Searching for literature or a professional knowledge became a part of routine daily practice for a majority of physicians. Accurate and high quality results may cost extended time consumption or even be deterrent due to the nature of internet.

Efficient search is possible only by learning and practicing some dedicated techniques. Beside this fact, it is important to be aware of the presence of various search engines working on different or partially overlapping databases. The most important search engines are Pubmed, Cochrane, EMBASE, Scopus and Google Scholar. Usually, a comprehensive result may require the combined search by seperate engines such as Pubmed, EMBASE and/or Cochrane. In addition, there is another database called `grey literature`, excluded by some engines, which should be an important element of a comprehensive search.

It is inevitable for all physicians, but especially the ones who are or want to be a scholar in future, to be educated on these accurate and efficient search engines. In this review, a general information on the aforementioned, and some of their specifications and techniques.