Retrieving information on the neurophysiology of speech

A search for literature on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and speech was performed via the DIALOG Information Service on four databases: BIOSIS Previews, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. A doctoral candidate in the Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences at Purdue University reviewed the citations retrieved for relevancy. Then, the coverage of the relevant literature by the four databases was analyzed. MEDLINE yielded the greatest number of relevant citations followed by EMBASE, BIOSIS, and PsycINFO. The four databases showed little overlap in coverage of citations or journal titles. This study indicates that it would be advantageous to search all four databases for the speech scientist.