Research Guides: Basic Training in Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analysis: A Hands-on Workshop for Fellows: Searching

Scoping Search Resources

PROSPERO

Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window The Cochrane Library is a unique source of reliable and up-to-date information on the effects of interventions in health care. Published on a quarterly basis, The Cochrane Library is designed to provide information and evidence to support decisions taken in health care and to inform those receiving care. The databases are: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Reviews); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); The Cochrane Database of Methodology Reviews (Methodology Reviews); Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA); NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED); About The Cochrane Collaboration and the Cochrane Collaborative Review Groups (About)

PubMed Clinical Queries

Databases to Search

Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window The Cochrane Library is a unique source of reliable and up-to-date information on the effects of interventions in health care. Published on a quarterly basis, The Cochrane Library is designed to provide information and evidence to support decisions taken in health care and to inform those receiving care. The databases are: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Reviews); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); The Cochrane Database of Methodology Reviews (Methodology Reviews); Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA); NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED); About The Cochrane Collaboration and the Cochrane Collaborative Review Groups (About)
Medline Ovid This link opens in a new window 1946 to Present. Ovid MEDLINE covers the international literature on biomedicine, including the allied health fields and the biological and physical sciences, humanities, and information science as they relate to medicine and health care. Information is indexed from approximately 5,400 journals published world-wide. Corresponds in part to the following print indexes: Index Medicus, Index to Dental Literature, and International Nursing.
Embase This link opens in a new window 1947 - present. EMBASE is an international biomedical and pharmacological database that provides access to up-to-date information about medical and drug-related subjects. Comprehensive inclusion of drug-related information makes EMBASE particularly valuable when carrying out drug-related searches. EMBASE features comprehensive coverage of drug research, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Human Medicine (Clinical and Experimental), basic biological research, Health Policy and Management, Substance Dependence and Abuse, Psychiatry, Veterinary Science and Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window 1965 – present. Web of Science includes research articles, reviews, editorials, conference proceedings and abstracts covering biological sciences, medical and life sciences, physical and chemical sciences, agriculture, veterinary sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. WOS also includes Journal Impact Factors and offers cited reference counts, and citation reports.
CINAHL Plus This link opens in a new window CINAHL is the definitive research tool for nursing and allied health professionals. Many of the journals included are peer-reviewed. This database includes complete coverage of English-language nursing journals, health care books, nursing dissertations, selected conference proceedings, standards of practice, and book chapters.
PubMed This link opens in a new window 1946 – Present. PubMed comprises over 28 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. PubMed citations and abstracts include the fields of biomedicine and health, covering portions of the life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. PubMed also provides access to additional relevant web sites and links to the other NCBI molecular biology resources.

Grey Literature Resources

Search Hedges

Hedges are vetted strategies created by expert searchers to find specific literature.

Cochrane RCT Search Hedges
Search strings to retrieve randomized control trials. Offers two different degrees of sensitivity/specificity depending on how comprehensively you want to search. (Boxes 3a-3d)
ISSG Search Filters Resource
McMaster Hedges
Search strings for diagnosis, prognosis, clinical prediction guides, quality improvement, causation/etiology, costs, economics, review articles, and qualitative studies. (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO)
UT School of Public Health Search Filters
Search strings for types of studies in Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, and CINAHL.
SIGN Search Filters

Evaluating Search Strategies

PRESS Checklist
An Evidence Based Checklist for the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS EBC) See page 41-42

Planning the Literature Search

SLIDES: Planning the Literature Search from UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Research Medical Library

The Systematic Review Search Tracking Spreadsheet
keeps track of the search strategies and results from each database and the numbers of interior and exterior duplicates found.