Posted: December 17th, 2022

Systemic Bias in Internet Search Engines and Scholarly Databases

	Audre lives with their cousin, who has been recently diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Audre wants to learn more about schizoaffective disorder to better support them. Neither Audre nor their cousin is currently enrolled in college. Audre starts using Google and find a great deal of information available online. Audre clicks on one of the first search results, which is a website that provides an overview of schizoaffective disorder and treatment options. Audre is not sure about the credibility of the website, but the website links to a clinical trial study. Kwame tries to access the study, but the article costs $50 dollars to access the article for 24 hours. Audre looks for other related studies, but they also require payment to access. What can Audre do?
	Selected Answer: Look for open-access articles Response Feedback: However, because open access is still the exception rather than the rule when it comes to journal publishing, Audre may not find as much evidence-based information by relying on only open-access sources.

• Scholarly Skills Community USA1.SSC.ORG – Systemic Bias in Internet Search Engines and Scholarly Databases Question 5

  2 out of 2 points

  	You are searching for scholarly literature in PubMed about alternative medicine to treat panic attacks. What is the preferred MeSH term for panic attacks? Visit the MeSH database to determine the best/preferred term. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/
  	Selected Answer: Panic Disorder

• Question 6

  2 out of 2 points

  	You have recently graduated from the University and you are now working as a practitioner at a clinic. You have a few minutes before seeing your next patient, who is diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. You want to brush up on current evidence about this disease, but you were already somewhat frustrated using PubMed because it required you to sift and sort through all the available search results, and you just do not have the time right now. What do you do?
  	Selected Answer: Use PubMed’s Clinical Queries Response Feedback: PubMed provides the Clinical Queries tool to support practitioners in finding evidence in clinical contexts.

  ORDER HERE

• Question 7

  2 out of 2 points

  	You are searching for scholarly literature in PubMed about alternative medicine to treat panic attacks. What is the preferred MeSH term for alternative medicine? Visit the MeSH database to determine the best/preferred term. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/
  	Selected Answer:

• Question 8

  2 out of 2 points

  	Antonia is a student at the University. Antonia takes a break from their literature search for a research paper. Thinking about how much information is available and how easy it is to access it using the Library’s databases, Antonia considers how others unaffiliated with the University do not necessarily enjoy the same privileges. During this break, Antonia notes down the different ways that access to information can be privileged. Which of the following ways can information privilege manifest? Select all that apply.
  	Selected Answers: Having a public library within walking distance of your home Having internet available at home Access to scholarly databases Can read articles in English Live in a country with strong communication and information technology infrastructure Owning a personal computer Having to pay for rent rather than purchasing a textbook Access to internet search engines (e.g., Google)

• Question 9

  2 out of 2 points

  	You are a practitioner looking for information about swallowing difficulties for patients with Parkinson’s disease. You find an article that appears to be highly relevant, but it is located behind a paywall. How much does the article cost? Enter your answer as a price (e.g., $10.25) To determine the cost of the article, search for the following citation online or click the DOI: Simons, J. A. (2017). Chapter forty-three – swallowing dysfunctions in Parkinson’s disease. International Review of Neurobiology, 134, 1207-1238. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.irn.2017.05.026
  	Selected Answer: Scholarly Skills Community USA1.SSC.ORG – Systemic Bias in Internet Search Engines and Scholarly Databases

• Question 10

  2 out of 2 points

  	Mimi and Benjamin are working on a systematic review. They want to maximize the search as much as possible to find all available literature to consider for their study. Benjamin proposes they include internet search engines like Google in their methodology and data collection in addition to scholarly databases. Mimi knows that there are issues with using internet search engines in a systematic review. What issues does Mimi raise about internet search engines? Select all that apply.
  	Selected Answers: Open access Constant flux of internet content Personal selection bias Lack of transparency and reproducibility in search algorithms Information privilege Filter bubble Subject focus Scholarly Skills Community USA1.SSC.ORG – Systemic Bias in Internet Search Engines and Scholarly Databases