systematic reviews: searching the literature presented by: anne young 13 august 2014

Systematic reviews: searching the literaturePresented by:Anne Young 13 August 2014

Definition of a Systematic Review

“A systematic review [SR] is a review of a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyze data from the studies that are included in the review. Statistical methods (meta-analysis) may or may not be used to analyze and summarize the results of the included studies.”

PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. PRISMA Statement: http://www.prisma-statement.org/usage.htm Accessed 12 August 2014.

13 August 2014Systematic Reviews

Elements of a systematic search Formulate a clearly articulated research question

Define eligibility criteria

Develop a plan for your search (including search terms, sources, limits)

Keep detailed records of the searches

Use software such as Endnote to store and organise your references

Set up alerts to new publications

Note: When writing a systematic review you will need to document:– Methods - the literature search and the full electronic search

strategy of at least one database– Results - a flow chart outlining the number of studies retrieved,

reviewed, excluded and included e.g. PRISMA 2009 Flow Diagram:



http://www.prisma-statement.org/2.1.4%20-%20PRISMA%20Flow%202009%20Diagram.pdf




http://www.prisma-statement.org/2.1.2%20-%20PRISMA%202009%20Checklist.pdf



Sample list of search terms


Search method example - Cochrane Library (

http://ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/login?url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/14651858 )

“Exercise for improving outcomes after osteoporotic vertebral fracture” by Lora M Giangregorio, Norma J MacIntyre, Lehana Thabane, Carly J Skidmore and Alexandra Papaioannou Online Publication Date: January 2013http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008618.pub2/abstract


http://ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/login?url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/14651858

http://ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/login?url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/14651858


A proximity indicator

A truncated keyword (tw = from title or abstract field)

An exploded subject heading

Section of the sample Medline search strategy in Appendix 1

systematic reviews: searching the literature presented by: anne young 13 august 2014

Documents