Documenting your search
Documenting your systematic search is crucial for transparency and reproducibility, but you don’t need to record every single decision. This page highlights the main aspects of the process to document so that the research community can understand your search methods and potentially use the information to update the topic in the future.
Plan for documenting your search
It is important early in the process of systematic search development that you and your team plan for how you are going to create, manage and store documents related to your systematic search.
The following are points to consider when it comes to documenting:
- For files, who needs access, how will storage work and be managed e.g. if data is requested or the search/review requires updates.
- Document key decisions made by the review team about data management.
- Manage tool limitations e.g. Don't store working EndNote libraries in OneDrive.
- When building a file structure, consider establishing a ‘read me’ file to indicate how the space is managed
- E.g. ‘yearmonth File Name’ 202307 Systematic Search Strategy
- Ensures documents are organised and minimises the risk of losing documents.
E.g. ‘I will back-up my working project files every two weeks or once a month. Back-up files will be stored in a dedicated file space within a project folder on a team OneDrive space. An Outlook reminder will be set to prompt back-ups
For further information on file naming, structure and storage check Managing information.
Key documents
The following documents are essential for systematic reviews because they ensure transparency, reproducibility, and thoroughness in your research process, making it easier for others to follow and validate your work.
Search method outline
A paragraph for the article outlining:
- the databases and platforms chosen
- the main concepts searched
- the screening method used
Example - Search method outline (DOCX, 43KB)
Full search strategies
Present full for all databases, registers, and websites searched, including any notes about filters or limits used. Include this as an the appendix or as supplementary information.
Example - full systematic search (DOCX, 53KB)
Table of information sources
A table which lists all databases, registers, websites, and other sources you searched. Include the date each search was run, the database and platform used, and the number of results exported.
Example - Table of searches and exports (DOCX, 26KB)
PRISMA flow diagram
Record the number of results at each stage of the review according to the flowchart. This should be included in the published study.
You'll learn about PRISMA in the Screening your search results page.
Example - completed PRISMA flow diagram (PDF, 161KB)
Table of information sources
This table is help you report when the searches were conducted, which databases and platforms were used, and how many results were exported from each. It aligns with the PRISMA 2020 checklist by ensuring you specify all sources used to identify studies and the dates they were last searched.
| Date | Database (Platform) | Search | # of results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record when you last ran the search, so the search can be updated from that point | Full title of database and platform used. | Either paste your search string or refer to your search method recorded in your article appendix or files | Record result numbers sent to EndNote (for PRISMA Flowchart) |
Example
| Date | Database (Platform) | Search | # of results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26/03/24 | Medline ALL (Ovid) | Refer to search method (YYYYMMDD_MEDLINEsearch_versionx) |
503 |
|
26/03/24 |
CINAHL Complete (EBSCOHOST) | Refer to search method (YYYYMMDD_CINAHLsearch_versionx) |
299 |
| Total | 802 |
Note
Don't forget:
- Run each database search one at a time, do not combine databases.
- Specify the full database name eg. SportDISCUS with Full Text, and the platform; EBSCOHOST
- Record the number of results exported to EndNote, not the number of results found in the database. Databases can misreport the number of results exportable, due to duplication and record errors.