Suggested resources
Evidence searches for systematic reviewsfor use in searching.
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Systematic reviews
These resources are suggested for searches requiring information for systematic reviews:
- Campbell Collaboration: Searching for studies: A guide to information retrieval for Campbell Systematic Reviews
- Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions: Searching for and selecting studies, its technical supplement and appendix of resources
- Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy
- CRD guidance
- Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG): IQWiG Methods Resources. 7 Information retrieval
- JBI Collaboration: JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis
- The Methodological Expectations of Cochrane Intervention Reviews (known as MECIR Standards)
- PRESS Checklist
- PRISMA Statement
- PRISMA-P guidance for writing review protocols
- PRISMA Flow diagram
- PRISMA-S extension to the PRISMA Statement
- PROSPERO
- The TARCiS Statement for conducting and reporting citation searches
Useful further information and a comparison of Rayyan and Covidence, systematic review software packages to aid the process of screening and data extraction, can be found at the following product review.
For further help structuring a systematic review search strategy, see:
- Alternative Question Structures for Different types of systematic review
- Carrie Price’s YouTube channel for videos on elements of searching (and reporting searches) in systematic reviews
- Exploring issues in the conduct of website searching and other online sources for systematic reviews: how can we be systematic?
- Library of Search Strategy Resources (LSSR)
- Systematic reviews in the social sciences: a practical guide
- Using frameworks to structure your question
- What is a Systematic Review?
Sources to search for the review
These resources are suggested when searching for studies:
- high tier evidence sources
- clinical decision support tools
- bibliographic databases
- clinical trials registers
- preprint servers
- grey literature sources
- Google and Google Scholar
- citation indexes
Text mining software
These resources are for systematic reviews requiring text mining:
- PubMed PubReMiner
- Vos Viewer
- Mesh on Demand
- Yale MeSH Analyzer
- Medline Transpose
- Litsearchr
- SWIFT-Review
- Polyglot Search Translator
- SnowGlobe
- Citationchaser
- RCT Tagger
- Connected Papers
- The University of Lancaster: Systematic Reviews - Introduction and Pathway for researchers starting a Systematic Review
- University of York: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) Guidance
- Women and Newborn Health Service Library: What is a Systematic Review and how does it differ from a Literature Review?
- Research Synthesis Methods: Investigation of text-mining methodologies to aid the construction of search strategies in systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy-a case study
Retraction searching
These resources are suggested when searching for retracted papers
Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Sections 4.4.6
- Section 4.4.6 Identifying fraudulent studies, other retracted publications, errata and comments
- Section 3.9 Identifying fraudulent studies, other retracted publications, errata and comments: further considerations in S1 Technical Supplement to Chapter 4: Searching and selecting studies
MECIR Manual: Collecting data from included studies (C43-C51)
Retraction Watch
- blog and archives by category
- database
- user guide
EndNote Retraction Alerts
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)
Community of practice
The Systematic Searchers Community of Practice is a forum of information professionals actively involved in supporting systematic reviews. Join the community at LIS-SRSEARCHERSCOP to benefit from expert advice and friendly support.