Best Practices for Search Documentation
Monitoring and keeping track of your search process during your systematic review allows for full replicability. During the searching process, you should develop the following habits:
Keep track of your search strategies
Record all versions of the search string(s) that you are using as you search, where they were used, and the total number of results that were produced. You can utilize an Excel spreadsheet to track and store this information. See example from MD Anderson's Research Medical Library.
Save searches in a Word document
Create a document so you can store search strings. Be sure to include the date of each search. This will allow you to easily re-run the search. Furthermore, this will also allow you to share searches with your team members. If the search string undergoes updates, be sure to record what and when these updates occurred. Most database will allow you to save download your searching history. Be sure to download this information as well.
- PubMed: in the Advanced Search Builder page, you can easily download your searching history. Doing so will create an Excel spreadsheet with your searching history.
- CINAHL: select "Search History" and then "Print Search History". You can then save the page as a PDF.
- Scopus: you can take a screen shot of your searching history, which is accessible on the homepage, beneath the search boxes
You can also save your searches within these citation databases. To do so requires the creation of a personal account. Saving your searches within the database will also allow you to. easily re-run the search. Both CINAHL and Scopus will allow you to store search strings.
Set up search alerts
Most databases will let you set up alerts that will notify you of any new results that would have been captured using a stored search string. In most instances, you will need to create a personal account to set up search alerts.
