Presenting a search strategy
Have you done a structured search related to a literature review or other work? Do you need to present how you found the articles you selected? Are you thinking about how you can present articles that you have found alongside the search, for example via a reference list to another article? Here you can see what information should be included in a search strategy presentation, and some examples of what it might look like.
What should a search report contain?
A search report usually consists of two parts: the search history in tabular form and a description of the methodological choices in continuous text.
The search report should include:
- The name of the database
- The date of your search
- Which search terms you have used
- What search techniques you have employed (quotation marks, specific fields, truncations, etc.)
- How you have combined your search terms (AND, OR, NOT)
- Whether you have used any filters or restrictions (language, years, etc.)
PRISMA
As support for how systematic reviews should be reported, there is an established standard: PRISMA Guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). PRISMA 2020 consists of a checklist with 27 items and several different flowcharts.
According to PRISMA's checklist, all databases, registers, and other sources used to find studies, as well as the date when each source was last searched, must be indicated.
The search strategy should be documented in its entirety for each database and can be published in an appendix to the published article.
There is a specific checklist for how the search should be reported, PRISMA-Search.
Search reporting in text
In the methods section, you describe how the work with the search has been conducted. It can, for example, be described:
- if you have conducted test searches
- how you have found search terms
- if you have searched using both free-text words and controlled subject terms
In the methods section, you can also describe and report articles that you have found in ways other than through database searches, for example, if you have found articles via a reference list to another article or through manual searching.
Example of text in the methods section
The searches were conducted during June 2018 in the databases CINAHL, Web of Science and PubMed.
The Mesh terms identified for the PubMed search were adapted to corresponding terms in CINAHL. Every individual search term was supplemented with relevant free text terms. When appropriate, the free text terms have been truncated in order to include alternative word endings.
The search result was limited to articles that were written in English as well as articles published during the last ten years. The full search strategy is included as an appendix.
The database searches were complemented with manual review of the reference lists of relevant articles, which resulted in a few additional articles included in the study.
Search report as table/appendix
You do not need to detail any test searches, just the final search strategy. This is usually presented in table form. The table can be included as an appendix in the work.
To be able to report your search, it is important that you save the search you have conducted in some way. One tip is to cut and paste from the database's 'Search history'. There is also the option to create an account in the databases to save your search history.
Examples from different databases
In the tables below we present searches in three different databases. In all databases we have used the topic "Patients' experience of day surgery".
Example from CINAHL
MH = Exact Subject Heading
| Database: CINAHL Date: 2018-06-19 | Search words | Limits (filter, limits, refine) | Number of records |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | (MH "Ambulatory Surgery") | 4,779 | |
| #2 | day surgery OR outpatient surgery | 21,915 | |
| #3 | #1 OR #2 | 24,192 | |
| #4 | (MH "Patient Satisfaction") | 31,751 | |
| #5 | experience* OR perception* OR perspective* OR view* | 400,029 | |
| #6 | #4 OR #5 | 423,007 | |
| #7 | (MH "Qualitative Studies+") | 96,010 | |
| #8 | interview* OR focus group* | 123,967 | |
| #9 | #7 OR #8 | 176,718 | |
| #10 | #3 AND #6 AND #9 | 341 | |
| #11 | #10 | Peer Reviewed Published Date: 2008-2018 Narrowed by Language: -English | 219 |
Example from PubMed
| Database: PubMed Date: 18-03-04 | Search words | Limits (filter, limits, refine) | Number of records |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ambulatory Surgical Procedures OR day surgery OR outpatient surgery | 165,477 | |
| #2 | Patient Satisfaction OR experience* OR perception* OR perspective OR view | 1,914,604 | |
| #3 | Qualitative Research OR interview* OR focus group* | 435,017 | |
| #4 | #1 AND #2 AND #3 | 903 | |
| #5 | #4 | Publication dates: 2008-2018 English language | 483 |
Example from Web of Science
| Database: Web of Science Dat: 2018-06-19 | Search words | Limits (filter, limits, refine) | Number of records |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | TOPIC: ("ambulatory surgery" OR "day surgery" OR "outpatient surgery") | 5,830 | |
| #2 | TOPIC: ("patient satisfaction" OR experience* OR perception* OR perspective* OR view*) | 3,334,801 | |
| #3 | TOPIC: (qualitative OR interview* OR "focus group*") | 735,303 | |
| #4 | #1 AND #2 AND #3 | 105 | |
| #5 | #4 | Refined by: LANGUAGES: (ENGLISH) AND PUBLICATION YEARS: (2018 OR 2017 OR 2016 OR 2015 OR 2014 OR 2013 OR 2012 OR 2011 OR 2010 OR 2009 OR 2008) | 74 |
Checklist for Reviewing Search Strategies
Use the checklist to go through your own search strategy, or to review the search strategy in someone else's work.
Conversion of Research Question to Search Strategy
- Does the search strategy match the research question?
Selection of Search Terms
- Are the search terms relevant to the research question?
- Are relevant subject terms used (e.g., MeSH terms and CINAHL Headings)?
- Are relevant free-text terms used?
- Are any relevant subject terms or free-text terms missing?
Translation of Search Strategy Between Different Databases
- Does the search strategy look mostly the same in all databases?
- Are controlled subject headings translated to the corresponding term in other databases? (e.g., MeSH terms to the corresponding CINAHL Headings term and vice versa?)
Search technique, syntax, and spelling
- Are the search terms combined with so-called Boolean operators (AND, OR) in a correct and relevant manner?
- Is truncation possibly used appropriately for the search?
- Is phrase searching with quotation marks used appropriately for the search?
- Are there any spelling errors?
Limitations and filters
- Are limitations and filters used appropriately, and are they relevant to the research question?
Reporting the search
- Is the search strategy described in such a way that it is clear which databases the search was conducted in, on what date the search was conducted, which search terms were used, and how the search terms were combined?
Support
Guide for students: Structured literature reviews
A step-by-step guide aimed at Master's students undertaking a structured literature review as part of their Master's thesis. In this guide we will go through the different steps of a structured literature review and provide tips on how to make your search strategy more structured and extensive.
Learn more
- How to conduct a systematic review
- Chapter 4 about Literature searching in the book Assessment of methods in health care - a handbook from the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services.
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