For authors

Search Strategy

A review must be reproducible. The complete search for every database, platform, register and website must be supplied as a supplementary appendix.

Mandatory reporting

• Database and platform name, for example MEDLINE via Ovid or PubMed.
• Complete line-by-line search exactly as run.
• Date of the last search and coverage dates.
• Language, date, document-type and human/animal restrictions with justification.
• Trial registries, grey literature, preprints, dissertations and conference sources where relevant.
• Backward and forward citation tracking and manual searching.
• Duplicate-removal software and process.
• Name and role of any librarian or information specialist.
• Search updates performed before acceptance.

PRESS review

Peer review of the main search strategy using the PRESS framework is strongly recommended, particularly for systematic reviews, meta-analyses, umbrella reviews and guideline-relevant evidence syntheses.

Minimum database coverage

Authors must justify the chosen sources. Searching only one bibliographic database will rarely be acceptable for a health evidence synthesis.