Evidence Synthesis in the Social Sciences

When conducting systematic reviews, researchers should remember that databases vary in their interfaces, specialized search syntax, and hosting platforms (such as ProQuest or EBSCO). Recognizing these differences is essential for thorough and accurate searches across multiple sources. While the overall structure of your search strategy remains consistent, each database requires specific adaptations to ensure accurate results. To effectively translate your strategy across platforms, you can start by exploring each database's search options and syntax rules. Tailoring your search is crucial for conducting a thorough evidence synthesis, allowing you to capture relevant studies across multiple resources.

*Reminder: your initial search should be designed for a primary database (the one most likely to have the most studies on your topic). Then, adapt or 'translate' this search strategy for use in other databases.

The image displays a table with three columns labeled "Search element," "Property," and "Need for translation." There are five rows beneath the headers. The first row lists "Keywords" with properties described as "Universal" and a translation need of "No." The second row features "Subject headings," described as "Database-specific," with a translation need of "Yes." The third row indicates "Database search operators," typically "Platform-specific but sometimes database-specific," and a translation need of "Yes (or maybe)." The fourth row refers to "Boolean operators," marked as "Universal," with no translation needed. The final row mentions "Search fields," with properties as "Database-specific or sometimes platform-specific," and a translation need of "Yes."

Young, S., Premji, Z. & Engelbert, M. Unit 3: Searching the Literature. In J. C. Valentine, J. H. Littell, & S. Young (Eds.), Systematic reviews and meta-analysis: A Campbell Collaboration online course. Open Learning Initiative, 2023.

• Database syntax guide (Cochran)
• Example: See Appendix A on page 30 of this published systematic review for an example of a fully reported search strategy translated across multiple databases. Positive Affect and Sleep: A Systematic Review
  • Medline (PubMed)
    • bipolar disorder[MeSH] OR anhedonia[MeSH] OR bipolar[tw] OR mania[tw] OR anhedonia*[tw] OR manic depress*[tw]
      • Textword (TW) field is an alias for all of the fields in a database which contain text words and which are appropriate for a subject search. The Textword field in MEDLINE includes Title (TI) and Abstract (AB).
  • PsycINFO (Ebsco)
    • DE (bipolar disorder OR cyclothymic personality OR mania OR hypomania OR anhedonia) OR TX (“bipolar” OR mania OR “manic depress*” OR anhedonia)
      • Descriptor (DE) indicates a search within the assigned subject headings of a record, meaning it will only return results where the exact subject heading matches your search term.