Resources for handsearchers

Getting involved as a Handsearcher: Handsearching involves the laborious task of searching through medical journals for accounts of controlled trials which are not yet indexed in the major electronic databases like MEDLINE and EMBASE. Less than a third of the world's medical journals are routinely indexed in the major electronic databases. Most Review Groups, Fields, and Centres are seeking volunteer handsearchers and will provide the necessary training and support. Handsearching of journals is coordinated by the US Cochrane Center.

 

Search strategies for the identification of studies

Electronic searches

The National Library of Medicine database MEDLINE has been searched electronically back to 1966 and this search is updated monthly. The search strategy has been adjusted over time (1,2). At present we search for neonatal trials by relying on publication types: randomized controlled trial (PT) or controlled clinical trial (PT), as follows:

Access via Entrez PubMed: Database, MEDLINE

1. Search: infant, newborn OR infant, newborn, diseases OR neonat*
Limits: publication type - randomized controlled trial

Retrievals are reviewed by title and abstract to identify reports which qualify for the neonatal database. Final decision is based on the full report.

2. Search: infant, newborn OR infant, newborn, diseases OR neonat* NOT randomized controlled trial [pt]
Limits: publication type - clinical trial

Retrievals are reviewed by title and abstract to identify reports which qualify for the neonatal database. Final decision is based on the full report.

The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL/CCTR) database in The Cochrane Library is searched for studies relevant to our group.

Hand searching

The Neonatal Group contributes to the overall hand searching effort of the Cochrane Collaboration by hand-searching the following specialty journals in the fields of Pediatrics and neonatology. Each journal is searched for all RCTs and CCTs.

TITLE

Acta Paediatrica
Acta Paed Scand Supp
Am J Clin Nutr
Am J Dis Child
Am J Perinatol
Ann Pediatr
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med
Austr Pediatr J
Child Dev
Clinical Pediatr
Crit Care Med
Dev Med Child Neurol
Dev Pharmacol and Therap
Early Hum Dev
Europ J Pediatr
JOGNN
JPEN
J Ped Child Health
J Pediatrics
J Pediatr Gastroenterol & Nutr
J Perinat Med
J Calif Perinat Assoc
J Perinatol
Pediatr Infect Dis J
Pediatr Res
Pediatrics

Other strategies

Ad hoc notification results in additional reports of eligible trials being added to the Neonatal register. These reports may be detected through the reviewer's personal knowledge or contacts. We solicit such notification from anyone who knows of an eligible trial that appears to have been overlooked.

Planned searching activities

Continued handsearching of identified journals as above.