Regulations
An exhaustive literature search for alternatives to animal research is a federal mandate for all investigators planning to conduct animal research. According to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), signed into law in 1966, the investigators have to provide Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) with documented evidence that the planned experiments are unique, important, and necessary. The investigators must also have demonstrated a good faith effort that they researched and considered all the existing alternatives to procedures, which may cause more than momentary pain or distress to the animals.
The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) at the USDA National Agriculture Library provides an extensive collection of local, state, federal, state, and international laws and guidelines that govern use of animals in research, testing, teaching, and exhibition.
Literature Search Strategy
A literature search for alternatives in animal research should be based on the 3R principles, outlined in The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique by W.M.S. Russell and R.L. Burch in 1959. The 3Rs are Reduction in the number of animals used, Refinement of methods to minimize pain and distress to the animals, and Replacement of the animal model with insentient material.
Literature search for alternatives can be divided into two phases. Phase I should provide findings to support Reduction and Refinement principles. The studies could originate from the traditional preliminary review, typically done when a researcher initiates an investigation into the topic. Retrieved studies should help an investigator to assert the unique value of future experiments, prevent them from duplicating existing research, and assist in determining future experimental techniques. This preliminary literature review should inform the choice of databases and terminology to search for Replacement alternatives in Phase II.
All searches must be conducted in multiple databases, well documented, and described to assure rigor and replication.
Two resources can be used as instructional materials to search for alternatives: the AWIC's Tips for Searching and the EURL ECVAM Search Guide from the European Commission's Science and Knowledge Service.
Resources to Search for Alternatives
In Phase I, it is recommended to use general bibliographic databases with broad coverage of primary and adjacent topics. In biomedical sciences, the commonly used databases include PubMed, BIOSIS, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. On the Health Sciences Library (HSL) website, these databases can be found under the Explore Resources tab or by typing the database title into the search bar. If there is a need to discover a database with a more specialized coverage, consider browsing HSL website by subject or making an inquiry with the Informationist service.
The HSL website lists recommended resources focusing on 3R alternatives: ALTBIB and DataBase on Alternative Methods, DB-ALM.
Consider using the Animal Testing Alternatives subject link, the skills links below as well as the linked and related resources to learn more.