Checklist for search strategies

Transforming the research question into a search strategy

Does the search strategy address the research question?

Choice of search terms

Are the keywords relevant with regard to the research question?

Are relevant subject headings used (e.g. MeSH terms and CINAHL Headings)?

 Are relevant free-text words used?

Are any relevant subject headings or free-text words missing?

Translation of search strategy to other databases

 Is the search strategy as consistent as possible across all databases?

Are subject headings translated to the corresponding term in other databases (e.g. MeSH-terms to the corresponding CINAHL Headings term, and vice versa)?

Search techniques, syntax and spelling

Are the search terms combined with boolean operators (AND, OR) in a correct and relevant way?

Is any truncation used appropriately for the search?

Is any phrase search with quotation marks used appropriately for the search?

Are there any typos?

Limitations and filters

Are limitations and filters used appropriately and are they relevant to the research question??

Reporting of search strategy

Is the search strategy described in such a way that it is clear which databases were searched, the date of the search, the search terms used and how the search terms were combined?