It is called re-search! It means you should have done the search first. As obvious as it is, many researchers do not put enough effort into searching, and the main reason is that they are doing research, and usually, there is no searcher on the team.
In systematic reviews, the search methods are part of the research methods. This means that the search methods should be reproducible and that anyone who runs them should be able to replicate the search results.
[See Supplementary material 1 for an example of a reproducible search report]
If you have a research question or a draft protocol/proposal, it is the right time to run the searches, BUT the questions are:
Where to search?
- Databases, Google, Grey (Gray) Literature [Free Grey Literature slides] [Watch the free webinar]?
What to search?
- There are several methods to collect the keywords and concepts for your search.
How to search?
- Search strategies usually consist of
When to search?
- Recording the search date alongside the search strategies makes it possible to repeat the search and get the same or similar results. Remembering replicating the results and reproducing research!
[See free systematic search education slides] [Watch the free webinar]
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