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A NOVEL SEARCH BUILDER TO EXPEDITE SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS.

ABSTRACT: Developing a search strategy for use in a systematic review is a time-consuming process requiring construction of detailed search strings using complicated syntax, followed by iterative fine-tuning and trial-and-error testing of these strings in online biomedical search engines.Building upon limitations of existing online-only search builders, a user-friendly computer-based tool was created to expedite search strategy development as part of production of a systematic review.Search Builder 1.0 is a Microsoft Excel®-based tool that automatically assembles search strategy text strings for PubMed (www.pubmed.com) and Embase (www.embase.com), based on a list of user-defined search terms and preferences. With the click of a button, Search Builder 1.0 automatically populates the syntax needed for functional search strings, and copies the string to the clipboard for pasting into Pubmed or Embase. The offline file-based interface of Search Builder 1.0 also allows for searches to be easily shared and saved for future reference.This novel, user-friendly tool can save considerable time and streamline a cumbersome step in the systematic review process.

SUBMITTER: Kamdar BB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4848107 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A NOVEL SEARCH BUILDER TO EXPEDITE SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS.

Kamdar Biren B BB Shah Pooja A PA Sakamuri Sruthi S Kamdar Bharat S BS Oh Jiwon J

International journal of technology assessment in health care 20150101 1-2

<h4>Objectives</h4>Developing a search strategy for use in a systematic review is a time-consuming process requiring construction of detailed search strings using complicated syntax, followed by iterative fine-tuning and trial-and-error testing of these strings in online biomedical search engines.<h4>Methods</h4>Building upon limitations of existing online-only search builders, a user-friendly computer-based tool was created to expedite search strategy development as part of production of a syst ...[more]

PMID: 25989817

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Project description:A high-quality search strategy is considered an essential component of systematic reviews but many do not contain reproducible search strategies. It is unclear if low reproducibility spans medical disciplines, is affected by librarian/search specialist involvement or has improved with increased awareness of reporting guidelines.To examine the reporting of search strategies in systematic reviews published in Pediatrics, Surgery or Cardiology journals in 2012 and determine rates and predictors of including a reproducible search strategy.We identified all systematic reviews published in 2012 in the ten highest impact factor journals in Pediatrics, Surgery and Cardiology. Each search strategy was coded to indicate what elements were reported and whether the overall search was reproducible. Reporting and reproducibility rates were compared across disciplines and we measured the influence of librarian/search specialist involvement, discipline or endorsement of a reporting guideline on search reproducibility.272 articles from 25 journals were included. Reporting of search elements ranged widely from 91% of articles naming search terms to 33% providing a full search strategy and 22% indicating the date the search was executed. Only 22% of articles provided at least one reproducible search strategy and 13% provided a reproducible strategy for all databases searched in the article. Librarians or search specialists were reported as involved in 17% of articles. There were strong disciplinary differences on the reporting of search elements. In the multivariable analysis, only discipline (Pediatrics) was a significant predictor of the inclusion of a reproducible search strategy.Despite recommendations to report full, reproducible search strategies, many articles still do not. In addition, authors often report a single strategy as covering all databases searched, further decreasing reproducibility. Further research is needed to determine how disciplinary culture may encourage reproducibility and the role that journal editors and peer reviewers could play.

Dataset Information

A NOVEL SEARCH BUILDER TO EXPEDITE SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS.

Publications

A NOVEL SEARCH BUILDER TO EXPEDITE SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS.

Similar Datasets

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