Reproducibility of search strategies in systematic reviews published in Spanish Library and Information Science journals

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54886/ibersid.v17i1.4892

Keywords:

systematic reviews, reproducibility, search strategies, literature search, Spain

Abstract

The complete and detailed reporting of the search process in systematic reviews is vital for their reproducibility and to evaluate the rigor and reliability of the results. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the transparency and reproducibility of search strategies in systematic reviews published in spanish Library and Information Science journals. For this purpose, the databases Web of Science and Scopus were searched for articles published in these journals identified as systematic or systematized literature reviews. Thirty-five reviews were finally selected and the presence of elements related to the search for information recommended in the PRISMA-S guide was evaluated: complete search strategy, keywords and search terms, time period searched, number of studies retrieved, names of databases searched and limits or filters applied. There are a very deficient reporting of the elements related to the search for information. The majority of the reviews do not provide a complete search strategy and 25 % do not provide keywords either, with the name of the databases searched being the most frequently described element (91,4 %). No differences were found in the information provided in the reviews published by librarians or information professionals and those from other disciplines. Authors using the term systematic or systematized review should describe in a transparent and rigorous manner all the elements essential for its reproducibility and evaluation.

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Author Biographies

José Antonio Salvador Oliván, Universidad de Zaragoza

Profesor Titular de Universidad

Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Zaragoza. C/ Domingo Miral, s/n. 50009 Zaragoza.

Gonzalo Marco Cuenca, Universidad de Zaragoza

Profesor Titular de Universidad

Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Zaragoza. C/ Domingo Miral, s/n. 50009 Zaragoza.

Rosario Arquero Avilés, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Profesora Titular de Univesidad

Facultad de Ciencias de la Documentación de la UCM, C/ Santísima Trinidad 37, 28010 Madrid, 

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Published

2023-06-15

How to Cite

Salvador Oliván, J. A., Marco Cuenca, G., & Arquero Avilés, R. (2023). Reproducibility of search strategies in systematic reviews published in Spanish Library and Information Science journals. Ibersid: Journal of Information and Documentation Systems (ISSNe 2174-081X; ISSN 1888-0967), 17(1), 129–137. https://doi.org/10.54886/ibersid.v17i1.4892

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