Validated geographic search filters for bibliographic databases: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Information Science
• Health Sciences
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Geographic data is crucial for evidence syntheses on regional health disparities and epidemiological questions.
• Search filters enhance literature retrieval in bibliographic databases by identifying publications with specific characteristics.
• Geographic search filters specifically target research evidence pertaining to defined geographical areas like countries or regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify validated geographic search filters.
• To report on the methodology used in developing these filters.
• To present their performance measures.

Main Methods:

• This scoping review adheres to JBI methodology.
• Literature searches will be conducted in PubMed, Embase, InterTASC Information Specialists' Sub-Group Search Filter resource, and Google Scholar.
• Data extraction will cover study characteristics, filter specifics (geographical area), and development/validation methods, followed by narrative summary and tabular presentation.

Main Results:

• The review will identify and categorize validated geographic search filters.
• Methodologies for developing and validating these filters will be documented.
• Performance measures of the identified filters will be reported.

Conclusions:

• Validated geographic search filters are essential tools for efficient and targeted literature searching in evidence synthesis.
• Understanding their development and performance aids researchers in selecting appropriate filters.
• This review provides a comprehensive overview to support evidence-based practice and research in various health and epidemiological contexts.