature review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This literature review examines the effectiveness of literature searching skills instruction for medical students or residents, as determined in studies that either measure learning before and after an intervention or compare test and control groups. The review reports on the instruments used to measure learning and on their reliability and validity, where available. Finally, a summary of learning outcomes is presented.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen studies published between 1998 and 2011 were identified for inclusion in the review. The selected studies all include a description of the intervention, a summary of the test used to measure learning, and the results of the measurement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Instruction generally resulted in improvement in clinical question writing, search strategy construction, article selection, and resource usage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the findings of most of the studies indicate that the current instructional methods are effective, the study designs are generally weak, there is little evidence that learning persists over time, and few validated methods of skill measurement have been developed.
authors.affiliation: Research and Instructional Services, Rutgers University Libraries, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 169 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1163, USA. melissa.just@rutgers.edu
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Just
mesh_terms: D003162:Competency-Based Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D007993:Libraries, Medical; D011361:Professional Competence; D013337:Students, Medical