PRISMA-S Checklist
Before you begin your search, click on the link below. Then open up the Checklist (I recommend the Excel version because of the functionality). The reason you want to read over this before you begin your search so you know exactly what you need to collect while you are searching.
- PRISMA for Searching (PRISMA-S)The PRISMA extension for searching was published in 2021. The checklist includes 16 reporting items, each of which is detailed with exemplar reporting and Rationale. The intent of PRISMA-S is to complement the PRISMA Statement and its extensions by providing a checklist that could be used by interdisciplinary authors, editors, and peer reviewers to verify that each component of a search is completely reported and therefore reproducible.
Systematic reviews and their closely related methodologies, rapid reviews, scoping reviews, health technology assessments, and other literature-based evidence syntheses, are created based on thorough and highly sensitive literature searches, often performed in multiple databases and using literature published in all languages.
Reporting your Search
The PRISMA 2020 checklist states for "#7 Search strategy" that you should "Present the full search strategies for all databases, registers and websites, including any filters and limits used".
The new 2021 PRISMA extension for searching extends this to "include the search strategies for each database and information source, copied and pasted exactly as run".
These reported electronic search strategies normally appear in an appendix or as supplementary material to a published systematic review as they are too long to include in the main part of the systematic review. Some published systematic reviews only include a search strategy optimized for one database whilst others e.g. some Cochrane systematic reviews will publish the search strategies for all databases searched. It is not necessary to include the number of results for each search line (although this can be helpful if you are seeking feedback on the search strategy).
Saving Your Search Strategy
In many databases you can simply copy and paste the search strategy from the screen but you may also find that some databases allow you to download the search strategy (which may require less formatting than the copy and paste option).
For a search strategy on the Ebsco Platform (CINAHL & Medline) take the following steps:
- Run the search
- Apply Limiters & Filters
- Select "Search History"
- Locate the final Search(es) that you used in your to get the numbers for Step 2 above - Records Identified. Then check the box(es) to the left.
- Select "Print Search History"
- a) Highlight everything, copy it - then paste into a document OR b) Print to a PDF document. This can be copied and pasted into e.g. an appendix or used to send to a colleague for peer review.
For a search strategy on the Proquest Platform take the following steps:
-
Run the search
-
Apply Limiters & Filters
-
Select "Recent Searches"
-
Locate the final Search(es) that you used in your to get the numbers for Step 2 above - Records Identified. Then check the box(es) to the left.
-
Click on "Export all Searches". Then click on RTF (you can save this as a word document).
-
Open the Word document to view the search strategy. This can be copied and pasted into e.g. an appendix or used to send to a colleague for peer review.
Information about PRISMA-S
Created PRISMA-S because of poor search strategies that are created and conducted in the literature.
The PRISMA-S Extension project began in 2015. The Delphi process and consensus conference took place in 2016. The draft of the PRISMA-S Checklist and Explanation & Elaboration documents are currently in review.
The need for a specific extension for search reporting was made clear through many studies regarding the irreproducibility of searches, including in this study by Jonathan Koffel and Melissa Rethlefsen:
- Koffel, J. B. and M. L. Rethlefsen (2016). "Reproducibility of Search Strategies Is Poor in Systematic Reviews Published in High-Impact Pediatrics, Cardiology and Surgery Journals: A Cross-Sectional Study." PLoS One 11(9): e0163309.
This study built on and confirmed work by Rethlefsen, Farrell, Trazsko-Osterhaus, and Brigham and Koffel:
- Koffel, J. B. (2015). "Use of recommended search strategies in systematic reviews and the impact of librarian involvement: a cross-sectional survey of recent authors." PLoS One 10(5): e0125931.
- Rethlefsen, M. L., et al. (2015). "Librarian co-authors correlated with higher quality reported search strategies in general internal medicine systematic reviews." J Clin Epidemiol 68(6): 617-626.
Rethlefsen and Koffel teamed up with Shona Kirtley to develop the protocol for the PRISMA-S extension, initially published on the EQUATOR Network web site. It is also available in the Files section in the Protocol component of the PRISMA-S OSF project site.
Data from the Delphi survey process, the consent cover letters, the survey tools, and more will be available on the OSF site for PRISMA-S.