Documenting Searches in the Sciences: Home

Have you included sufficient data & detail in your article so that others can replicate your research or use your data in systematic reviews?  Find the guideline checklist for your study type at Equator (Enhancing the Quality of and Transparency of Health Research)

Equator - keeping up with how to report research  http://www.equator-network.org/home/

Simera I, et al.  Transparent and accurate reporting increases reliability, utility, and impact of your research:reporting guidelines and the EQUATOR Network. BMC Med. 2010 Apr 26;8:24. PMID: 20420659

Kac G, Hirst A. Enhanced quality and transparency of health research reporting can lead to improvements in public health policy decision-making: help from the EQUATOR Network. Cad Saude Publica. 2011;27(10):1872. PMID: 22031192

Why should you document your literature searches in your publications? 

Some laws, journals and associations require it.  Others recommend it. 

• It is required to do so for animal studies by the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee as well as Animal Welfare Act.
• Some Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), particularly for drug trials, require documentation of literature searches.   (See http://www.jhu.edu/jhumag/0202web/trials.html or http://bsdirb.bsd.uchicago.edu/forms-guidelines/documents/literature-searchguidelines.pdf)
• It can be required for systematic reviews/meta-analyses depending upon where you are publishing.  (See PRISMA Statement:  Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. http://www.prisma-statement.org/index.htm)
• IOM developed standards as Systematic Reviews are being used to guide or determine treatment.  (See http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2011/Finding-What-Works-in-Health-Care-Standards-for-Systematic-Reviews/Standards%20for%20Systematic%20Review%202010%20Insert.pdf​)

It’ll save you time & frustration by

•  giving you a plan of action
•  avoiding duplicated effort or worse, gaps in your search
•  helping to let you know when you’re done
• ensure that your study is usable by others and not wasted effort

Thanks to Kristine Alpi for her generous permission to use & adapt her course outline "How and Why to Document Searches in the Sciences:  A Hands-On Workshop".