literature-search

Literature Search Best Practice

Search Strategy Design

1. Define research question using PICO framework (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome)
2. Identify 2-4 core concepts from the research question
3. List synonyms, abbreviations, and related terms for each concept
4. Combine terms with Boolean operators: AND (between concepts), OR (within synonyms)
5. Select at least 3 complementary databases relevant to the domain:
   • Biomedical: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science
   • Computer science: arXiv, Semantic Scholar, DBLP, ACL Anthology
   • Interdisciplinary: Google Scholar, OpenAlex
6. Document exact search strings for reproducibility

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

1. Define date range (e.g., last 5-10 years for rapidly evolving fields)
2. Specify language restrictions (typically English)
3. Specify publication types (peer-reviewed, preprints, conference papers)
4. Define study design requirements (RCTs, observational, computational)
5. Set domain-specific filters (species, methodology, sample size)
6. Document all criteria BEFORE screening begins

PRISMA Methodology

1. Record total hits from each database before deduplication
2. Remove duplicates and record count
3. Screen titles and abstracts against inclusion criteria (record excluded count)
4. Full-text review of remaining papers (record excluded with reasons)
5. Report final included studies with PRISMA flow diagram
6. For scoping reviews, use PRISMA-ScR extension

Screening and Quality Assessment

1. Use two-pass screening: title/abstract first, then full text
2. Apply quality assessment tools appropriate to study type:
   • RCTs: Cochrane Risk of Bias tool
   • Observational: Newcastle-Ottawa Scale
   • ML papers: check reproducibility, dataset validity, statistical rigor
3. Extract data systematically using a predefined extraction form

Synthesis Approaches

1. Narrative synthesis: Organize findings thematically, identify patterns and contradictions
2. Meta-analysis: Pool quantitative results when studies are sufficiently homogeneous
3. Gap analysis: Explicitly identify what is NOT covered in the literature
4. Summarize key findings per theme with supporting citation counts
5. Highlight conflicting results and possible explanations
6. End with clear statement of research gaps that motivate your study