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Reporting standards for literature searches and report inclusion criteria: making research syntheses more transparent and easy to replicate.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Atkinson, KM; Koenka, AC; Sanchez, CE; Moshontz, H; Cooper, H
Published in: Research synthesis methods
March 2015

A complete description of the literature search, including the criteria used for the inclusion of reports after they have been located, used in a research synthesis or meta-analysis is critical if subsequent researchers are to accurately evaluate and reproduce a synthesis' methods and results. Based on previous guidelines and new suggestions, we present a set of focused and detailed standards for reporting the methods used in a literature search. The guidelines cover five search strategies: reference database searches, journal and bibliography searches, searches of the reference lists of reports, citation searches, and direct contact searches. First, we bring together all the unique recommendations made in existing guidelines for research synthesis. Second, we identify gaps in reporting standards for search strategies. Third, we address these gaps by providing new reporting recommendations. Our hope is to facilitate successful evaluation and replication of research synthesis results.

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Published In

Research synthesis methods

DOI

EISSN

1759-2887

ISSN

1759-2879

Publication Date

March 2015

Volume

6

Issue

1

Start / End Page

87 / 95

Related Subject Headings

  • Periodicals as Topic
  • Meta-Analysis as Topic
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Humans
  • Guidelines as Topic
  • Databases as Topic
  • Biostatistics
  • 4905 Statistics
  • 4605 Data management and data science
  • 1117 Public Health and Health Services
 

Citation

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Atkinson, K. M., Koenka, A. C., Sanchez, C. E., Moshontz, H., & Cooper, H. (2015). Reporting standards for literature searches and report inclusion criteria: making research syntheses more transparent and easy to replicate. Research Synthesis Methods, 6(1), 87–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1127
Atkinson, Kayla M., Alison C. Koenka, Carmen E. Sanchez, Hannah Moshontz, and Harris Cooper. “Reporting standards for literature searches and report inclusion criteria: making research syntheses more transparent and easy to replicate.Research Synthesis Methods 6, no. 1 (March 2015): 87–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1127.
Atkinson KM, Koenka AC, Sanchez CE, Moshontz H, Cooper H. Reporting standards for literature searches and report inclusion criteria: making research syntheses more transparent and easy to replicate. Research synthesis methods. 2015 Mar;6(1):87–95.
Atkinson, Kayla M., et al. “Reporting standards for literature searches and report inclusion criteria: making research syntheses more transparent and easy to replicate.Research Synthesis Methods, vol. 6, no. 1, Mar. 2015, pp. 87–95. Epmc, doi:10.1002/jrsm.1127.
Atkinson KM, Koenka AC, Sanchez CE, Moshontz H, Cooper H. Reporting standards for literature searches and report inclusion criteria: making research syntheses more transparent and easy to replicate. Research synthesis methods. 2015 Mar;6(1):87–95.
Journal cover image

Published In

Research synthesis methods

DOI

EISSN

1759-2887

ISSN

1759-2879

Publication Date

March 2015

Volume

6

Issue

1

Start / End Page

87 / 95

Related Subject Headings

  • Periodicals as Topic
  • Meta-Analysis as Topic
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Humans
  • Guidelines as Topic
  • Databases as Topic
  • Biostatistics
  • 4905 Statistics
  • 4605 Data management and data science
  • 1117 Public Health and Health Services