The SDSU Library has multiple resources to help you frame your research question and conduct a literature review
Look over the Steps in a Review page in the Literature Review Guide.
Use the handout below to help you break you question in concepts and think of synonyms.
Or you can use the PICO Research Guide.
Here are some PubMed tutorials to get you used to the new PubMed interface and show you some advanced features.
PubMed: Find articles on a topic A brief tutorial on how to find articles on a topic using PubMed.
PubMed subject search: How it works A brief tutorial on how automatic term mapping and explosion enhance your PubMed search.
PubMed: Using the Advanced Search Builder Learn to use PubMed's Advanced Search features to refine your search with the example of a publication date range; and find journal and author names using the autocomplete feature.
PubMed: Save searches and set e-mail alerts A brief tutorial on how to get alerts for articles on a topic using PubMed.
To save searches, you'll need a myNCBI account. If you don't have one set up, click on "Log in" in the upper right of the PubMed home page, and then register at the "Sign in" link at the bottom of all the log in options. You do not need to use your SDSU email.
The learning curve for any citation management tool is steep, since you need to learn the ins and outs of how it works, what they call what you want to do, and what all the symbols mean. But, in the long run, after a couple of reports or papers, it will save you so much time you'll wonder how you did without it.
The information you need to download and set up EndNote is in the Research Guide
If you haven't used EndNote before, the video and Guided Tour pdf for each system will get you started.
