Scientific Literature Searching
A beginNers guide
By Ian Houson, diagnosed an insulinoma 2023
This guide is designed for those who want to explore scientific and medical papers more deeply, specifically about insulinomas. As background, I am a pharmaceutical chemist with extensive experience in scientific research, but not a medical professional. Therefore, this guide is based on my own experiences. I hope you find it useful, and I’m happy to update it if you have suggestions for improvement!
Why Read the Scientific and Medical Literature for Insulinomas?
Exploring scientific literature can be incredibly beneficial:
• In-depth Understanding: You can gain more comprehensive insights into the disease or tumour since general web pages often lack detailed information.
• Symptom Management: Learn about reported symptoms and strategies for managing them. For instance, before reading, I didn’t know about diazoxide or the importance of slow and fast-acting carbohydrates, and why protein is a good option. The Insulinoma Facebook group was helpful, but it took me a while to find it.
• Treatment Options: Discover what treatment options are available. While a consultant might have a preferred treatment method, it’s useful to be aware of other options so you can discuss them during appointments.
• Specific Treatment Details: Get detailed information about recommended treatments and patient outcomes.
Personally, I wanted to be as informed as possible before meeting with doctors or consultants. This way, I had questions ready (I wrote them down and took them with me because the appointments were so information-packed and challenging for my fatigued brain) and could make informed treatment decisions.
What to Read in a Paper
Once you’ve got a paper, the language can be quite dense and filled with jargon—especially if you’re experiencing fatigue and brain fog. Here’s my approach:
• Introduction and Conclusion: Start by reading these sections to understand the key points of the paper.
• Skimming for Details: If you’re still interested, skim the rest of the paper and look up key terms you don’t understand. Focus on the main points rather than trying to grasp every detail.
All papers reference other studies that support their arguments. You might want to read these if they cover specific topics of interest. References are at the end of the paper. On most web pages, you can access a specific reference by clicking on the superscript number at the end of the sentence. Copy and paste this reference into Google to find the paper.
Types of Papers
Understanding different types of papers can help you choose what to read:
• Reviews: These are the best starting point. They cover all pre-existing literature up to the publication date and are generally more accessible to non-experts.
• Meta-analysis Reviews: A subset of reviews where results from multiple studies are collated and re-analysed to provide new insights. They are often more technical than general reviews but can be very enlightening. Example. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2024.1367068/full
• Case Studies: These tend to detail one or two examples from specific medical experiences, usually with rare diseases. They’re not ideal for beginners unless they are directly relevant to your situation. Remember, these are specific cases, and the person in the study will have a different medical history from yours.
• Technique Papers/New Approaches: These papers discuss new treatment approaches with limited examples. Read these if a treatment option is suggested by your consultant or if current options are unsatisfactory. They often focus on tumour imaging techniques, which might not be broadly useful for non-medics.
Out of scope for this guide: General web pages covering insulinomas and NETs.
Finding Papers/Journals
To begin your search, use:
• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/
• PubMed: PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Type in keywords or author names and press search. Avoid selecting patents, as they aren’t relevant to insulinomas or NETs. Here are some useful presentations and videos for search tips:
• Search Tips Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtvlVsCKvJo
• PubMed Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lill6yUmk8
Managing Search Results
• Refining Results: If your search yields too many results (e.g., 56,000 hits for “insulinoma review”), refine by date using the filter on the top left to focus on recent papers or add more specific search terms.
• Review Titles Quickly: Skim through the first page or two of titles to identify interesting papers. Right-click to open the ones you like in new tabs.
• Try Different Search Terms: Experiment with various search terms to ensure you find relevant papers.
• Prioritise Reading: Focus on papers that seem most interesting and relevant, and don’t feel compelled to read everything.
Accessing the Full Paper
In Google Scholar, clicking on a paper’s title takes you to the journal’s webpage. At a minimum, you’ll see the title, authors, organisations, and an abstract summarising the findings.
Many papers are now open access, so you can download the full paper as a PDF for free. If a journal requires payment:
• Contact the Corresponding Author: Email them explaining your interest. They will nearly always send you a free PDF copy. The corresponding author is usually indicated on the landing page, often by bold or underlined text, or a small envelope icon. If the author has moved organisations, try Googling their new email address or contact another author.
Finding More Recent Papers
If you have an older paper and want to find more recent studies, look for papers that have cited it. In Google Scholar, click “cited by” to see all papers that reference it. This can be an efficient way to find related research.
Recommended Recent Reviews on Insulinoma Treatments (2023-2024)
• Springer Review https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00423 023 02974 6
• Oxford Academic Review https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/109/4/1109/7334393
This guide should help you navigate the complex world of scientific literature effectively. Feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions for improvements!.