Guide to Systematically Searching for Qualitative Studies

That's an excellent project! Searching systematically for qualitative studies presents unique challenges compared to quantitative studies, primarily because:

• Terminology: Qualitative research methods and reporting styles are diverse, and studies may not explicitly use the term "qualitative."


• Indexing: Database indexing for qualitative studies isn't as robust or standardized as for clinical trials.


• Recall vs. Precision: For qualitative synthesis, you often prioritize recall (finding as many relevant studies as possible) over precision (minimizing irrelevant hits), meaning your initial searches might yield many non-qualitative studies.

Here's a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to systematically search for qualitative studies for your review or meta-ethnography:

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Step 1: Planning and Preparation – Laying the Groundwork

Before you even touch a database, thorough planning is crucial.

• Clearly Define Your Research Question:


• Qualitative questions often focus on experiences, perceptions, meanings, or processes. Use frameworks like SPIDER (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type) or ECLIPSE (Expectation, Client Group, Location, Impact, Professionals, Service) to structure your question.


• Example (SPIDER): What are the experiences (Phenomenon) of young adults (18-25) living with Type 1 Diabetes (Sample) regarding self-management (Evaluation) as explored through qualitative research (Design, Research Type)?


• Develop a Comprehensive List of Keywords and Synonyms:


• Concept 1: Your Topic/Phenomenon: Brainstorm all possible terms, jargon, and lay language related to your core topic.


• Example: "Type 1 Diabetes," "T1D," "juvenile diabetes," "insulin-dependent diabetes."


• Example: "Self-management," "self-care," "adherence," "coping," "daily life," "routine," "treatment burden."


• Concept 2: Population/Sample (if applicable):


• Example: "Young adult," "adolescent," "youth," "emerging adult," "student."


• Concept 3: Qualitative Methodology Terms: This is critical! Think broadly.


• Methods: "qualitative research," "interview," "focus group," "discourse analysis," "narrative analysis," "thematic analysis," "content analysis (if qualitative)," "ethnography," "phenomenology," "grounded theory," "case study (if qualitative)," "action research."


• Outcomes/Experiences: "experience," "perception," "perspective," "view," "attitude," "belief," "meaning," "understanding," "feeling," "lived experience," "journey," "story."


• Context: "social," "cultural," "contextual."


• Use Boolean Operators:


• OR to combine synonyms (e.g., (Type 1 Diabetes OR T1D OR juvenile diabetes)).


• AND to combine different concepts (e.g., (Diabetes terms) AND (Self-management terms) AND (Qualitative terms)).


• NOT (use with extreme caution) to exclude highly irrelevant terms.


• **Use Truncation (*) and Wildcards (?):**


• experienc* will find "experience," "experiences," "experiencing."


• wom?n will find "woman," "women."


• Identify Key Databases:


• Biomedical/Health Sciences:


• PubMed/MEDLINE: Essential for health topics. Use MeSH (Medical Subject Headings).


• CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature): Excellent for qualitative health research, often has good qualitative filters.


• PsycINFO: For psychological and behavioral aspects.


• Embase: Broad biomedical coverage, strong for drug research.


• Web of Science (Core Collection): Multi-disciplinary, strong for citation tracking.


• Scopus: Broad scientific, technical, medical, and social science coverage, good for citation tracking.


• Social Sciences/Education:


• Sociological Abstracts: For sociological perspectives.


• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center): If your topic has an educational component.


• Dissertations & Theses:


• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: Crucial for identifying unpublished qualitative research.


• Google Scholar: Use with caution for initial broad searches, but it's less systematic for tracking. Useful for finding grey literature and forward citation searching.


• Develop a Search Protocol:


• Document your research question, inclusion/exclusion criteria, planned databases, keywords, and search strategy. This ensures transparency and reproducibility.


• Consider using a template like the PRISMA-S (PRISMA for Search Strategies) extension.

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Step 2: Executing the Search – Iterative and Comprehensive

This phase involves running your searches and adapting as you go.

• Perform Pilot Searches:


• Start with one database (e.g., CINAHL or PubMed) and a core set of terms.


• Evaluate the results: Are you getting relevant studies? Are you missing obvious ones?


• Refine your keywords and operators based on the pilot's findings. This is an iterative process.


• Build Your Search Strategy for Each Database:


• Concept-by-Concept Approach:


• List all search terms for your first concept (e.g., Topic). Combine them with OR.


• List all search terms for your second concept (e.g., Population). Combine them with OR.


• List all search terms for your third concept (e.g., Qualitative Methodology). Combine them with OR.


