Citation searches are more sensitive than keyword searches to identify studies using specific measurement instruments.
| Title | Citation searches are more sensitive than keyword searches to identify studies using specific measurement instruments. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2015 |
| Authors | Linder SK, Kamath GR, Pratt GF, Saraykar SS, Volk RJ |
| Journal | Journal of clinical epidemiology |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pagination | 412-7 |
| Date Published | 2015 Apr |
| ISSN | 1878-5921 |
| Keywords | Abstracting and Indexing as Topic; Databases, Bibliographic; Databases, Factual; Decision Support Techniques; Humans; Information Storage and Retrieval; Internet; PubMed |
| Abstract | OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of two search methods in identifying studies that used the Control Preferences Scale (CPS), a health care decision-making instrument commonly used in clinical settings. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We searched the literature using two methods: (1) keyword searching using variations of "Control Preferences Scale" and (2) cited reference searching using two seminal CPS publications. We searched three bibliographic databases [PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WOS)] and one full-text database (Google Scholar). We report precision and sensitivity as measures of effectiveness. RESULTS: Keyword searches in bibliographic databases yielded high average precision (90%) but low average sensitivity (16%). PubMed was the most precise, followed closely by Scopus and WOS. The Google Scholar keyword search had low precision (54%) but provided the highest sensitivity (70%). Cited reference searches in all databases yielded moderate sensitivity (45-54%), but precision ranged from 35% to 75% with Scopus being the most precise. CONCLUSION: Cited reference searches were more sensitive than keyword searches, making it a more comprehensive strategy to identify all studies that use a particular instrument. Keyword searches provide a quick way of finding some but not all relevant articles. Goals, time, and resources should dictate the combination of which methods and databases are used. |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.10.008 |
| Alternate Journal | J Clin Epidemiol |
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