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Evidence Synthesis: Start Searching

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

Evidence Synthesis Searching

The searching step of the evidence synthesis process is a cornerstone of comprehensive and unbiased research methodology. Searching in this context is not just about finding articles—it’s a deliberate, strategic, and systematic process intended to capture all relevant studies to ensure a complete evidence base.

This step creates the foundation for a high-quality evidence synthesis project. Effective searching requires developing a well-structured strategy, choosing appropriate databases, and understanding how to interpret your research question concepts. The process should also involve carefully documenting search methods and results to maintain transparency and reproducibility. This page will walk you through creating search strategies, selecting suitable databases, and organizing your search process.

The Basics

Effective database searching is essential for evidence synthesis, ensuring that your review is comprehensive and minimizes bias. A good systematic search should include strong search strategies, appropriate keywords and controlled vocabulary terms. 

Sample PubMed Search:

 

teen[Title/Abstract] OR adolescen*[Title/Abstract] OR highschool[Title/Abstract] OR high-school[Title/Abstract] OR "secondary school"[Title/Abstract] OR "secondary education"[Title/Abstract] OR "Adolescent"[Mesh]

AND

psychiatric[Title/Abstract] OR "mental health"[Title/Abstract] OR Anxiety[Title/Abstract] OR "panic disorder"[Title/Abstract:~2] OR "eating disorder"[Title/Abstract:~2] OR "mood disorder"[Title/Abstract:~2] OR bipolar[Title/Abstract] OR depressi*[Title/Abstract] OR "Body Dysmorphic"[Title/Abstract] OR "Anxiety"[Mesh] OR "Anxiety Disorders"[Mesh] OR "Mood Disorders"[Mesh] OR "Depressive Disorder"[Mesh]

AND

"academic achievement"[Title/Abstract] OR "academic performance"[Title/Abstract] OR "student success"[Title/Abstract] OR "academic success"[Title/Abstract] OR "academic excellence"[Title/Abstract] OR grades[Title/Abstract] OR "academic performance"[Title/Abstract] OR "test scores"[Title/Abstract] OR "test performance"[Title/Abstract] OR "Academic Performance"[Mesh] OR "Educational Measurement"[Mesh]

Components of a Systematic Search. Keywords: Includes specific terms and their synonyms; Translations: Search has been replicated across several databases, including grey lit; Advanced Searching: Includes advanced search strategies such as proximity or wildcard; Boolean: Search effectively uses AND, OR, and sometimes NOT; Reproducible: Search is documented well and easy to replicate; Controlled Vocab: Uses subject terms for concepts as well as keywords; Field Searching: Search terms are narrowed to a specific field such as title and abstract

Blume, R. (2024). Components of a Systematic Search. Utah State University Libraries. https://libguides.usu.edu/evidence-synthesis/beginning-searching. 

Search Explanation

  • AND, OR, NOT - Boolean operators that tie together concepts and synonyms.
  • [Title/Abstract] - Searches for keywords within the title and abstract only.
  • * symbol - Searches for word variations. For example, child* searches for child, children, child's etc. 
  • [MeSH] - Searches for results assigned a specific controlled vocabulary term.
  • [Title/Abstract:~2] - A proximity search that searches for terms that appear next to each other. 
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