Description of a novel literature search methodology and its validation against PubMed

Introduction: This article describes a novel method of searching PubMed database using Google search algorithm. Google search operators “site:,” “intext:” and- “intitle” were used in the following fashion- Site: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed intext:Keywords –intitle:PubMed Results. A survey was conducted to establish validity of this method by comparing it with PubMed Basic search. Methods: Single blinded survey of residents from three medical specialities was conducted to compare PubMed Basic search and Google search methodologies, using keywords dictated by participants. First 10 articles collected from both search methods were compiled and rated by participants on a scale of 0–10. Results: Google search method provided significantly higher overall mean relevance scores (6.14 ± 1.56 vs. 4.85 ± 2.06) and higher number of useful articles per participant (7.32 ± 1.97 vs. 5.12 ± 2.55) (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The novel method described herein provides more sensitive and specific search results for same keyword string than PubMed Basic search. This method could prove useful for the average researcher providing both accurate and exhaustive coverage from a single search.