Scoping Reviews

After completing your first search in Ovid Medline(R) ALL, you should translate and run your search in a second database. Later, after your preliminary search, you will also translate this search strategy across multiple databases.

You can use the same keywords and synonyms that you identified in your Ovid Medline search but you will need to identify appropriate subject headings, which are unique to each database. This means that you may need to:

• remap subject headings, or
• remove the subject heading for that database if there is no equivalent match and use keywords only

If you discover new keywords as you search in subsequent databases, these should be added to all of your search strategies to maintain consistency. This may mean revisiting earlier databases and modifying your search strategy.

You will also want to check for any syntax changes between databases such as:

•  changes in truncation or symbols (* and ?), and
• whether double quotes are required around phrases (e.g. "quality of life")

Whenever possible, keywords and subject headings should match one another.

For more help with database translation, including syntax changes between databases, see the resources listed below.