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
Editorial
. 2016 Nov 15;5(1):191.
doi: 10.1186/s13643-016-0371-9.

Exploring issues in the conduct of website searching and other online sources for systematic reviews: how can we be systematic?

Claire Stansfield  1 , Kelly Dickson  2 , Mukdarut Bangpan  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Exploring issues in the conduct of website searching and other online sources for systematic reviews: how can we be systematic?

Claire Stansfield et al. Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Websites and online resources outside academic bibliographic databases can be significant sources for identifying literature, though there are challenges in searching and managing the results. These are pertinent to systematic reviews that are underpinned by principles of transparency, accountability and reproducibility. We consider how the conduct of searching these resources can be compatible with the principles of a systematic search. We present an approach to address some of the challenges. This is particularly relevant when websites are relied upon to identify important literature for a review. We recommend considering the process as three stages and having a considered rationale and sufficient recordkeeping at each stage that balances transparency with practicality of purpose. Advances in technology and recommendations for website providers are briefly discussed.

Keywords: Information management; Information retrieval; Online searching; Systematic reviews; Website searching.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hammerstrøm K, Wade A, Jørgensen AMK. Searching for studies: a guide to information retrieval for Campbell Systematic Reviews Campbell Systematic Reviews 2010; Supplement 1 DOI: 10.4073/csrs.2010.1. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lefebvre C, Manheimer E, Glanville J. Chapter 6: searching for studies. In: Higgins JPT, Green S, editors. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 (updated March 2011). The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. http://handbook.cochrane.org/. Accessed 22 Mar 2016.
    1. Oliver S, Bangpan M, Stansfield C, Stewart R. Capacity for conducting systematic reviews in low- and middle-income countries: a rapid appraisal. Health Res Policy Syst. 2015;13:23. doi: 10.1186/s12961-015-0012-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Birdthistle I, Dickson K, Freeman M, Javidi L. What impact does the provision of separate toilets for girls at schools have on their primary and secondary school enrolment, attendance and completion? A systematic review of the evidence. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London; 2011.
    1. Brunton G, Oliver S, Oliver K, Lorenc T. A synthesis of research addressing children's, young people's and parents' views of walking and cycling for transport. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London; 2006.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources