How to run your first clinical search
From clinical question to cited evidence summary in under two minutes. Follow these five steps to get the most out of your first OpenBook search.
Step 01
Formulate your clinical question
The most effective searches start with a well-formed clinical question. You do not need to use PICO notation, but thinking in those terms helps:
- PPatient / problem — Who is the patient? What is the condition or problem?
- IIntervention — What are you thinking of doing?
- CComparison — Is there an alternative you are comparing against?
- OOutcome — What result are you interested in?
Example plain-English question
“What is the best evidence for constraint-induced movement therapy in adults after stroke for upper limb recovery?”
You do not need to use Boolean operators, MeSH terms, or any database syntax. Write in plain English — exactly as you would ask a knowledgeable colleague.
Step 02
Submit your question
Type or paste your clinical question into the search bar on the home page and press Search (or hit Enter). OpenBook immediately begins scanning:
- The Cochrane Library (systematic reviews and meta-analyses)
- PubMed / MEDLINE (35 million peer-reviewed papers)
- NHMRC clinical practice guidelines
- Therapeutic Guidelines (Australian)
- Discipline-specific allied health databases
🔒 Important: do not include patient names, dates of birth, Medicare numbers, or any other identifiable information in your query. Use initials or a reference code if needed.
The search typically takes 15–90 seconds depending on the breadth of the topic and current server load. You will see a live progress indicator and loading animation while results are being compiled.
Step 03
Read the evidence summary
Once the search completes, you will see a structured evidence summary. It consists of several parts:
Headline finding
A one-sentence plain-English answer to your question, distilled from the highest-quality evidence retrieved.
Evidence sections
Grouped by theme or intervention type. Each section includes key findings, strength of evidence, and inline citation numbers.
Evidence grade badge
An A–D grade shown at the top of the summary, reflecting the overall quality of evidence available for your question.
Source articles
The actual records retrieved from databases — listed below the summary with title, authors, journal, year, and a link to the original source.
Follow-up questions
Suggested refinements you can click to explore related evidence without retyping.
Step 04
Interpret the evidence grade
Every summary includes an overall evidence grade based on the NHMRC Hierarchy of Evidence. The grade reflects the best evidence retrieved for your question, not an average:
A — Excellent
Based on systematic reviews or meta-analyses of well-designed RCTs. High confidence in the recommendation.
B — Good
Based on one or more well-designed RCTs. Good evidence, but less comprehensive than Grade A.
C — Fair
Based on cohort, case-control, or other observational studies. Reasonable evidence with some limitations.
D — Limited
Based on case series, expert opinion, or consensus guidelines where higher-level evidence is unavailable.
See the full Evidence Grades guide for a detailed explanation of how OpenBook assigns grades.
Step 05
Copy a citation
Each source article in the results list includes a copy-to-clipboard button. Citations are formatted automatically in:
- APA 7th Edition (default)
- Vancouver / ICMJE style
- NHMRC reference format
To copy a citation, click the Copy citation button on any source article card. The formatted reference is copied to your clipboard, ready to paste into your clinical notes, care plan, or reference list.
Pro tip — citation disclaimer
OpenBook's citations are AI-synthesised from retrieved database records. We always recommend independently verifying citations before submitting them in formal documents or publications. The source links take you directly to the original record to make verification straightforward.
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