Assess and reflect

Assess your learning

Check your understanding using the quiz below

Reflect on the module

Whether you write a full strategy document, have one scribbled in the back of a notebook or have a vague string of useful terms in your phone notes, make sure you assess it for thoroughness and suitability. Reflect on whether you have:

• Used a variety of relevant search words.
• Expressed your inclusion/exclusion criteria as limits such as date, age, geographic location etc.
• Made a list of appropriate resources to search.
• Carried out a pilot/scoping search and, if necessary, refine your search strategy.

If yes, then you are ready to begin your main search.

Creating a search strategy may seem like just one more thing to add to your list of tasks but it is helpful for ensuring your search is efficient and effective. Additionally, search strategies can be used to show how thoroughly you have searched, as a basis to record your search and to communicate to others where you found your evidence. The next time you read a journal article, check their methodology section, see if they have included a summary of their search strategy and think about why they have done this. What do you, as a reader/fellow researcher, gain from seeing their search strategy?