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Citation searching: a systematic review case study of multiple risk behaviour interventions
Kath Wright1, Su Golder, Rocio Rodriguez-Lopez
1Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, A/B Block, Alcuin College, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK. kath.wright@york.ac.uk.
BMC Medical Research Methodology
|June 5, 2014
Summary
Citation searching in systematic reviews may not be efficient. While Google Scholar found the most unique citations, only one new study was identified, questioning its value for time and resources.
Area of Science:
- Information Science
- Health Sciences Research Methodology
Background:
- The utility of citation searching in systematic reviews remains unclear.
- Major systematic review guidelines recommend citation searching, but empirical support is limited.
- Citation searching identifies new studies using known relevant papers, unlike traditional database searches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of citation searching using Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and OVIDSP MEDLINE for systematic reviews.
- To compare the overlap and unique contributions of four citation sources.
- To determine if citation searches identify additional relevant records beyond traditional database searches.
Main Methods:
- A case study was conducted using 40 studies from a systematic review on multiple risk behaviors.
- Four citation sources (Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, OVIDSP MEDLINE) were searched for papers citing the 40 known studies.
- Two analyses were performed: citation source overlap and identification of additional relevant records.
Main Results:
- Google Scholar yielded the most citations (1680), followed by Scopus (1173), Web of Science (1095), and OVIDSP (213).
- All four sources were needed to capture all cited records; Google Scholar provided the most unique citations.
- Citation tracking identified 9 studies meeting inclusion criteria; 8 were already found, and 1 was a new find (though likely discoverable later via databases).
Conclusions:
- Citation searching as a supplementary method for systematic reviews may not be the most effective use of time and resources.
- Further verification of these findings across different systematic reviews is recommended.
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