Master PubMed Search Strategies: Boost Your Systematic Review

Master PubMed Search Strategies: Boost Your Systematic Review

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. What is a Search Strategy?
3. Components of a Search Strategy 3.1 Search Modes 3.2 Search Terms 3.3 Search Operators 3.4 Field Searches 3.5 Special Operators 3.6 Search Filters
4. Developing a Search Strategy 4.1 Concentrating on Essential Concepts 4.2 Compiling Search Terms 4.3 Dividing the Search 4.4 Capturing Different Word Forms 4.5 Indicating Phrases 4.6 Indicating Field Searches 4.7 Bundling Search Results 4.8 Adding a Search Filter 4.9 Reviewing and Revising the Strategy
5. Conclusion

Article: How to Develop an Effective Literature Search Strategy for a Systematic Review

Introduction When conducting a systematic review, developing a comprehensive and effective literature search strategy is crucial. A search strategy serves as an organized structure of words and statements that guide the search process in a database, such as PubMed. It conveys the research question and specifies the characteristics of relevant results. In this article, we will explore the components of a search strategy and provide step-by-step guidance on how to develop an effective search strategy for a systematic review.

What is a Search Strategy? A search strategy is a structured approach to searching for relevant literature in a database. It ensures that all relevant articles are captured while minimizing the risk of missing important information. A well-developed search strategy includes various components, such as search modes, terms, operators, field searches, special operators, and search filters.

Components of a Search Strategy Before diving into the process of developing a search strategy, let's first understand the key components involved.

Search Modes Search modes refer to the two ways of searching in a database: text word search and controlled vocabulary search. A text word search involves searching for terms in a publication's title, abstract, and other elements. On the other hand, a controlled vocabulary search finds publications assigned a specific controlled vocabulary term. To conduct a comprehensive search, it is recommended to use both search modes together.

Search Terms Search terms are the words and phrases used to describe research ideas. They include text words, which are the words that may appear in a publication's text, and controlled vocabulary terms, which are standardized terms assigned to publications to indicate the topics covered. It is essential to collect a range of search terms to ensure the search captures all relevant publications. This can be done by considering lay and medical terms, plural terms, different word forms, and abbreviations for the concepts being searched.

Search Operators Search operators are used to connect search terms into logical relationships. They include the OR operator, which connects similar terms and finds results with any single term, a combination of terms, or all of the terms. The AND operator is used to connect different concepts and finds results that contain all of the terms. Parentheses are used to group search terms into logical sets and conduct nested searches. Double quotation marks are used to search for precise phrases, and the truncation operator is used to search for different possible endings of a word stem.

Field Searches Field searches instruct the database to search particular fields of a record, such as a publication's title, abstract, keywords, or other attributes. By indicating a field search, researchers can narrow down their search to specific areas of interest.

Special Operators Some databases have special operators that work exclusively in those databases. These operators include wildcard operators, which retrieve different character possibilities in a word, and proximity search operators, which find one word occurring within a specific distance of another word. It is important to note that these special operators may not be available in all databases.

Search Filters Search filters are predefined search statements that limit search results to a particular category of publications. They can be useful in a systematic review when searching for publications meeting specific research parameters, such as study design type, topic focus, or other features. However, it is advisable to avoid using built-in database filters, as they can introduce bias and error. Instead, researchers should create their own search filters based on the specific needs of their review.

By understanding these components, researchers can develop a well-structured search strategy that effectively captures Relevant literature for their systematic review. In the following sections, we will explore the step-by-step process of developing an effective search strategy.

Developing a Search Strategy Developing a search strategy involves several key steps that ensure a comprehensive and targeted search. Let's explore each step in detail:

Step 1: Concentrate on Essential Concepts The first step is to identify the essential concepts of the research question. Select two or three concepts for focus, such as the problem, patient, and intervention concepts. By focusing on essential concepts, researchers can develop a clear and precise search strategy.

Step 2: Compile Search Terms For each concept, collect different terminology, including text words and controlled vocabulary terms. By using a range of search terms, researchers can minimize the risk of missing out on relevant publications. It is important to include lay and medical terms, plural terms, different word forms, and abbreviations for the concepts being searched.

Step 3: Divide the Search A search strategy can have different structures, including a continuous search statement structure or multiple shorter searches. Dividing the search into multiple shorter searches allows for easier error detection, revision, and organization. Researchers can use parentheses for combining different logical sets and conducting nested searches.

Step 4: Capture Different Word Forms To ensure comprehensive coverage, researchers should use search operators for truncation, wildcard, and proximity searching. Truncation searches retrieve different possible endings of a word stem, while wildcard searches retrieve different character possibilities in a word. Proximity searches find one word occurring within a specific distance of another word. These operators help capture different word forms and enhance the effectiveness of the search strategy.

Step 5: Indicate Phrases When a concept consists of a group of words, it is essential to indicate the phrase using double quotation marks. This ensures that the results have the terms in the same order and no other words between them. By indicating phrases, researchers can conduct precise searches and retrieve relevant publications.

Step 6: Indicate Field Searches To narrow down the search to specific fields of a record, researchers should indicate field searches. This instructs the database to only search particular fields, such as the title field or abstract field. By focusing the search on specific fields, researchers can refine their results and find publications that are most relevant to their review.

Step 7: Bundle Search Results and Find the Overlap After conducting the divided searches for the problem and intervention concepts, researchers should bundle the search results by combining the sets and removing any duplicate records. Finally, researchers can find the overlap between the problem and intervention searches to identify publications that possess both the problem and intervention terms.

Step 8: Add a Search Filter Depending on the research question, researchers may consider adding a search filter to limit search results to a particular category of publications. Search filters can help identify publications that meet specific research parameters, such as study design type, topic focus, or other features. However, researchers should exercise caution when using search filters and avoid built-in database filters, as they can introduce bias and error.

Step 9: Review the Search Results and Revise the Strategy After developing the initial search strategy, researchers should review the search results and assess their relevance to the research question. This is an iterative process, and researchers may need to revise the search strategy by incorporating additional terms, adjusting search operators, or modifying the search filters. The goal is to refine and improve the search strategy to ensure the retrieval of relevant literature for the systematic review.

Conclusion Developing an effective literature search strategy is essential for conducting a systematic review. By following the step-by-step process outlined in this article, researchers can create a comprehensive and targeted search strategy. It is important to concentrate on essential concepts, compile a range of search terms, divide the search into multiple shorter searches, capture different word forms, indicate phrases and field searches, bundle search results, and find the overlap, add search filters, and review and revise the strategy as needed. By employing these strategies, researchers can ensure a thorough and reliable literature search for their systematic review.