LibGuides: Evidence Synthesis in the Health Sciences: Search Filters & Tools

Search filters

PubMed: Topic Specific Queries
Pre-written searches on topics such as AIDS/HIV, Bioethics, Cancer, Health Disparities, and many more. Search queries are not being updated.
PubMed Search Strategies: Blog
This blog has been created to share PubMed search strategies on a variety of topics.
CADTH Search Filters Database
Search filters developed and maintained by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health's (CADTH) Research Information Services (RIS) Filters Working Group.
InterTASC Information Specialists' Sub-Group
The ISSG has developed a quality checklist to assess published filters designed to retrieve records by specific study design.
McMaster / HIRU Hedges
Health-focused search hedges developed at the Health Information Research Unit at McMaster University.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Search Filters
SIGN has devised strategies for running each search filter in Ovid Medline and Embase.
searchRxiv
Open repository allowing researchers to report, store and share their searches consistently, and to enable them to review and re-use existing searches.

Cochrane Human Filter in PubMed:
NOT (animals [mh] NOT humans [mh])

Duke Modified Cochrane Strategy for Randomized Trials in PubMed:
(randomized controlled trial[pt] OR controlled clinical trial[pt] OR randomized[tiab] OR randomised[tiab] OR randomization[tiab] OR randomisation[tiab] OR placebo[tiab] OR drug therapy[sh] OR randomly[tiab] OR trial[tiab] OR groups[tiab]) NOT (animals[mh] NOT humans[mh]) NOT (Editorial[pt] OR Letter[pt] OR Case Reports[pt] OR Comment[pt])

EMBASE (not MEDLINE):
limit to EMBASE records only -- [embase]/lim NOT [medline]/lim

Term Discovery & Analysis

Use one of the following tools to create a comprehensive search strategy that captures relevant results for your evidence synthesis.

Yale MeSH Analyzer
Analyze the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, author-supplied keywords, and words in the titles and abstracts of a set of references to be included in your reviews.
PubMed PubReMiner
Run a query and see what journals, MeSH, etc., are represented among your results.