• Combine all three sets using AND.


• Utilize Subject Headings (Thesaurus Terms):


• MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) in PubMed/MEDLINE: Search for your topic and qualitative terms within the MeSH database. Use "Explode" to include narrower terms.


• CINAHL Headings in CINAHL: Similar to MeSH, very helpful for nursing and allied health.


• Thesaurus in PsycINFO: For psychological terms.


• Key Tip: Don't only rely on subject headings. Always combine them with free-text keyword searching in titles and abstracts ([tiab]) to capture newer articles or those not perfectly indexed.


• Incorporate Qualitative Filters/Limiters (with caution):


• Some databases (e.g., CINAHL, PsycINFO) have specific "Qualitative Study" limiters.


• Caution: These limiters are often not comprehensive and can exclude relevant studies. Use them as an additional search string rather than a sole filter, or use them and then run a separate, broader search without them to compare results.


• Best Practice: Rely more heavily on your comprehensive list of qualitative keywords (e.g., (qualitative OR interview OR grounded theory OR phenomenology OR experience OR perception)) combined with your topic terms.


• Adapt to Each Database's Syntax:


• Each database has slightly different syntax for Boolean operators, truncation, and field codes (e.g., [tiab] for PubMed, TI,AB for Embase). Consult their help sections.


• Save and Document Your Search Strings:


• Record the full search string for each database, along with the date of the search and the number of results found. This is vital for your methodology section and PRISMA flow diagram.

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Step 3: Expanding and Refining – Beyond Initial Database Searches

Qualitative research often requires more expansive searching beyond standard databases.

• Reference List Checking (Citation Chasing/Snowballing - Backward):


• Once you've identified initial highly relevant studies, meticulously check their reference lists for other pertinent articles. This is often one of the most fruitful strategies for qualitative reviews.


• Forward Citation Searching:


• Use databases like Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar to find articles that have cited your key relevant papers. This helps identify newer research that built upon or responded to the foundational work.


• Grey Literature Search:


• Qualitative research may be published in non-peer-reviewed sources due to its nature (e.g., dissertations, government reports, conference proceedings).


• Databases: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, OpenGrey, specific organizational websites (e.g., WHO, CDC, national health bodies, charities relevant to your topic).


• Google Scholar/Advanced Google Search: Can be useful here, but results require more critical appraisal.


• Hand Searching Key Journals:


• Identify 3-5 core qualitative research journals or journals highly relevant to your topic that frequently publish qualitative work. Manually browse their tables of contents for the last 5-10 years.


• Examples of qualitative journals: Qualitative Health Research, Qualitative Research, Journal of Advanced Nursing (often publishes qualitative work), Social Science & Medicine.


• Contact Experts:


• Reach out to researchers prominent in your field and ask if they know of any relevant unpublished work, ongoing studies, or studies you might have missed.

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Step 4: Managing and Documenting Your Results

• Import Results into Reference Management Software:


• Use tools like EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, or Rayyan (specifically designed for systematic reviews).


• This allows for easy deduplication, screening, and organization of articles.


• Deduplicate Records:


• After importing from all databases, remove duplicate entries. Reference managers have built-in functions for this.


• Screening:


• Title/Abstract Screening: Go through all unique records, first by title and abstract, to identify potentially relevant studies. Have at least two reviewers screen independently to reduce bias and ensure accuracy.


• Full-Text Screening: Retrieve the full text for all studies that pass title/abstract screening. Again, have two reviewers independently assess eligibility against your inclusion/exclusion criteria. Resolve any discrepancies through discussion or a third reviewer.


• Create a PRISMA Flow Diagram:


• Document the number of records identified, duplicates removed, records screened, excluded (with reasons), and finally, the number of studies included in your review. This is a standard requirement for systematic reviews.


• Maintain a Detailed Search Log:


• Keep a record of every database searched, the exact search strings used, the date of the search, and the number of results obtained. This is crucial for transparency and reproducibility in your methods section.

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Key Takeaways for Qualitative Systematic Searching:

• Be Comprehensive: Use a wide range of keywords for both your topic and qualitative methodology.


• Be Iterative: Your search strategy will evolve as you discover new terms and find relevant studies.


• Go Beyond Standard Databases: Grey literature, citation chaining, and hand-searching are vital.


• Document Everything: Transparency is paramount for a systematic review.


• Two Reviewers: For screening, this significantly enhances rigor and reduces bias.

This detailed approach should set you up for a robust and systematic search for your qualitative review or meta-ethnography. Good luck!