This document provides an overview of the systematic review process. It begins with developing the research question using PICO(S) or SPICE frameworks. This is then translated into search terms and concepts. The document outlines searching databases and other sources, as well as screening and critically appraising the literature. It discusses data synthesis and publication bias. Tips are provided for searching, such as using wildcards, adjacency searches, and combining concepts. Challenges like books, grey literature, and other languages are noted. Reference manager software is also mentioned.

1. Systematic
(searching for a) Review
June 26, 2014
Universiteitsbibliotheek

2. Specialist Wetenschappelijke Informatie
Psychology
Child Development and Education
Anthropology
Janneke Staaks
j.staaks@uva.nl
@jstaaks

3. 3
Evidence based practice

4. Literature review
“take a simmering topic, extract the juice of an argument,
add the essence of one filing cabinet, sprinkle liberally with
your own publications and sift out the work of noted
detractors or adversaries”
https://www.flickr.com/photos/litlnemo/3181163906
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelandrew/178930904

5.  From research question to search question
 Systematic search
 Screening
 inclusion/exclusion criteria
 Critical appraisal
 validity/relevance
 Data synthesis
The systematic review process

6. From research question to search
question
 PICO(S)
 Population
 Intervention (or exposure)
 Comparison
 Outcome
 Study

7. From research question to search
question
 SPICE
 Setting – Where? In what context?
 Perspective – For who?
 Phenomenon of Interest – What?
 Comparison – what else?
 Evaluation – How well? What result?

8. Development of children from mothers with
epilepsy (anti-epileptics during pregnancy)
 Population
 Intervention/Exposure
 Comparison
 Outcome
 Study
https://www.flickr.com/photos/erin_ryan/2718885808

9. What is the effect of taking antiepileptics
while pregnant on child development?
 Population: Pregnant women with epilepsy
 Intervention: anti-epileptics
 Comparison: none
 Outcome: child development
 Study: cohort studies and observational
research

10. Key concepts

11. Does it matter?
Pregnancy outcomes
AND
Anti-epileptics
Pregnancy
AND
Epilepsy
AND
Development

12. Does it matter?
Pregnancy outcomes
AND
Anti-epileptics
3.636 results 6.709 results
Pregnancy
AND
Epilepsy
AND
Development

13. Protocols
 Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
 Guidance: Systematic Reviews: CRD's guidance for
undertaking systematic reviews in health care
 Campbell Collaboration
 The production of a systematic review
 PROSPERO database

14. Guidelines
 PRISMA statement
 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and
Meta-Analyses
 Equator network
 Reporting guidelines
 E.g. ENTREQ for synthesis of qualitative research
 See www.equator-network.org/

15. Systematic searching

16.  General - specific
 ethnic minority or Asian
 physiological measures or cortisol
 Synonyms and related terms
 social phobia or social anxiety or blushing
 Acronyms
 Major Depressive Disorder or MDD
Search terms

17.  Spelling
 US – UK: behavior or behaviour
 Single - plural: child or children
 Verb tenses: cry, crying or cried etc
 Opposites
 fertility or infertility
 Historical language
 Changes in DSM
 Countries
Search terms

18. Abstract There is ample evidence for the existence of an association between
sleeplessness and worry. Not much is known, however, concerning the nature
of this relationship. Therefore, a study was conducted investigating the causal
relationship between sleeplessness and nocturnal worry. A 2 x 2 (Worry x
Induced sleeplessness) analysis of covariance design was used. The first factor
consisted of a subject variable defined by scoring either high or low on a trait
measure of worry (the Penn State Worry Questionnaire) and the second factor
consisted of 300 mg caffeine or placebo. A total of 96 female undergraduate
students participated. The dependent variables comprised measures of
nocturnal worry (the Night-Time Thoughts Questionnaire) and subjective and
objective sleep parameters. Overall, caffeine caused an increase in nocturnal
worry and sleeplessness. A significant interaction effect occurred between
Worry and Induced sleeplessness on one of the objective sleep parameters, but
no other interaction effects were significant. The results suggest that worry may
occur as an epiphenomenon of sleeplessness.
Subject
Headings
*Anxiety
*Caffeine
*Cognitions
*Insomnia
Database: PsycINFO
Night-time thoughts in high and low worriers:
Reaction to caffeine-induced sleeplessness

19. Wildcards
depression
depressive
depressed
depress*depressogenic
depressie
depressotypic

20. Test
snake fear 54
"snake fear"
snake AND fear
famil* 295.000
family OR families 253.000
1 NOT 2
54
387

21.  Free text terms
 title, abstract etc.
 sleeplessness.ti,ab. (Medline - OvidSP)
 sleeplessness[tiab] (Pubmed)
 Controlled vocabulary
 Subject headings, Mesh terms, thesaurus etc.
 Insomnia/ (PsycINFO)
 "Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders "/ (Medline)
Search terms

24. Tip: finding more search terms
(Medical)
Subject Heading
Sleep initiation and
maintenance disorders
8.816
Title + abstract sleeplessness 483
Title + abstract sleep disorder 1.825
1 NOT (2 OR 3)
Database: Medline/Pubmed
8.496

