PICO stands for:
It is a framework for research questions that helps you focus your research into distinguishable categories. Use the resources from the National Library of Medicine to understand the PICO framework and learn how to formulate a research question.
Check out the Topic Development resources from Lone Star Community College
Research is often conducted to answer a question. The research question must be well formulated to provide focus on a topic that is being investigated effectively. Any search in a database requires analysis of the research question.
Typing the entire research question into a database search bar is not the way databases are designed to be searched. This is because the database utilizes fields and their data values for searching. For each concept, the user must find subject headings and generate keywords to search for the concepts in the research question.
What are the primary concepts in the research question? Consider what population(s) you will be discussing in your research. Think about what the treatment(s), therapies, intervention(s), or program(s) to be examined. This process reflects the formulation of the research question itself.
Are anti-vaping campaigns effective interventions for e-cigarette use among high school students?
P = Population = High school students. Those between the ages typically 12-19. This may need to be further specified as the average age of a high school student varies. This is something that would need to be defined. The scope also may entail those students who are in American public high schools.
P = Problem = e-cigarette (use).Electronic versions of cigarettes, includes vaping and vapes, may want to limit or exclude traditional nicotine sources like cigarettes that are non-electronic.
I = Intervention = Anti-vaping campaigns. Further specifications can be elaborated such as whether they are peer-lead campaigns or education programs lead by school faculty.
C = Comparison - None. No comparison applicable for this question, since it is only examining one intervention. You do not have to have every PICO component to have a PICO question.
O = Outcome - Question doesn't assume. In our construction of the above PICO question, the answer to the research question is never assumed. We are trying to investigate whether the pre-specified intervention is effective, and only the literature itself can tell us that after we run the search and get results.
Over the next few pages you will find out how to search for subject headings and generate keywords for each highlighted concept. The next step is to put your subject headings and keywords together with Boolean operators, which you will use to combine concepts together.
Subject headings describe the content of each item in a database. Use these headings to find relevant items on the same topic. Searching by subject headings (e.g. MeSH, Emtree, CINHAL Subject Headings, etc.) is the most precise way to search article databases.
Keyword searching is how you typically search web search engines. Think of important words or phrases and type them in to get results.
Here are some key points about each type of search:
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When you search a database and do not get the results you expect, Ask Us for advice.