Literature Searches for Animal Testing Alternatives

Selecting appropriate keywords will determine the final results of your search. A good literature search will use general biology terms for replacement, reduction, and refinement as well as words that are specific to your research. The key words for alternatives must specifically address anything in the protocol that is potentially painful or distressful.

• Most of the keywords will come from the area of study and procedures proposed in the protocol. 
• Conducting the search with study related terminology will retrieve information pertinent to the investigator's field of study.
• Citations retrieved should provide information on current research, alert the PI to whether or not they are performing duplicative studies, and possibly provide information to refine experimental techniques.
• The use of “alternatives” as a search term should be avoided except in toxicology or education. Because alternatives is a complex concept, the term “alternatives” often retrieves results not related to the 3Rs.

Some example general terms that can be combined with terms specific to your anticipated research are shown in Appendix 1 below. Use synonyms, related terms, different word spelling, acronyms, and interchangeable drug names in your search for alternatives.

For more help with keywords, follow these links -

Appendix 1

Reduction and Refinement

Replacement