Stage 2: Developing the Search: Resources

All Resources from Stage 2: Developing the Search

Step 1: What to Search

• Search strategy worksheet (Word document; University of Ottawa)
• Tip Sheet - Boolean Search Tips from McGill University

Organizing Terminology

• Pubvenn - Website with tool to help you practice boolean logic
• Database reference guide - A quick reference page which indicates database-specific information (e.g., truncating in OVID vs CINAHL)
• Using text mining for study identification in systematic reviews: a systematic review of current approaches: O’Mara-Eves, A., Thomas, J., McNaught, J., Miwa, M., & Ananiadou, S. (2015). Systematic reviews, 4(1).

Search Filters

• Tutorial from Yale on Filters and Hedges
• Choosing and using methodological search filters: searchers' views: Beale, S., Duffy, S., Glanville, J., Lefebvre, C., Wright, D., McCool, R., ... & Smith, L. (2014). Health Information & Libraries Journal, 31(2), 133-147.
• Reporting methodological search filter performance comparisons: a literature review: Harbour, J., Fraser, C., Lefebvre, C., Glanville, J., Beale, S., Boachie, C., ... & Smith, L. (2014). Health Information & Libraries Journal, 31(3), 176-194.
• Retrieving randomized controlled trials from medline: a comparison of 38 published search filters. McKibbon, K. A., Wilczynski, N. L., & Haynes, R. B. (2009). Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(3), 187-202.

Step 2: Where to Search

Grey Literature

• Grey Matters: a practical tool for searching health-related grey literature.

Hand Searching

• A free-of-charge online course is offered by the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group US Project (CEVG@US Project), which is funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI): Handsearching: Identifying and Classifying Controlled Trial Reports

Searching Trial Registries

• Searching ClinicalTrials.gov and the international clinical trials registry platform to inform systematic reviews: What are the optimal search approaches?*: Glanville, J. M., M.Sc, Duffy, S., PgDip, McCool, R., B.Sc, & Varley, D., M.Sc. (2014). Journal of the Medical Library Association, 102(3), 177-83.

Contacting Authors

• Contacting of authors by systematic reviewers: protocol for a cross-sectional study and a survey. Reynders, R. M., Ladu, L., & Di Girolamo, N. (2017). Systematic reviews, 6(1), 249.

Step 3: How to Create a Search Strategy

• Checklist for Reviewing Search Strategies (University of Newcastle)
• Search Strategy Example from Scoping Review. From the article: Social media use among patients and caregivers: a scoping review. Hamm, M. et al. (2013). BMJ open, 3<(5), e002819.
• Document on Saving Searches and Articles: The document provided by Deakin University informs how to save searches and set alerts on a variety of databases

Tools for Finding Syntax and Subject Headings for Common Databases

• Systematic Review Accelerator
• Yale MeSH Analyzer

Validating the Search

• PRESS peer review of electronic search strategies: 2015 guideline statement. McGowan, J., Sampson, M., Salzwedel, D. M., Cogo, E., Foerster, V., & Lefebvre, C. (2016). Journal of clinical epidemiology, 75, 40-46.
• PRESS – Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies: 2015 Guideline Explanation and Elaboration (PRESS E&E). Ottawa: CADTH; 2016 Jan.

Action: Run your Search

• Search Strategy Example from Scoping Review. From the article: Social media use among patients and caregivers: a scoping review. Hamm, M. et al. (2013). BMJ open, 3 (5), e002819.
• Methods for documenting systematic review searches: a discussion of common issues: Rader, T., Mann, M., Stansfield, C., Cooper, C., & Sampson, M. (2014). Research synthesis methods, 5(2), 98-115.

Training for Citation Management Tools

• EndNote and EndNote basic (University of Saskatchewan Guide)
• Mendeley (YouTube channel)
• Mendeley (University of Saskatchewan Guide)
• Zotero (YouTube channel)
• Zotoro (University of Saskatchewan Guide)