Library Guides: Systematic review guide: Documenting search methods

Documenting search methods

Reviewers must document the search process in enough detail that it can be thoroughly and transparently reported in the review's methods section and in supplementary material.

The main reporting guideline for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses is the PRISMA 2020 Statement. It primarily suits reviews evaluating the effects of interventions but is complemented by various PRISMA extensions, which provide guidance for the reporting of different types or aspects of systematic reviews and other types of evidence synthesis (e.g. scoping reviews).

What to document

Review the PRISMA 2020 checklist and flow diagram to see what information you must document and how you will need to report it throughout your review. This is to be aware of the documentation required for the searches but also to prepare for the upcoming management of search results as the records move through the deduplication and screening processes. The PRISMA-Search extension checklist is recommended for more detailed search reporting with 16 reporting items across a sources and methods, search strategies, peer review and management of records.
You should be aware of all the reporting items required before you run your final searches as they include information like database name, coverage dates and platform for each search, the date each database was searched. A full search history from each database with numbers of results for each search line as well as the final search result must be available. Supplementary and grey literature searching also has reporting items. Ideally, the information provided will have a enough detail that the sames searches can be reproduced/performed again by other researchers.

Ensure you have a reliable system in place to document all required reporting items and a safe place to store this documentation.

PRISMA 2020 Statement
This link provides the statement a well as the PRISMA 2020 Checklist and Flow Diagram.
PRISMA-Search Checklist
The PRISMA extension for searching was published in 2021 and contains detailed reporting criteria for searching. It should be be used to complement and expand the more general PRISMA 2020 Checklist.
PRISMA-ScR
PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews contains 20 essential reporting items and 2 optional items to guide reporting for this type of review.
Systematic Reviews: CRD's guidance for undertaking Reviews in Healthcare
"Appendix 3: Documenting the Search Process" (p.249) shows examples of reporting search strategies and detailed descriptions of search information relating to grey literature and supplementary searching.

Exporting search histories

To export a copy of your search history go the "Share Search History" option at the bottom right of the Search History box.
Choose "Copy Search History Details" and then paste into a Word Document. Alternatively "Email all seach history" will send a the same search history to your email.
Both options provide the full search history as entered (including the number of results retrieved from each search line) in plain text.

Before you save a copy of the search history, ensure the "Search ID#" option (next to "Search Terms" is pointing up, so your search lines are presented with Line 1 at the top and your final results line show at the bottom of the history.

To copy the search history, click on "Print Search History" (upper right of the Search History screen). You can cut and paste the search lines and number of results retrieved into a Word Document, reformatting as needed.

To get a copy of your search history done in Basic Search you can either cut and paste individual lines (with the numbers of results retrieved for each) and format in Word. Alternatively once you have completed your search in either the Basic or Advanced screens, click the results for your final search line. This will show all the results but also your search history as one long string. Use the copy icon to copy the search query and past into Word.