Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Nov 5;331(7524):1064-5.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.38636.593461.68. Epub 2005 Oct 17.

Effectiveness and efficiency of search methods in systematic reviews of complex evidence: audit of primary sources

Trisha Greenhalgh  1 , Richard Peacock
Affiliations

Effectiveness and efficiency of search methods in systematic reviews of complex evidence: audit of primary sources

Trisha Greenhalgh et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To describe where papers come from in a systematic review of complex evidence. Method Audit of how the 495 primary sources for the review were originally identified.

Results: Only 30% of sources were obtained from the protocol defined at the outset of the study (that is, from the database and hand searches). Fifty one per cent were identified by "snowballing" (such as pursuing references of references), and 24% by personal knowledge or personal contacts.

Conclusion: Systematic reviews of complex evidence cannot rely solely on protocol-driven search strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Royle P, Milne R. Literature searching for randomized controlled trials used in Cochrane reviews: rapid versus exhaustive searches. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2003;19: 591-603. - PubMed
    1. Dixon-Woods M, Agarwal S, Jones D, Young B, Sutton A. Synthesising qualitative and quantitative evidence: a review of possible methods. J Health Serv Res Policy 2005;10: 45-53. - PubMed
    1. Greenhalgh T, Robert G, Macfarlane F, Bate P, Kyriakidou O, Peacock R. Storylines of research in diffusion of innovation: a meta-narrative approach to systematic review. Soc Sci Med 2005;61: 417-30. - PubMed
    1. Greenhalgh T, Robert G, Bate P, Kyriakidou O, Macfarlane F. Diffusion of innovations in health service organisations: a systematic literature review. Oxford: Blackwells, 2005.

Publication types

MeSH terms