| University Libraries
This guide goes over the key elements used in many types of knowledge synthesis work such as systematic reviews and scoping reviews. To learn about certain specific methodologies, search in the following reference sources:
While knowledge synthesis methodologies include many stages, this guide primarily focuses on how to perform the database literature search, with a general alignment with the JBI Manual and PRISMA 2020.
If you need help with any step in this process, talk to your subject librarian.
A great way to learn about these reviews is by reading other published work on in your discipline that uses this methodology. Remember that if you directly replicate another researcher's methodology, you need to give attribution to the original researchers.
Locate these articles by using the George Mason University Libraries catalog, search for one of the topics you are researching followed by AND "[review type]".
Examples:
Databases operate on keyword searching. These keywords direct the database to provide results that match the search. Unlike natural language searching (like Google), databases will only search for the words that are entered. They will not automatically use machine learning to also search for similar words.
Keeping track of these keywords is important for knowledge synthesis searching. Researchers will need to list the keywords they used when writing the methodology section of their article. This process allows other researchers to replicate the search.
Knowledge synthesis searches are comprehensive, so researchers should select keywords that retrieve relevant research while understanding that searches may not be able to only produce relevant results.
Use conducting guidelines to determine what is needed for the research type. [ATTENTION: Conducting guidelines may recommend use of subject terms in addition to keywords. If subject terms are new to you, reach out to the appropriate subject librarian for your research topic.]
Authors of scholarly works may use various words to write about the same topic. Researchers need to be aware of this as they develop their searches. Some considerations include:
One way researchers organize key terms is through a table. By listing the core concepts as table headers and other terms in cells, researchers can quickly review what is missing. These key terms should evolve as the researcher looks at terms found abstracts or other parts of relevant articles.
Sample research question: "How does parental involvement in grade school impact the success of english language learners?"
| Main Concept | Elementary Education | English Learning | Parents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | primary school, grade school | ell, English language learner, English as a second language, L2, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, TESOL |
guardians |
Sample research question: "What is the relationship between organizational trust and organizational citizenship behaviors?"
| Main Concept | trust | Organizational citizenship behaviors |
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | credibility, honesty, goodwill, reliability | OCB, corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship |
Sample research question: "What is the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for depression?"
| Main Concept | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | Depression |
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | Behavioral Therapy, Emotion Based Therapy | anxiety disorder, depressive disorder |
For systematic literature searching, researchers should use multiple database to ensure comprehensive coverage of the topic and to minimize bias. The number of databases needed depends on the research question and the review type. More databases should be searched for more comprehensive reviews.
When selecting databases, a researcher should use their expertise of academic publishing to determine which information is relevant. If a researcher knows that a certain set of journals often publish on their topic, they should consider databases that index those journals.
Researchers should review databases relevant to their research question by using the the Mason Libraries' Database page as a starting place. For more guidance on selecting relevant databases, reach out to the appropriate subject librarian.
It is not advised to use George Mason Libraries metafinders for systematic literature searching. These tools are great for locating research, but they do not meet the standards of replicability needed for this type of search.
Some database vendors include the option of searching multiple databases at the same time. It is not recommended to search in this manner unless the researcher knows that the controlled vocabulary is the same across resources.
Some research criteria includes a necessity to locate broad, global scholarly work. In these cases, a researcher may need to review various open access journals for articles. Reach out to a subject librarian in the related field for help in determining if OA journals are relevant to the research question and where to locate these resources.
Not all research is published in scholarly journals. This type of literature is known as grey literature. Examples of grey literature include dissertations and policy reports. These are not peer-reviewed work, but they can be important to academic literature. Based on the research topic and level of review type, the inclusion of grey literature may be important to ensure a comprehensive literature search. To evaluated grey literature, consider using the AACODS checklist by Jess Tyndall.
Preprints are versions of research manuscripts that are sometimes shared before peer-review publication. This can help researchers share their studies more quickly. As these have not gone through peer-review, additional evaluation may be necessary.
In addition to keywords, researchers should attempt to use subject terms. A subject term, also known as a subject heading, is a form of controlled vocabulary used to describe a resource. Subject terms are not always the same across databases and disciplines. For researchers new to using subject terms, they should reach out to their subject librarian for support.
After developing keywords and selecting databases, researchers need to begin searching for the results. Using Boolean logic, researchers combine their concepts to locate results.
Often, for this type of searching, researchers limit their search to the title, abstract, and author-generated keywords in addition to including relevant subject terms. This strategy helps researchers to locate the most relevant resources.
During this step, researchers should read their selected databases' help guides for assistance on selecting appropriate limiters.
Some databases use different Boolean operators and advanced search strategies may be necessary. Ask a subject librarian for help with Boolean searching.
Remember that a lot of the work will be completed after the searching. Database filters are not always accurate and should often be avoided.
Using the sample research question 1 and the keywords previously listed, the researcher can begin to craft their search string. This sample search string uses terminology and subject headings used in the database APA PyscInfo (EBSOhost). In this databse, XB searches for title and abstract, KW searches for author-supplied keywords, and DE searches for subject terms. This search string would need to be further expanded for journal publication, but it demonstrates how a researcher may begin the process.
(((DE "Elementary Education" OR DE "Elementary schools")) AND DE "English as Second Language" AND DE exp "Parents")) OR (XB(("elementary education" OR "primary school" OR "grade school") AND ("english learning" OR ell OR "english language learner" OR "english as a second language" OR L2 OR "teachers of english to speakers of other languages" OR tesol) AND (parent OR guardian))) OR KW(("elementary education" OR "primary school" OR "grade school") AND ("english learning" OR ell OR "english language learner" OR "english as a second language" OR L2 OR "teachers of english to speakers of other languages" OR tesol) AND (parent OR guardian))
After creating a search for a specific database, a researcher may need to adjust that search for other databases. This is called translating the search. Researchers should adjust subject terms to match those used in the new database. These changes may be small or may involve adjusting large portions of the search.
[IMPORTANT: Make sure to note down exactly what search is used in which database. This is important for reporting.]
Long search strings may not be feasible for searching in grey literature sources. A simplified search strategy using a few keywords is recommended for grey literature searching.
As systematic reviews are intended to be thorough, researchers may also need to perform individual journal searching and citation analysis. This is more common for more thorough reviews like systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Hand Searching is the process of manually reviewing the table of contents within individual key journals within a field. Researchers should stick to research published within their specified time frame.
Citation Analysis is the process of reviewing article references and looking at articles that cite the original article. This step is traditionally only used for articles remaining after the full-text review stage of a knowledge synthesis project. Web of Science can be used for citation analysis by searching for key articles then using built-in citation tracking features.
As with other research methodologies, researchers should carefully record their searches. When the final search string and set of databases are selected, researchers should make sure to include them in the research notes so that other researchers can replicate the search in the future.
For information about database download limits, contact the Data and Digital Scholarship services at datahelp@gmu.edu.
An aspect of a systematic knowledge synthesis methodologies in the Social Sciences is reviewing the research to see what meets pre-selected criteria. This process is often done by downloading all results from a search then reviewing them externally. Each database will have a different strategy for downloading results.
Often, Googling the name of the database along with "bulk export" will provide results to the database's bulk download support page. Sometimes this process requires the researcher to create their own account through the database. Carleton University Libraries has put together a helpful guide on bulk downloads.
Some databases have limits on the number of articles to download. For a systematic literature review, these limits are often much higher than should be expected for a properly developed search.
Many online tools offer support with managing search results. George Mason does not currently provide institutional subscriptions for any of these tools.
[ATTENTION: George Mason University Libraries does not currently offer in-house support for these screening tools.]