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Evidence Synthesis: Preliminary Searching

The purpose of this guide is to provide patrons with information about evidence synthesis.

Finding Existing Reviews and Why It Matters

Searching for existing reviews is an important first step of the entire search process. It's vital you and your team have an understanding of the scope of the literature.

Tips:

 

  • Use more broad search terms than you typically would in your search protocol.
  • "Systematic Review" won't always show up in the title or abstract, so don't rely on it to be a comprehensive method to retrieve reviews.
  • Look for publication type and methodology filters when searching or on the results page.
  • Use search strings if a database doesn't have a way to limit types of publications.
    • Example from University of Texas Libraries:  "systematic review" OR "research synthesis" OR "synthesis of research" OR "meta analysis" OR meta-analysis

 

Where Can I Find Them?

Examples of databases:

PsycINFO

SocINDEX

Education Source

ERIC

CINAHL

PubMed

Web of Science

Limit search by Methodology filter.

 Include "systematic review" as a search term. Include "systematic review" as a search term. Include "systematic review" as a search term. Limit search by Publication Type filter.. After searching keywords, choose "Additional Filters." Check relevant Article Types. After searching keywords, choose "Additional Filters." Check relevant Article Types.
Include "systematic review" as a search term.       Include "systematic review" as a search term.    

Where Can I Find Protocols for Reviews in Progress?

Below is a list of places to look:

Adapted from: https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/systematicreviews.

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