Animal Alternatives: Literature Searching for Animal Research: A Guide

According to the Animal Welfare Act, the principal investigator is required to provide the following (at minimum) in the IACUC application:

• the names of the databases searched;
• the date the search was performed;
• the period covered by the search; and
• the key words and/or the search strategy used.

The written narrative should include adequate information for the IACUC to assess that a reasonable and good faith effort was made to determine the availability of alternatives or alternative methods. 

It will help your report to keep a log of the above four points for each search performed. See examples below.