In addition to searching for research similar to your own, you will need to look for literature that mentions alternatives involving reduction, refinement, and replacement of animals in laboratory research. The University of North Carolina Health Sciences Library has compiled the below list of suggested keywords; note that since keywords for reduction and refinement overlap by quite a lot, these areas are combined.
Reduction and Refinement
| Adverse Analgesic, hypnotic, sedative, tranquilizer Anesthesia, anaesthesia Anxiolytic Assay, technique, method, procedure Enrichment (behavioral, behavioural, environmental) Experimental design Handling, housing, husbandry, caging |
Invasive, non-invasive |
Replacement
| Algae, fungus, hydra, plant Anesthesia, anesthesia, anaesthesia Animal testing alternatives, alternative Anxiolytic Artificial intelligence system, AI Assay, technique, method, procedure Autopsy, biopsy Bacteria, microorganism, protozoan, single-celled organism, yeast Cadaver Cell, cell line, cellular Computer aided instruction, computer assisted instruction, CAI Culture (cell, tissue, organ) Digital imaging Environmental enrichment Fish, cephalopod Insect, invertebrate |
Isolated (cell, tissue, organ) Mannequin, manikin, manikin Membrane, organ, organelle, slice, tissue, tissue equivalent Model (animal, cadaveric, interactive, mathematical, statistical, theoretical), modelling Physicochemical systems Plastination Prediction Replacement, surrogate Simulation (computer) Software Structure - activity relationship System Train, educate, teach, instruct Video Virtual (surgery, reality) Vitro (AND method, model, technique) |
The National Agricultural Library's Thesaurus can be used when searching AGRICOLA or to find ideas for alternatives keywords to use in other databases.