Librarians' Recommendations to Improve Search Strategies in Cochrane Systematic Review Protocols

Objective: To improve overall quality of systematic reviews via librarian peer review of search strategies in Cochrane Systematic Review protocols; to increase librarian participation in systematic review search strategy peer review, to highlight the importance of librarian peer review, and to increase library capacity for systematic review search support; Methods: Five librarians reviewed search strategies submitted in three Cochrane Systematic Review protocols to the Anaesthesia, Critical and Emergency Care (ACE) group. Cochrane currently recommends seeking the help of an information professional when conducting a systematic review, but does not require verification of this assistance for submission or acceptance. The PRESS checklist directed the evaluation process of the search strategies; Results: The librarians recommended amending the three search strategies. For each systematic review protocol search strategy, the librarians discovered relevant citations that were not returned with the submitters' searches. The PRESS checklist provided a concise framework for evaluating the search strategies. Librarians gained fresh experience reviewing systematic review searches and conducting peer reviews using the Cochrane Collaboration's processes; Conclusions: The librarians intend to continue reviewing search strategies submitted in Cochrane protocols. This initiative hopes to demonstrate that librarian input can improve the quality of systematic reviews.