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Research methods and reporting
Rapid reviews methods series: Guidance on literature search
  1. Irma Klerings1,
  2. Shannon Robalino2,
  3. Andrew Booth3,
  4. Camila Micaela Escobar-Liquitay4,
  5. Isolde Sommer1,
  6. Gerald Gartlehner1,5,
  7. Declan Devane6,7,
  8. Siw Waffenschmidt8
  9. On behalf of the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group
    1. 1 Department for Evidence-Based Medicine and Evaluation, University of Krems (Danube University Krems), Krems, Niederösterreich, Austria
    2. 2 Center for Evidence-based Policy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
    3. 3 School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
    4. 4 Research Department, Associate Cochrane Centre, Instituto Universitario Escuela de Medicina del Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    5. 5 RTI-UNC Evidence-based Practice Center, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
    6. 6 School of Nursing & Midwifery, HRB TMRN, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
    7. 7 Evidence Synthesis Ireland & Cochrane Ireland, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
    8. 8 Information Management Department, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare, Cologne, Germany
    1. Correspondence to Irma Klerings, Department for Evidence-based Medicine and Evaluation, Danube University Krems, Krems, Niederösterreich, Austria; irma.klerings{at}donau-uni.ac.at

    Abstract

    This paper is part of a series of methodological guidance from the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group. Rapid reviews (RR) use modified systematic review methods to accelerate the review process while maintaining systematic, transparent and reproducible methods. In this paper, we address considerations for RR searches. We cover the main areas relevant to the search process: preparation and planning, information sources and search methods, search strategy development, quality assurance, reporting, and record management. Two options exist for abbreviating the search process: (1) reducing time spent on conducting searches and (2) reducing the size of the search result. Because screening search results is usually more resource-intensive than conducting the search, we suggest investing time upfront in planning and optimising the search to save time by reducing the literature screening workload. To achieve this goal, RR teams should work with an information specialist. They should select a small number of relevant information sources (eg, databases) and use search methods that are highly likely to identify relevant literature for their topic. Database search strategies should aim to optimise both precision and sensitivity, and quality assurance measures (peer review and validation of search strategies) should be applied to minimise errors.

    • Methods
    • Evidence-Based Practice
    • Systematic Reviews as Topic
    • Information Science

    Data availability statement

    No data are available.

    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

    This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

    https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2022-112079

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      Data availability statement

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      Footnotes

      • Twitter @micaelaescb

      • Collaborators On behalf of the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods Group: Declan Devane, Gerald Gartlehner, Isolde Sommer.

      • Contributors IK, SR, AB, CME-L and SW contributed to the conceptualisation of this paper. IK, AB and CME-L wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. IK is responsible for the overall content.

      • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

      • Competing interests AB is co-convenor of the Cochrane Qualitative and Implementation Methods Group. In the last 36 months, he received royalties from Systematic Approaches To a Successful Literature Review (Sage 3rd edn), payment or honoraria form the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and travel support from the WHO. DD works part time for Cochrane Ireland and Evidence Synthesis Ireland, which are funded within the University of Ireland Galway (Ireland) by the Health Research Board (HRB) and the Health and Social Care, Research and Development (HSC R&D) Division of the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland.

      • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

      • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

      • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.

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