Before translating your search across appropriate databases for your systematic review it is important to build a comprehensive and systematic search strategy.
If you would like some more training on searching (particularly in health databases!), we recommend enrolling in the following Library module on ResHub:
There aren't any rules for how many results need to be found - there isn't an ideal number. If you feel like you are seeing too many or too few, here are some tips for troubleshooting your search:
The Cochrane Handbook recommends reviewing your search strategy using the PRESS Checklist as it provides a shortlist of criteria to assess that your search is complete.
It is a good idea to assess your search before you move on to translating your search as it can help you pick up critical errors. The table below is an abbreviated version of the checklist however the full version is linked below.
Recommendation |
Guidance |
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Assess whether the research question has been correctly translated into search concepts. |
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Assess whether the elements addressing the search question have been correctly combined with Boolean and/or proximity operators. |
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Assess whether subject headings (if applicable to the database) have been used correctly. |
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Assess whether keywords are adequate to cover your topic |
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Assess correct use of spelling, correct use of syntax and correct search implementation. |
Review the search strategy for misspelled words and for errors in system syntax that are not easily found by spell checking. Check each line number and combinations of line numbers to ensure that the search logic was correctly implemented. |
Limits and filters: Assess whether the limits used (including filters) are appropriate and have been applied correctly. |
Review the search strategy to see if limits that are not relevant to the eligible study designs or to the clinical question have been applied, as these could potentially introduce bias. |
Authors of a systematic review are expected to search for evidence across multiple databases. Once you have developed a search strategy you will need to translate the strategy across the databases you highlighted in your Protocol. Translation of your search strategy is necessary as not all databases use the same syntax and therefore it will need to be adjusted.
The video below is a snippet from the Systematic Review workshop on ‘translating’ a search strategy into a query for a database.
Use the search shortcuts guide below to view the shortcuts used across the most popular databases used for Systematic Reviews.
It may be useful to track your searches across different databases in a search log. Here is one example of how you could set this up:
You need to write up your search so readers understand what steps you took to locate all relevant evidence. This is also an important part of making sure your review is transparent and reproducible. This section provides resources and examples to assist with this.
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