Learning Resources

Literature Search Flowchart – PRISMA Guide with Examples

Literature Search Flowchart

PRISMA-Aligned Guide for Complex Health Literature Searching

Step 1: Define Research Question Use frameworks to structure your question: PICO: Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome Example: Adults with hypertension (P) receiving drug A (I) vs drug B (C) for blood pressure control (O) PEO: Population, Exposure, Outcome (for qualitative studies) Example: Nurses (P) experiencing burnout (E) and its impact on job satisfaction (O) SPIDER: Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type Example: Adolescents (S) with anxiety (PI) qualitative interviews (D) exploring coping (E) Step 2: Identify Databases Common databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science Also consider grey literature & clinical trial registries Example: Use ClinicalTrials.gov for ongoing trials Step 3: Develop Search Strategy Use keywords, MeSH terms, and Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) Example: (hypertension OR “high blood pressure”) AND (drug A OR medication A) Apply filters: date range, language, study type Document search strings for reproducibility Example: Limit to English, last 5 years, randomized controlled trials Step 4: Combine Searches Use database syntax to combine search sets: Example: S1 = hypertension terms, S2 = drug A terms Combine with AND: S1 AND S2 to narrow results Use OR to broaden: S1 OR S2 Example PubMed: (#1 OR #2) AND #3 Step 5: Execute Search & Export Records Export citations & abstracts from each database Use reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Zotero) Step 6: Remove Duplicates Use software tools to identify and delete duplicate records Step 7: Screen Titles & Abstracts Apply inclusion/exclusion criteria Two independent reviewers recommended Step 8: Retrieve Full Texts Obtain full articles for eligible abstracts Step 9: Assess Full Texts for Eligibility Apply detailed inclusion/exclusion criteria Document reasons for exclusion
  • PRISMA – Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: guidelines for reporting systematic reviews.
  • PICO – Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome: framework to formulate clinical research questions.
    Example: Adults with hypertension (P) receiving drug A (I) vs drug B (C) for blood pressure control (O).
  • PEO – Population, Exposure, Outcome: framework often used for qualitative research.
    Example: Nurses (P) experiencing burnout (E) and its impact on job satisfaction (O).
  • SPIDER – Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type: framework for qualitative and mixed methods.
    Example: Adolescents (S) with anxiety (PI) qualitative interviews (D) exploring coping (E).
  • MeSH – Medical Subject Headings: controlled vocabulary thesaurus used in PubMed for indexing articles.
  • Boolean Operators – Logical connectors (AND, OR, NOT) used to combine search terms.
  • Grey Literature – Research not published in commercial journals, e.g., theses, reports.
  • Reference Management Software – Tools like EndNote, Zotero used to organize citations.
  • Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria – Predefined rules to determine study eligibility.
  • Duplicate Records – Multiple instances of the same study retrieved from different databases.
  • Qualitative Synthesis – Narrative summary of study findings.
  • Quantitative Synthesis – Statistical meta-analysis combining data from multiple studies.
  • Systematic Review – A review that uses systematic methods to collect and critically analyze multiple research studies.
  • Meta-Analysis – Statistical technique to combine results from different studies.
  • Database Filters – Search limits such as date range, language, or study design.
  • Screening – Process of reviewing titles/abstracts or full texts to determine eligibility.
  • Full Text Retrieval – Obtaining the complete article for detailed review.
  • Reproducibility – Ability to repeat the search process with the same results.
  • Search Set – A group of search results defined by a specific search string, often labeled S1, S2, etc.
  • Boolean Syntax Example – Combining search sets: S1 AND S2 narrows results; S1 OR S2 broadens results.