How do Various Fugitive Literature Searching Methods Impact the Comprehensiveness of Literature Uncovered for Systematic Review?

Autor: Helmer, Diane (BCOHTA), Savoie, Isabelle (BCOHTA), Green, Carolyn (BCOHTA), GreyNet, Grey Literature Network Service
Přispěvatelé: GL4, Washington DC (US), 1999-10-04
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2000
Předmět:
Popis: BACKGROUND: As the production of grey literature (GL) increases, the methods used to uncover such literature evolve and are now included as part of the "standard" fugitive search strategy used by many technology assessment organizations. Many of these methods, however, have not been properly evaluated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to determine the type and nature of the grey literature uncovered by various fugitive literature search methods (i.e. handsearching, personal communication, searching specialized databases, consulting reference lists, etc.) as a first step toward evaluating the utility of these methods. METHODS: A prospective analysis of literature items retrieved by electronic searches and fugitive searches was conducted for two arbitrarily selected research projects. Both projects were critically appraising the literature and gathering as many randomized controlled trials as possible. Consistent electronic search strategies and fugitive search strategies were designed and applied to each project. Items that met the pre-specified inclusion criteria for each project were retrieved and entered in a database. For each item retrieved, a code was given describing the methods used and the type of item uncovered. CONCLUSIONS: The various fugitive search methods examined increased the comprehensive-ness of the GL uncovered. The quality of the GL now needs to be examined in order to assess whether the literature uncovered is likely to affect the results of the systematic review. Includes : Conference preprint, Pratt student commentary XA International
Databáze: OpenAIRE