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Animal Research: Search Terms

This guide provides users with information on best practices for literature searches conducted for animal research.

caution icon
When searching it is important to remember that you simply cannot search for "alternatives to painful procedures."

Why? Because when searched in a database, the word "alternative" yields results with the word "alternative" in them, but not articles that discuss specific alternatives to painful procedures. 

Keep in mind that...

  • the terms below do not need to be used all together, and their combination will depend on the research you are doing.

  • This is not an exhaustive list, but should act as a guideline or idea generator.

See below for alternative search terms to use when searching databases:

Keywords to find Alternatives

Terminology for Replacement Alternatives replacement icon

  • Animal replacement, alternatives to animal testing, animal use alternatives, new approach methodologies (NAMs)
  • Non-animal model
  • Animal-free antibodies
  • Cadaver, carcass
  • Cell culture, cell line, cell assay
  • Computer aided instruction, computer assisted instruction
  • Computer (simulation or application)
  • Computational (method or model)
  • Digital imaging
  • In silico
  • In chemico
  • In vitro
  • Isolated (cell, tissue, organ)
  • Mannequin, manikin
  • Mathematical (biology or model or simulation)
  • Organ-on-a-chip, microfluidic device, microphysiological system
  • Organoid
  • Plastinate, plastination
  • Simulation, simulator, trainer
  • Software
  • Tissue culture, organ culture
  • Tissue engineering
  • Video (disc, display)
  • Virtual reality, augmented reality 
  • Zebrafish embryos

Terminology for Reduction Alternatives reduction icon

  • Animal model 
  • Animal reduction, animal use alternatives, minimize, reduce
  • Animal study registries
  • Animal serves as its own control
  • Biomarker, biological marker
  • Computational (method or model), in silico
  • Data repositories, reuse data, data reuse
  • Experimental design, statistical design
  • Imaging, scanning (magnetic resonance imagery, positron emission tomography, bioluminescent scanning)
  • Microsampling
  • Monitoring device, telemetry
  • reusing, sharing, repurposing animals
  • Sample size, number of animals
  • Tissue banks, antibody banks

Terminology for Refinement Alternatives refinement icon

  • Analgesic, analgesia, pain management
  • Anesthesia, anaethesia, anesthetic, anaesthetic 
  • Animal welfare, well-being, wellness, humane, colony management, animal care
  • Bedding, substrate, nesting material, nestlets
  • Behavior, behaviour, ethology
  • Blood draw, blood sampling, blood collection, venipuncture
  • Challenge method, inoculate, infection, administer
  • Environmental enrichment
  • Euthanasia, humane endpoint
  • Grimace scales, pain monitoring
  • Handling, tunnel handling, cup handling, restraint, rat tickling
  • Husbandry, housing, caging
  • Injection, phlebotomy
  • Noninvasive, less invasive, minimally invasive, non aversive, painless, low stress, stress-free
  • Positive reinforcement training, animal training
  • Refinement
  • Social housing, group housing, pair housing
  • Telemetry device, biotelemetry 

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