Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Alternatives refer to methods or approaches which result in reduction in the number of animals used, refinement of procedures which minimize pain and distress to the animals; or replacement of animals with a non-animal model or a species phylogenetically lower (Russell and Burch, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique, 1959).

How to Search for Alternatives

• Identify keywords or phrases that describe your research topic.

Before you begin searching in a database, it is helpful to write down keywords or phrases that describe your topic. Suggestions for keywords that deal with reduction, refinement and replacement can be found at http://nihlibrary.ors.nih.gov/training/AlternativesSearchTipSheet5-24-04.pdf and http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/Animal_Alternatives/termino.htm. These lists are not exhaustive, but you can use them as a model of the types of terms to combine with those that are specific to your area of research.

• Select databases.

Databases index literature in specific subject areas. For example, MEDLINE/PubMed primarily indexes literature about medicine and other health sciences, BIOSIS for life sciences, and CAB Abstracts for agriculture and veterinary medicine. Databases that may cover similar subjects may have different dates of coverage or types of publications (e.g. journal articles, grey literature, book chapters, etc.). The databases highlighted in section A specialize in alternatives to animal use.

Should I use more than one database?

A search for animal alternatives should be comprehensive. No single database or resource will include all the information that you will need. Although there may be some overlap in resources, each database focuses more heavily on a particular discipline, so you will find different resources in each database. Generally, a search of only one database would be deemed inadequate by the IACUC.  It is essential to include databases that focus on reduction, refinement, and replacement of animals (A) in addition to research-specific databases (B).

1. Selected databases focusing on alternatives to animals.

Animal Welfare Information Center - Provides information for improved animal care and use in research, testing, teaching, and exhibition. Access is freely available to the public.

• • AltWeb - The Alternatives to Animal Testing Web Site serves as a gateway to alternatives news, information, and resources on the internet. Includes the Pain Management and Humane Endpoint databases.
    • Pain Management database includes information about anesthesia and analgesia for most commonly used laboratory animals, including: rats, mice, primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs, birds, sheep, fish, and exotic species. It provides information about available drugs and the side effects of commonly used drugs. Citations are from publications that have published laboratory animal studies or human clinical studies with relevance to animal research. Coverage: 1990-present.
    • Humane Endpoint database is designed to help investigators find the earliest "endpoint" that is compatible with the scientific objectives of their research. An endpoint may be defined as "the point at which an experimental animal's pain and/or distress is terminated, minimized, or reduced by taking actions such as killing the animal humanely, terminating a painful procedure, or giving treatment to relieve pain and/or distress."
  • AltBib - Bibliography on Alternatives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing. The intent of the bibliography is to assist in identifying methods and procedures helpful in supporting the development, testing, application, and validation of alternatives to the use of vertebrates in biomedical research and toxicology testing. The bibliography is produced from MEDLINE/PubMed searches, performed and analyzed by subject experts from the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP) of the Specialized Information Services Division (SIS) of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Coverage: 1980-present.
  • Animal Welfare Institute
  • Laboratory Animals and Comfortable Quarters. Provides access to several focused databases, including primate enrichment, lab animal refinement, rodent and rabbit enrichment, and species-specific housing and handling recommendations.
  • Refinement and Environmental Enrichment for All Laboratory Animals – A database that disseminates reference material on all aspects of refinement of housing and handling conditions and environmental enrichment for all animals kept in research, testing and teaching institutions.

Additional resources can be found at the UC-Davis Center for Animal Alternatives Information.

1. Selected specific subject area databases.

• Agricola - Indexes publications and resources encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines, including animal and veterinary sciences, entomology, plant sciences, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, farming and farming systems, agricultural economics, extension and education, food and human nutrition, and earth and environmental sciences. Coverage: 1970 to present.
• Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts – An index to journal articles, government reports, books, dissertations and conference papers covering all biological and ecological aspects of marine and freshwater environments. Coverage: 1978-present.
• BIOSIS – Covers all life science areas, including agriculture, biochemistry, biomedicine, biotechnology, botany, ecology, environmental sciences, genetics, microbiology, veterinary medicine & pharmacology. Indexes over 5000 journals, serials and conference proceedings. Coverage: 1990-present.
• CAB Abstracts - Citations and abstracts to the international agricultural literature, including veterinary medicine, microbiology and parasitology. Covers over 9000 journals, books and conference proceedings. Coverage: 1972-present.
• Fish and Fisheries Worldwide - Coverage includes studies of individual species, diseases and parasites, economics, genetics, habitats, management practices and techniques, natural history and general research. Coverage: 1971-present.
• MEDLINE/PubMed – Premier biomedical literature databases covering over 5000 journals in medicine, life sciences, health administration, veterinary medicine, molecular biology and genetics. Coverage: 1950s to present.
• Wildlife and Ecology Studies Worldwide - Selectively indexes over 1300 journals and over 500 non-journal sources. Useful for world-wide coverage of current literature on wild mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians and natural resources. Coverage: 1935-present.

Additional databases are available through the OSU Libraries.

• Searching tips.

What do I do if I get too many results?

• Add additional and/or unique terms to your search statement.
• Use limiters, such as publication date (BE CAREFUL - remember that you want your search to be comprehensive, so applying too many limits may result in missing important literature).

What do I do if I get too few results?

• Eliminate some keywords. Using too many keywords typically translates into a more limited search. It’s better to start out searching more broadly and then slowly narrow your results by adding keywords one at a time.
• Use the database’s thesaurus to find different terminology for your concepts.
• Consider different spelling variations (e.g., tumor and tumour).
• Use truncation. Truncation allows you to find words with different endings (e.g., plural). Databases often use a particular truncation symbol. Check the database you are using to see what the symbol is. For example, the truncation symbol in MEDLINE/PubMed is *. Entering “anesthe*” would find anesthesia, anesthetic, etc.

Accepted by the IACUC: 02-19-08