Objectives: To discuss the role that literature searching/information specialists can play in the knowledge to action cycle and the challenges of searching within the research field of knowledge translation (KT); to present practical and effective literature searching techniques and methods used for reviews of KT studies.

Methods: Knowledge translation (KT) is a growing area of research in the health sciences. The problem of inconsistent language and indexing has been well-documented in the literature, but few practical strategies exist to assist those who must create comprehensive searches for systematic and scoping reviews in this field of study. Through the experience of creating KT searches for researchers in medicine, nursing, and rehabilitation, the presenters have developed suggested best practices for approaching KT questions.

Results: Examples of successful search strategies and the rationale behind the creation of these strategies will be presented. Concrete methods for approaching the development of KT searches will also be presented with an emphasis on the following key areas: KT theory versus KT interventions and tools, suggestions on resources to search, and guidelines for selecting MeSH terms and keywords.

Discussion: The challenges and opportunities for information specialist involvement with knowledge translation research will also be discussed.