Writing Complex Search Strategies ***PARTICIPANTS: Please bring your laptops to this session

Article type
Authors
Noel-Storr A1, Fiander M2
1Cochrane Dementia Group, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
2Effective Practice & Organisation of Care Group, Canada
Abstract
Objectives:

To present and discuss practical approaches to developing and optimising complex search strategies for health care interventions.

Description:

This session is directed at professional searchers—Information Scientists/Specialists, Trials Search Co-ordinators, Librarians, who develop search strategies for systematic reviews. Using sample topics from Cochrane Systematic Reviews, we will explore using and exploiting Medical Subject Headings, MeSH (NLM) and EMTREE (EMBASE).Wewill consider the differences between MeSH and EMTREE for the purposes of building and translating search strategies. OVIDwill be the assumed platform for Medline and EMBASE; Wiley for the Cochrane Central Database of Controlled Trials; and Ebsco for CINAHL. Pubmed will be discussed as an adjunct to searches of Medline, but will not be the focus of this session. Participants will be asked to register in advance and submit questions or comments related to challenges they have encountered when constructing search strategies. While the presenters will deliver information, we hope to also draw on experiences of attendees to inform and expand the methodology presented in this session. Late registrants will gladly be accepted, but questions/challenges posed in advance of the session may take precedence as discussion items.