25. Combining your search terms

26. Boolean Operators
OR AND NOT

27.  Idiom* ADJ4 distress
 Idiom of distress
 Idioms of psychological distress
 Distress idioms
 Idioms of wellness and distress
 Idioms through which emotional distress is expressed
Adjacency searching*
*Databases: OvidSP (e.g. Medline PsycINFO)

28. Adjacency searching
*Databases: OvidSP (e.g. Medline PsycINFO)

29. Combining your key concepts

30. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
parent*
OR
child*
OR
family
694.000 titles
De rolwisseling tussen ouders en kinderen in
allochtone gezinnen

31. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
role reversal
OR
role conflict
694.000 titles
parent*
OR
child*
OR
family
3.200 titles
De rolwisseling tussen ouders en kinderen in
allochtone gezinnen

32. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
immigra*
OR
ethnic
82.000 titles
role reversal
OR
role conflict
parent*
OR
child*
OR
family
694.000 titles 3.200 titles
De rolwisseling tussen ouders en kinderen in
allochtone gezinnen

33. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
immigra*
OR
ethnic
role reversal
OR
role conflict
parent*
OR
child*
OR
family
ANDAND ANDAND
De rolwisseling tussen ouders en kinderen in
allochtone gezinnen

34. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
parent*
OR
child*
OR
family
role reversal
OR
role conflict
immigra*
OR
ethnic
De rolwisseling tussen ouders en kinderen in
allochtone gezinnen

35. You searched a database and found far too
few results. How can you broaden your
search and increase the search results?
Choose the three right answers from the
following.
A. Add search terms and combine with AND.
B. Search more fields, for example "words in
abstract".
C. Limit to the most recent publications.
D. Combine the search terms with OR.
E. Use different search terms, for example
synonyms.
immigra*
OR
ethnic
parents
OR
child
OR
family
role reversal
OR
role conflict
36 titles
694.000 titles 3.200 titles 82.000 titles
De rolwisseling tussen ouders en kinderen in
allochtone gezinnen

36. Databases

37. Medline - Pubmed
 Life sciences and biomedical
information

38. Other Databases
 Health care
 Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL
 Sportdiscus, Pilots, LILACS
 Cochrane Library
 Sociology
 Sociological Abstracts, IBSS, SocIndex, Campbell Library
 Other
 ERIC, Linguistic and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA)
 Web of Science, Google Scholar

39. Google Scholar search query
 Maximum of 1000 search results
 Screen first 200-500 results and report date and search
query
 Maximum of 200 characters per query
 OR can be replaced by vertical line (above Enter on your
keyboard)
 AND is the default combination; use " " for phrases
 Less need for word variations
 parents | children | family "role reversal" | "role

40. Other complementary search
strategies
 Citation tracking
 Web of Science and Google Scholar (cited by..)
 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
 Authors
 Hand searching
 Journals
 Conference proceedings
 Consulting experts

41. Challenges
 Books
 Worldcat, Picarta, Google Books
 Grey literature
 What: reports, conference proceedings, dissertations
 Where: websites, repositories..
 E.g. Afrika Studies Centre Leiden
 Other languages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batgirl#mediaviewer/File:Batgirls.jpg

42. 42
Reference manager software
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sherlock77/416909735
Refworks
Reference Manager
Endnote

43. Publication Bias
 Statistics
 Unpublished research
 Contacting authors
 Clinicaltrials.gov
 International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) from
the World Health Organization (WHO)
 Grey literature
 Dissertations
 Conference Proceedings
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdennis/11948643

44. Questions?

45. Extra information

46. Source: http://www.scielo.br/img/revistas/reeusp/v45n5/en_a33fig1.jpg

47. Further reading - General
 Booth, A., Papaioannou, D., & Sutton, A. (2011).
Systematic approaches to a successful literature
review. SAGE Publications Limited.
 Gough, D., Oliver, S., & Thomas, J. (2012). An
introduction to systematic reviews. Sage
Publications
 Systematic searching for reviews (online tutorial,
VU university)

48. Further reading – Qualitative research
 Hannes, K., & Lockwood, C. (2011). Synthesizing qualitative research:
Choosing the right approach. John Wiley & Sons.
 Michael Saini, Aron Shlonsky (2012) Systematic Synthesis of Qualitative
Research. Oxford University Press. 978-0195387216
 Harris Cooper (2010) Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis. A Step-by-
Step Approach Fourth Edition. Sage
 Pope, C., Mays, N. & Popay, J. (2007). Synthesizing qualitative and
quantitative health evidence. A guide to methods. Open University Press
 Dixon-Woods M, Agarwal S, Young B, Jones D, Sutton A. (2004) Integrative
approaches to qualitative and quantitative evidence. London: Health
Development Agency

49. More..
 Filters for qualitative research – ISSG Search
Filters Resource
 Goodyear-Smith, F. A., van Driel, M. L., Arroll, B., &
Del Mar, C. (2012). Analysis of decisions made in
meta-analyses of depression screening and the risk
of confirmation bias: A case study. BMC medical
research methodology, 12(1), 76
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2288/12/76