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IACUC and Animal Welfare Resources: Step 3: Keyword Selection

This guide provides resources for researchers on the conducting, facilitating, and overseeing of the use of animals in research. It also includes step by step instructions for how to search for alternatives in the literature required for the IACUC protoco

Choosing Keywords

Once you have decided what you are searching and where, the next step is to identify keywords. Use your research question, topic or concepts of your protocol to extract relevant keywords that could be useful in the literature search. Here are some things to consider when extracting keywords: 

  • List relevant keywords for the three R's (3R's) 
  • Names of diseases or conditions, treatments, or hormones used
  • Names of species or model being studied
  • Names of drugs, and/or chemicals used 
  • Synonyms for each keyword term

Below you can find a list of example keywords specific to the three R's (3R's). DO NOT use the word "alternative" as a keyword. Using keywords specific to the three R's will result in a more effective search. 

Replacement

Replacement includes the technologies or methods in place to replace or avoid the use of animals

  • In vitro 
  • Software
  • Simulation, simulator  
  • Artificial intelligence 
  • Cadaver 
  • Digital imagine 
  • Cell, cell line, cellular 

Reduction

Reduction refers to the strategies used to reduce the number of animals used in research

  • Animal model
  • Biomarker, biological marker, 
  • Experimental design 
  • Reusing, repurposing 
  • Reduction
  • Tissue banks 

Refinement

Refinement involves any modifications to the experimental procedure or husbandry practices in an effort to minimize or eliminate pain and distress.

  • Anesthesia, anaethesia, anesthetic, anaesthetic 
  • Analgesic, sedative, tranquilizer
  • Animal welfare
  • Enrichment
  • Non-invasive, minimally invasive, less invasive etc. 
  • Refinement

Source: Literature Searching: How to Find Animal Use Alternatives, USDA

Subject Headings

A thorough literature review uses both keyword terms and subject headings in the search query. While keywords use natural language to describe a topic, subject headings uses "controlled vocabulary" to describe a topic. Using both will help to refine your search query for precise results. Some things to keep in mind when finding subject headings include the following: 

  • Not every database has subject headings (EX. Scopus and Web of Science). Use keywords instead. 
  • Subject headings are unique according to the database (EX. PubMed has MeSH terms and Embase has Emtree terms)
  • You will need to modify your subject headings across databases to reflect the differences in vocabulary. For example, if you want to conduct your PubMed search on Embase, you will need to update your MeSH terms for Emtree terms. This is called "translating". 
  • Make sure the subject headings, just like your keywords are relevant to your topic or research

Below you will find a short list of databases and what terms can be used. 

Databases

Additional Resources